Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The grading can be a little confusing only because you are not given grades on papers weekly or even monthly for that matter. Many students, including myself, new that they were getting their work done with a good amount of effort put it, and yet, we still weren't sure how we were doing since assignments weren't graded when handed back. It seems as though when there were grades (even those on a check, check-minus, etc scale) they were very fair. Just wish there could have at least been mid-semester evaluations.

On-site administration of your program

I wish that our program trips could have included a more democratic voting on the things that we got to see and do. It seemed like for trips like Stratford-Upon-Avon and many others, all of the students agreed upon the things that they wanted to see and do, but it came down to what the professors wanted. Now, we thought that was very unfair considering we were the ones who were paying for each and every one of these trips without ANY income, unlike the professors. Paris, however, was nice because there was more free time in addition to the organized trips.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

In addition to myself and my roommate there was another room in our flat with three other girls. We shared two bathrooms, a small living room, and a very small kitchen. It was on the third floor of a four-floor (4-flat) building in a beautiful area right in central London. <br /><br /> It was nice that the sheets/towels/pillows/etc were provided but items such as the shower curtain, pots, pans, and other cooking materials were very poor. It would also be nice if there were curtains provided. They were very good with fixing minor problems on time (light bulbs, etc) but we did go the first THREE weeks of the semester without heat, and it took and entire week and a half until we even had space heaters.

Cooking within the flat was challenging since there were terrible pots and pans, but it was the budget-wise way of getting by so I learned to make do. Grabbing a meal at a pub every once and a while is affordable, and the sandwich meals at places like Boots, Sainsbury's, and Pret were affordable and very good.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There were a lot of organized trips to places within London, especially through the British Experience class which was nice because I otherwise might have not thought to see them. Some of these places included The Imperial War Museum, Greenwich, Keats House, etc. The end of term party was very fun and successful.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Well, I once had to rush the girl in the flat above me to the emergency room because she cut open her head from falling off the chair. The professors and program director were very concerned and were willing to rush over but we took care of it and the people in the hospital were helpful as well.

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

Well, seeing as how it was an English speaking country, my language skills remained mostly unchanged except perhaps and increase in vocabulary.

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