London: Minding the Gap Between Two Distinct Western Cultures Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

As I said before, the workload was difficult those first five weeks with the three classes. I was always doing homework. The grading system was strange. The letter grades were completely different than ours. I felt like even though they had a grading system in place, I felt like at the end of the day the letter grade in the class was a professor's decision, not an average of the work completed. This worked in my favor though. The teaching methods were different. In one class all we did was lecturing which I did not really enjoy, but another class of mine incorporated conversation and out-of-class experiences to museums and such. Being a type A personality as I am I like things to be clear-cut and spelled out for me, this university does not do that. I think it is the difference between English and American education.

On-site administration of your program

Everyone who works for the program here had so much knowledge about the host country (even if they weren't from here) and the United States. I felt they understood us as Americans being here and what we were experiencing. They were helpful in answering all questions. If they could not answer it themselves, they would find someone who could. I have to say, when I was hospitalized when I was here, word got around quickly within the administration and everyone was so supportive in helping with anything I needed. The R.A. even came down to check on me. The program had a good size. I feel like the students here for the five-week program were different than the ten-week students. The first five weeks the dorms were so loud as people were out partying every night. This got frustrating. Many of our nights sleeping were disturbed because of inconsiderate students in the courtyard. I feel like more could have been done about this. Overall my expectations were met. I was very satisfied with the employees who run the program.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing was arranged with one form that had four questions on it. I was very happy with the girls I lived with. They were all like-minded. We all thought we ended up with the best flat out of the entire complex. Safety was good. There is a password to key in to get in the gate, and swipe card operated doors to get into buildings. Unfortunately for about a month the swipe entry to my building was broken. When we arrived in our flat, it was still dirty from the last group to live here. Lights needed to be replaced, hooks were broken, the bedding needed to be, well, it needed to be new. My shower was also broken (turned out to be a defect) and it overflowed every time I took a shower. I can say that Unite (the dorm company) was good about getting to your flat to fix things after they were reported online. It was a good system. For being just a little over a year old, the building sure was torn up. It definitely needs some care like new carpet and coats of paint. It was about a twenty minute tube ride to school, not a bad distance at all. I felt very central. I liked the location. It was also close to Camden where we could get groceries, shop and have nightlife. Yes, when I arrived I had to buy many things. I had to buy sheets and a comforter as the ones provided were insufficient. I bought all kinds of cleaning products as well. The kitchen had many things missing. We never had a pan for the oven or oven mitts for example. Finally a student bought a cookie sheet for the oven. We found ways to cope though. We only had four glasses for seven people and things like that. The kitchen could be better stocked with supplies like these. Before arriving I thought the communal areas would be cleaned by cleaning staff. This is not true. I must have misunderstood. So, my flatmates and I came up with a cleaning schedule and a trash schedule as well.

I provided my own food. English food can be bland, but in such a diverse city there are global foods here, including American. I explored with Thai, English and Latin foods just to mention a few.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I did all the things that are distinctly British: ate fish and chips, went to Madame Tussaud's, saw the famous museums like the V&A. My program did a wonderful wonderful job with cultural activities. They were all optional and the sign-up process was very easy. Some cost extra while others didn't. Some were day trips, while others were just a meal. I really took advantage of these events and I'm glad I did. One memorable one was the Fourth of July BBQ dinner. There were also several city walks. These showed you what there was to do, gave history and gave the lay of the land. So helpful. The cultural activities director, Tony Skitt, was so energetic and knew his stuff. If there was a trip you and your friends wanted to plan on your own (like Paris for me and my flat), he would give you advice and places to stay and things to do.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Overall I felt very safe in England. At night of course and in different boroughs you must be more careful, but I was always attentive to myself and my belongings and had no problems. Keep watch on your bag, especially at main tourist attractions where petty thefts thrive. I did have experience with healthcare. It was easily accessible to just walk into the emergency room, although I felt like we might have faced discrimination as foreigners (they have socialist healthcare). My program interacted with me via the phone during my time in the hospital. They also communicated amongst themselves and with my intern provider. The local healthcare system - it was definitely less friendly and less compassionate. There was nothing to do in the hospital. I had to make my needs met many times by asking. Things were not just offered like extra blankets, food, etc. I had quite a few rude nurses as well. They were not very understanding of the fact that I was away from home, in a foreign country, by myself. No mercy. I did not notice any prevalent health issues, but you have to be on your guard using public transport. You are always surrounded by people here as it is a large city.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

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• Dorm

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• Americans

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• Americans