London Study Abroad: Gateway to Europe Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload during the semester is little to none. Professors are somewhat inaccessible. When I went to ask for help, I was told that at my workplace, no one would "spoon feed" me; at work, I'd be getting paid... I appreciated that the professors provided lecture notes before class. While one might argue that you pay more attention while writing your notes, I am of the belief that paying attention is something which should be left to the student; it is the responsibility of the teacher to be interesting and engaging. The stress piles on at the end when you need to study for exams. But the curve is quite generous. 70 is an A and it goes down from there. It's pretty easy to get an A in my opinion, especially coming from the American system. I really enjoyed a Masters level course I took. You were treated more like an adult. In undergraduate courses, students were constantly being told to be quiet. In a class of 140, learning was not so conducive. The Masters class was smaller and taught be a better professor. My main difficulty was the intense focus on memorization rather than understanding. For engineering, it is quite important to have the questions at hand, rather than to memorize them. It was frustrating to say the least because it doesn't prepare you for real life at all.

On-site administration of your program

I wish they allowed American students to take more than 4 classes. Not only is it completely possible, it's also probably better because I only had about 10-14 hours of classes a week.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

There were mostly graduate students where I lived.

I was taking care of my own food expense and preparation. I would say it's quite expensive, but there are ways to get by certainly. Many more places do student discounts than in the US. Chop Chop Noodle Shop was possibly the most visited of all the dining options. Very vegetarian and vegan friendly! Don't expect to find any Mexican food !!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It was hard for me to get out early on because of the ridiculous lab reports I had to write for my experimentation class. But when I did, it was great. The pub culture is great. I found it to be beneficial to check online for discount tickets to things. I got to go to the London eye for half price because I got a coupon online. These little things will add up. Traveling was the most fun, though.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The National Healthcare Service, while great, does not allow doctors to prescribe drugs often it seems. When I had a throat infection or maybe bronchitis, the physician told me to use nasal spray... I proceeded to feel miserable for 15 days and finally felt better. I did have a slight relapse after, but feeling better was not at all a function of the doctor's ability or care.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

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• Dorm

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• Americans
• International Students
• Other