Great to be Abroad, but the School lacked as an Organization. Past Review
By CJ P (Bentley University) - abroad from 01/07/2013 to 05/31/2013 with
Royal Holloway, University of London: London - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
To go abroad was the experience of a lifetime. However, the way the school is run, and the impact on my results. I would never recommend this to anyone.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Definitely challenging, but I wish they were more informative on what is expected on Essays and Exams. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Terrible. Outdated, and not helpful. Very puppet like, if a problem arises they just refer you to someone else. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Best part of the experience, could not ask for better living arrangements. |
| * Food: |
As for England as a whole, the food is just not good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Very integrated, the locals treat the international students extremely well. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Government run healthcare never works. I was sick and they said it would be at least two weeks before I could see a doctor. Fortunately I got better, but to say the least it was disappointing. |
| * Safety: |
On campus was safe, but the surrounding area at night. You had to be careful as there were several muggings. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Fortunately, I had a decent budget, and was able to enjoy myself, but things were not that cheap. Groceries were affordable but eating out got expensive. I averaged roughly about $150 US per week on food/expenses. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $150.00 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Yeah, best advice is to get a credit card with no foreign transaction fees (capital one, bank of America travel rewards). They are safer than cash, and you get the best possible exchange rate imaginable. DO NOT EXCHANGE MONEY AT A COUNTER OR PAY FOR ANYTHING IN US CURRENCY. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That the assessments are held on different standards, and that picking classes are supposed to be sorted out before you arrive. I was literally missing classes from my enrollment for the first two weeks. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
