London: Forget About the Books, Bring Money Instead Past Review
By Scott N (Political Science, Tufts University) for
Tufts Programs Abroad: Tufts in London
It was absolutely worthwhile!! I didn't like my academic experience, but that has little to do with UCL and a lot to do with the British education system in general. London as a city is amazing, except for the miserable winter weather. There are tons of diverse and interesting people in London, from everyone in the world, so you cannot complain that there is no one to spend time with. The UK is a storied country with varied geography, so it also has everything to offer.
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. |
The workload was fair, even a little light. The teaching methods were very similar to what I have at Tufts, so that made me comfortable. The grading system, however, was ridiculous and old-fashioned. For example, for a class that ran an entire year, I had two long essays and then a final exam at the end of the year. Nothing else. Even though I spent a lot of time on the essays, they together made up only 20% of my final grade and the three-hour exam at the way end of the year was worth a whopping 80%. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The UCL Politics Department should not be considered a full-fledged department. The department focuses mostly on graduate students and offered only several undergraduate courses, all of which were introductory-level and commonplace. We were not informed of these shortcomings until we arrived in London, by which time it was too late to switch departments. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The building could not have been in a better location. It was well-furnished and safe. Nothing else I could ask for. |
| * Food: |
I bought all of my own food, so of course it was delicious. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
London is super fun and super British. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe in the UK. There were scattered crimes around my living area, but nothing affected anyone I knew. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | probably about 80 pounds, 60 for food and 20 for personal expenses like transportation |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It was the first time in my life that I ran into money trouble. By the end of the year, I was almost broke, mostly due to shipping too much stuff back home. Spend wisely!! And if you're a girl, have a man buy your drinks for you. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Take time off to enjoy the city and the country. Be careful with your money. Pick one of the old respected departments, rather than a newer experimental department. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Ideology, Culture, and Society in Latin America from Independence to Present |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Helen Yaffe |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This was an excellent course. The teacher was young and relatively inexperienced at teaching, but she made up for that with vast knowledge of the material and an emphasis on making the students understood the material. The course was also on a rare and highly interesting topic. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
The Arab-Israeli Conflict |
| Course Department: | Hebrew |
| Instructor: | Neill Lochery |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This was an excellent course. The teacher is a world-renowned expert and negotiator in the Arab-Israeli conflict. He was very objective when discussing sensitive issues. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
