London Calling Past Review

By A student (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Middlebury College) - abroad from 10/01/2013 to 01/01/2014 with

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

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

Being fully submerged in one of largest metropolitan cities in the world. The diversity was enriching and I grew as a person off-campus. I also experiences a completely different style of learning which made me appreciate my learning back home.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	barely any help with information regarding being an affiliate student
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:	I was responsible for my own food
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I was living on my own
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	NHS services are very accommodating
* Safety:	theft is very high, i got mugged my third night there. Just be aware
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 a very expensive city
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	70-120 depending on the week
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Buy groceries on deals and get store cards to get extra savings

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students 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?	Directly enrolling allowed for complete freedom Being treated like a normal UCL student
* What could be improved?	The UCL staff didn't have specific information for affiliate students Knowing how to transfer credits easier
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	That most school's do not have advisors like Middlebury does, and to find information sometimes you really have to dig.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.	The Outright Urbanite A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Comparative Politics
Course Department:	Political Science
Instructor:	James Melton
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This was a challenging course; very comparable to Political Science courses at Middlebury. We were responsible for many readings on the institution of democracy and received lectures on the material. We were also held responsible to demonstrate adequate knowledge for these democratic institutions in our weekly seminar. Our grades were based on our seminar participation and 2 essays, each on applying concepts from class to real word events.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Modern II
Course Department:	English
Instructor:	Scarlett Baron
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This was a very informative class on the second period of modernism. Each lecture was taught by a different UCL professor, while our seminars were seminars were assigned to us. We were required to read a substantial amount of works before arriving at UCL, and then we were assigned more specific readings based on our seminar. Our grades were based on 2 essays, each of which we could write about a topic of our choosing. The odd part was that our course work was unrelated to lecture topics, and often the lectures were not given in relation to each other or in time sequence. This left a feeling of discord between my course work and what i learned in lecture.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Romantic Period
Course Department:	English
Instructor:	Peter Swaab
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This was a reasonable course that discussed the Romantic Period. Lectures were given by different instructors each week and there was little, if any, continuity between lectures. Seminars were assigned and were consistant each week with the same instructor. Before arriving at UCL, we were given a list of require reading. Once assigned to a seminar, we were also assigned a second list of readings. Grades were determined by 2 coursework essays (2,000 words each).
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Friars in the Medieval World
Course Department:	History
Instructor:	Cornelia Linde
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course detailed the rise and fall of the Friars in Medieval Europe starting from the life of Francis of Assis and St. Dominic to the deconstruction of European hierarchy. We were given primary source readings for each class and then we discussed them in detail regarding the implications for the time and what effects they had. We also discussed the difference between historical documentation versus religious documentation and how that must be taken into account when looking at history grounded in religion. Our grades were based on in-class participation and two coursework essays (2500 words each). Professor Linde was very knowledgeable and used multiple sources (paintings, relgious texts, historical texts,literature etc) to give us a well rounded view on the matter.
Credit Transfer Issues: