Brighton: Home Away From Home Past Review

By Barbara C (Psychology/Theatre, University of California - Santa Barbara) for

University of Sussex: Brighton - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

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

My study abroad experience was beyond worthwhile. I am grateful that I was able to participate. I further learned the differences between Europe and the US, as well as, broadened my independence.

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.	The grading system in the UK is very different than in the US; they do not use letter grades and even their percentages are weighted differently, but other than those technical differences, I found the difficulty and the demands of the courseload to be comparable to that of UCSB.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The university was very welcoming and the administration was helpful and fair, but submission practices at the Univ. of Sussex and aimed to be as fair and anonymous, which is nice, but can also be a pain in the tush.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I lived in a nice dorm room that had good facilities and were located close to academic buildings, a general store, and laundry facilities.
* Food:	Campus eateries served decent food, but I lived
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I met students that I am still in contact with 3 years later. The social and non-academic aspects (like travelling) are invaluable facets of studying abroad.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	I was fortunate enough to have my health insurance cover me abroad. The campus was covered by CCTV and the area felt very safe.
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)

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	International Students

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Someone who is unable to study abroad for a full term or year and is okay with studying in a country that speaks English.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	British Theatre
Course Department:	Theatre
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This is a wonderful introduction to British Theatre. The course includes trips to professional amateur theatre productions.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I did not have any difficulty with credit transfers.

Course Name/Rating:	Personality and Intelligence
Course Department:	Psychology
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course is a wonderful introduction into the the psychological fields of personality and intelligence research and theory.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I did not have any credit transfer issues.