An invaluable period of cultural, personal and intellectual growth Past Review

By Michael Borenstein (Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/25/2017 to 12/15/2017 with

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

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

I learned so much about how to live independently in a (foreign) city, and how to forge new relationships with people from such diverse backgrounds. I gained invaluable exposure to European cities, culture, people, institutions and environments, and was able to grow not only academically but personally as well.

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
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	The quality of the dorm wasn't too great but the location was amazing and the support from the staff was excellent
* Food:	This is the rating I'd assign to the food available at the dining hall at my dorm, not to the general food available in London
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	I was a little nervous being in London with its recent experience with terrorist attacks, but I never felt unsafe walking around the city, especially in the area by UCL.
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, and it's easy for charges to add up
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$75-100
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	I would try and view your expenses as a series of trade-offs - meaning, sometimes if you're traveling and you want to have a nice dinner, you can make up for that with some cheaper meals back at your home city, or by walking home instead of taking an Uber, for example.

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?	Direct Enrollment

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?	Independence Seeing what it's like at a big school (35,000 students vs. 2,500 at UCL) Breadth of courses
* What could be improved?	Clarity of course structure Food Orientation activities
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	How the UCL scheduling, registration and course structure truly worked.

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:	International Trade
Course Department:	Economics
Instructor:	Dr. Parama Chaudhury
Instruction Language:
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:	Haven't successfully transferred credit yet.

Course Name/Rating:	Behavioural Economics
Course Department:	Economics
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Sustainable Energy
Course Department:	Department of Arts and Sciences
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues: