Studying in London: A Wonderfully Challenging Experience Past Review
By Jordana W (Anthropology, Tufts University) for
Tufts Programs Abroad: Tufts in London
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Most courses were lecture classes and were once or twice a week - with some courses having tutorials (recitations) once a week. Most classes had one or two written papers throughout the term. The workload over the year was mostly reading and quite manageable, but most of the more intense studying and time in the library occurred when preparing for final exams in May. I also took an Italian language class, which was a small class (about 6 students) and had about two tests, a project, and an oral exam and a final written exam at the end of the year. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived across the street from my department building, very close to the main part of the campus. Most UCL housing is close to lecture halls and department buildings. The neighborhood I lived in was very safe - UCL is in the central part of London, where there are many tourists and business people, so the area around us is quite safe. I had to buy my own pots and pans (I got them at Argos), sheets/pillows/duvet and towels (at Marks & Spencers), cutlery and cooking things (at pound stores, M&S, and random places). The dorm room is quite small, so you don't need to buy lots of things. |
| * Food: |
I shopped for food at Tesco, Sainsbury's, and sometimes Marks and Spencer - all reasonably priced. I lived in Camden, and when I ate out, I went to an Indian place on Drummond Street that had a good lunch special (forgot the name), Benito's Hat (a Mexican food chain), or the Italian Coffee Company (which had the cheapest pizzas around, and were pretty good). And there are tons of coffee shops (Starbucks, Costa, Pret a Manger, Cafe Nero, etc). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I am a diabetic, so I signed up with UCL's disability services. I had brought my own 6-month supply of insulin and back-up insulin pens. However, when I got to my room, the disability center told me that my mini-fridge wasn't available yet and that they only had one, which someone else needed more. So, I put all of my insulin the the communal fridge - which, unknown to me, was set too low - and all of my insulin froze. The disability services helped me get compensation for the lost insulin from the fridge company that didn't deliver the fridge in time (also, the lady who operates the front desk at my dorm was also a diabetic, and she helped me a lot with this process). And because I was studying there for the whole year, I could sign up for the NHS (the national health system) and was able to get my insulin for free because diabetes is a chronic illness (you need to get a form for this). Although they were very helpful and I appreciate their assistance, I had trouble getting a simple answer from them about exams - I wanted to know the procedure if I had a diabetes-related emergency during the test and neither the disability services nor my academic department were able to help me, so I had to monitor myself carefully before the exams, and hope that I didn't have freak high or low blood sugars. |
| 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? | I spent about 40 pounds on food (I hardly ate out, cooked all of my own meals, and was quite frugal with food), and about 10-20 pounds on other expenses (printing from the library (you are given 10 or so pounds, but you don't buy textbooks, so there may be a lot of printing, depending on your tutor/professor), hygienic/personal items, Tube fare, etc). I tried to have a budget of 40-60 pounds per week, but I was very frugal. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | London is VERY expensive. But, if you budget your money well (and stick to it!), you will be able to eat, shop (a bit), and travel. Food may seem expensive - most of my money was spent on that - but you have to think in pounds and try not to convert into dollars. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I'm glad I chose the Tufts in London study abroad program. I didn't have to worry about mastering another language and I could focus on getting to know the city, the university, and other students. Being abroad for the entire year may deter some people away from the program, but it is definitely something worth doing. The end-of-the-year exams may be stressful, London may be expensive, and the time away from family, friends, and everything you know may be challenging - but living independently in central London, having the opportunity to travel in Europe, and being able to study at a great university was an amazing experience. |
