Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Finding and immersing yourself in a community makes all the difference Past Review

By (PSYCHOLOGY., Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/26/2011 to 06/08/2012 with

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

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
1. I learned that the United States is an amazing place to be and that I'm happy to call it home; Europe is not a better place to live (at least for me!). 2. I learned to study ahead of time for exams by doing a little work some days of the week in the fall and spring (while the exams were in late April/May). That preliminary study made such a difference. 3. It was absolutely worthwhile. Don't feel like you shouldn't go to London because it's not 'exotic' enough. London's a huge, amazing city -- with New York, the most important in the world according to some -- and you'll never get bored. 4. I learned that french fries taste better with mayo than with ketchup.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I appreciated having free access to a wide range of academic journals, and that I could easily get in contact with my professors despite the larger class sizes.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

No complaints here

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The housing provided was pretty far from the main campus so I ended up staying at the Catholic chaplaincy instead, which went great.

* Food:

The food at Ifor Evans hall was pretty good but the selections on the main campus seemed overpriced.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

UCL is so big that I had trouble really getting to know the student body (especially because I was there for only one year), but I had a wonderful experience at Newman House (the Catholic chaplaincy) that really made me feel at home. I didn't necessarily like the 'culture' that I saw at UCL, especially with the attempt to hinder the free speech of pro-life meetings there (which fortunately was illegal under the European Human Rights act), so I suppose I chose not to integrate.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Meeting with doctors was easy and I didn't even have to make appointments.

* Safety:

I always felt safe, but you must be careful about your belongings; get a laptop lock.

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)

London is expensive, but there's a lot of great things to do/see for free.

* Was housing included in your program cost? No
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 210
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Pasta and cheese are really wonderful together and make a great lunch -- you can cook pasta in the microwave! Also, I didn't find it necessary to take a taxi because the buses and trains (while not super-cheap) are great in London.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Because almost all of my grade was determined at the end of the year I had tons of free time
  • London is a great place from which to take lots of European trips
  • Having all my exams at the year's end taught me to stay disciplined and use my time wisely
* What could be improved?
  • UCL could offer more London outings for international students
  • Let family members visit the main library
  • Subsidize one-time tube and bus trips for students (if only!)
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Newman House is an incredible place to spend a semester or two if you're Catholic; the community is so amazing and I really felt at home thousands of miles away from the U.S.. I would have stayed there for both semesters. Also, I wish I knew that I shouldn't freak out about all the reading that it appears you have to do for your courses. I read about 3-4 articles for each lecture I planned to study for on the exam and it seems so far that that was sufficient. Also, if you only need to answer 3 questions out of 9 for the final exam, this means that you don't necessarily have to study for every single topic; check with your tutor on this.