Cheers! Past Review
By Claire A (Near and Middle Eastern Studies., Wellesley College) for
SOAS, University of London: London - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
It has changed my world-view of global politics and American involvement drastically. I was also there during the elections, so that was fascinating to see!
Personal Information
If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | N/A |
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Again, it is very self-directed. You will put in as much work as you see fit. |
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
We were pretty much on our own after Orientation, which I actually appreciated. The program administrators were very easy to get in touch with, though, so if they were needed they were there for us. |
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
SOAS referred first years and exchange students to Dinwiddy House. Not directly related, so SOAS was not responsible for anything that happened. |
* Food: |
N/A. |
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I had an absolute BLAST exploring London. Nothing was arranged by my program, but I just used TimeOut and Spoonfed.co.uk to find out what was going on in the city. |
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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* Safety: |
London is VERY safe! Just be street-smart. Pepper spray is not allowed, but the bookstore sells self-protection gadgets that are allowed. |
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
* 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) |
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Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 40-50 pounds. |
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | DON'T HAVE PACKAGES SHIPPED TO YOU! You will be slammed with a customs fee worth about 1/3 the value of your parcel. |
Language
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
Language acquisition improvement? |
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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | You must be okay being on your own. This program will not hold your hand. |
Individual Course Reviews
Course Name/Rating: |
Intermediate Arabic |
Course Department: | Arabic 200 |
Instructor: | Nada Elzeer |
Instruction Language: | Arabic/English |
Comments: | Very grammar-focused. A lot of vocabulary. Not a lot of speaking at all, but the professor was GREAT. |
Credit Transfer Issues: | Unknown. |
Course Name/Rating: |
Introduction to Arabic Culture |
Course Department: | Language and Culture |
Instructor: | Hugh Kennedy |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | GREAT! It was an intro class, so there were a lot of first years, but the content was incredibly interesting. Look at Arabic culture since pre-Islamic times. |
Credit Transfer Issues: | Unknown |
Course Name/Rating: |
Literature of the Near and Middle East |
Course Department: | Language and Culture |
Instructor: | Andrew George |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | Great look at literature over the span of time. 5 papers over the course of the year and no final. Revolving guest professors who were experts in their fields. |
Credit Transfer Issues: | Unknown. |
Course Name/Rating: |
Shi'ism: Community and Identity |
Course Department: | Religion |
Instructor: | Jan-Peter Hartung |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | Lacked a lot of direction. I personally did not like the class at all. VERY self-directed and requires a great deal of prior knowledge that was not specified in the course description. |
Credit Transfer Issues: | Unknown. |