Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

a seriously terrible program July 13, 2021

By (University of Southern California) - abroad from 01/01/2016 to 05/31/2016 with

University of the Arts London - Integrated Study Abroad

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Take time off from school work to see other countries. Your grades will most likely be pass fail so don’t kill yourself pulling all nighters on projects.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Other students at LCC did not participate in group projects and students that do the work are punished for it. Laughably bad education.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

There was zero involvement with the program administration. We had one meeting the very first day

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Lived an hour away from class on a good day. Someone was knifed to death right outside my building a month before I arrived. For proof look up the building “The Costume Store” followed by “stabbing”.

* Food:

The only food options walkable from my housing were a subway and a papa John’s pizza. The nearest area to get food would be the mall which is a $10 round trip which really adds up

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The other students made no effort to make any students that were studying abroad feel welcome. At times it was the opposite. I made more friends traveling to other countries than I did my whole time in london.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Pretty great. I had tonsillitis and I was able to get access to free healthcare

* Safety:

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

From the housing to the education I got not have imagined a more terrible experience. The students at UAL are unfriendly and have filthy living habits. In our common room you had to navigate around piles of trash strewn about. It is an expensive city and even more expensive when they place you in a dorm 1 hour away from classes in a dorm where someone was stabbed to death outside of the month before you get there. I highly advise any students from this program

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $200+
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Work your hardest to not get placed in the furthest dorm from the city and 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? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local 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?
  • Proximity of other countries
* What could be improved?
  • Housing locations
  • Program involvement. There was none
  • Better education? Out of the UAL schools it seems LCC has the poorest education
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Your group partners will not do any work whatsoever, however your efforts to produce good work will go unrewarded because you didn’t distribute the work evenly when you are forced into doing it all.

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 Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.