ONE OF THE BEST EXPERIENCES I'VE EVER HAD! Past Review
By Kelsey B (Marketing & Business Administration, Illinois State University) - abroad from 05/18/2013 to 06/13/2013 with
University of the West of England: Bristol - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
This trip not only taught me a lot about the UK culture but it taught me a lot about myself.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Overall, this experience was a great way to learn more about myself & England! It was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
UWE offered wonderful support while we were there. I appreciated all of the help from the faculty and staff. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Living with a host family was a unique experience. By living with someone who is a native of Bristol, it gave us the opportunity to see just how they live in the UK. It was nice because we were able to feel a little more at home by having a host family. |
| * Food: |
I didn't mind any of the food I had while I studied abroad. Some of it I probably won't have again, but it was okay to try once. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Bristol was very welcoming and I liked the city a lot. All of the locals we met seemed nice and very helpful. Bristol seems like a wonderful place to live. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I personally did not have a healthcare issue but one of my friends did. The hospital atmosphere in Europe is definitely different than that of the United States. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in Bristol! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
I had previously worked prior to the trip & saved up some money. I spent around $2000 not including airfare, hotels, or exercusions we had booked prior to leaving the United States. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I would say around $500. Throughout the week I wouldn't spend as much as on weekends. When we would go away for the weekends we would have to pay for all food/drinks/other expenses. So that added up more quickly. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Traveling in the UK is a lot more expensive than here! I would definitely try to budget by week. If you don't, you might end up spending all of your money in the first couple of weeks. We also ate at our host families house whenever possible to try and save money. By booking things in advance or online we also found to save a little bit of money. Sometimes it is only 10%, but any little bit counts. |
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
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I would have known another language. When we went to Belgium it would have been nice to know French. I plan on hopefully learning soon how to speak another language. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
