London Changed My Perspective Past Review

By Lauren D (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Middlebury College) for

University College London (UCL): London - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

The most important insight I discovered from my program was my realization that I can live in a city, and they are not nearly as overwhelming to me. Living there gave me confidence in the abilities that I already have.

Personal Information

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.	The workload was more than I expected at UCL, but it still was much less than what I am used to at Middlebury. There were two 10-15 page papers for each course, and you had to meet with a tutor once for each course. I felt that the tutor sessions were helpful because I found the writing expectations a bit different than at Middlebury. I didn't get much out of the lectures to help my writing, they were more complimentary to my personal research or to get my papers started. I found that I learned more from writing the papers than I did from attending classes.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The support system was not good at UCL. Luckily, I didn't have too many issues that I felt needed to be brought up with them, but whenever I went to the department office, I felt that they were extremely unhelpful. Information was very inaccessible, which made for a stressful first two weeks.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:	I was not on a meal plan, which I would advise. I heard the dining hall food was not good, and not many students use it.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	My program did not arrange any events.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	I felt surprisingly safe in London. My dorm was in a very safe residential area that I felt comfortable in. Obviously, I did not walk alone at night and there were some areas I did not go to, but in general there weren't any issues.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

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)