Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

London is the best city for study abroad but UCL was not great Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/16/2018 to 12/14/2018 with

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

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
New American friends, sense of independence, the experience of having large classes and being "on my own."

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.

Classes were not a lot of work but they were not taught well. If you actually wanted to learn you had to google everything that was put on the slides to make sense of it.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

If you do direct-enroll, you're kind of on your own. Don't expect any information beforehand and no one will hold your hand like they do at Middlebury if you forget to do something.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Stayed in a dorm. A bit expensive but the best deal for finding housing in Central London. 15 minute walk to class.

* Food:

I cooked for myself.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I mostly hungout with American students. My hall was all first-year international students. I didn't really meet British students but there was some interaction in the common room of our building. A lot of this had to do with not wanting to hangout with first year students in my dorm.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

N/A didn't have any health issues.

* Safety:

always felt safe. The security in my dorm was much less than other dorms. There wasn't someone at the front after 5pm. Always lock your door. Drunk kids would sometimes go into the wrong room by accident.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

I would choose London again in a heartbeat. There is so much to do there and you will never be bored. But don't go to London if you want to travel every weekend. It's hard to get in and out of Heathrow (will get worse with Brexit) also you will find you missed out on a lot of things in London/UK. UCL is not a great school, despite the good ratings. I reccommend taking affiliate only courses or easy classes in your department. A lot of the other affiliates are there on pass/fail. Middlebury students are not so beware.

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. Money spent on drinks will really add up. Pay attention to student discounts and buy food/coffee/snacks at the student cafes on campus, that's your cheapest option. Also, the student pubs are a great place for a cheap pregame.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $100-$150, spent a lot more in the beginning
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Beware of club entry fees. Try to go to places with student deals. Tesco meal deal is a good option or finding cheap food on campus.

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? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Freedom
  • Affiliate only classes
  • Classes in Museums
* What could be improved?
  • Affiliate student orientation
  • Professors
  • Integration of affiliates
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? It's difficult to meet other affiliate students the first couple weeks. Also the program is only 3 months, not 4. You won't go until mid-September and CLASSES DON'T START UNTIL OCTOBER 1. I recommend doing some travel before if you can.

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:

Economics of Labour
Course Department: Economics
Instructor: Donald Verry
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This class was horribly taught. The problem sets/exams were completely unfair and not reflective of course material.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Economics of the Public Sector
Course Department: Economics
Instructor: Silvia Bianco
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This class was fine. Nothing too exciting, I reccomend going through the slides before class because she moves very fast. The exam was pretty easily and very similar to practice exams.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Ancient Egypt in London
Course Department: Archaeology
Instructor: Claudia Naser
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I didn't learn very much in this class. It was cool to go to the British Museum every week and see stuff. It was also a good opportunity to meet other affiliate/American students. The papers were pretty easy and straightforward and it wasn't required to do the readings. If you want an easy class that gets you out of a lecture hall, take this one.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Art in London 1600-1850
Course Department: Art History
Instructor: Laura Scalabrella
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I loved this course. You get to visit all the best museums in london with great instrution. Most of the affiliates in my course were new to art history as well. You have a lot of flexibility in the papers.
Credit Transfer Issues: