England: Similar to the States yet life changing! York Honors Semester Abroad Past Review

By Raymundo C (Business Administration, Management and Operations., Hope College) for

York St. John University: York - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

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

Overall, The experience at York was amazing. You get to enjoy the night life if you want to but you can also stay away from that if that is not what you like. There is a lot of history in this small city and a lot of local businesses like restaurants, pubs, etc.

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.	The grading system is in a scale of 100 but their A is a 70. It is confusing because of the scale that we use in the States. The classes are taught similar to classes at hope but the workload is not the same. You basically have two big assignments for each class and that is it.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The school size is about the same as Hope College. They are very helpful.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	It was near school but it was a freshmen area, so it was loud and people weren't very clean.
* Food:	The Pubs in the city center are great for food. The whole in the wall, Lions and the lamb, and the plough are pretty delicious pubs in York.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	The Program does two trips: one to Edinburgh and one to London. Both of these trips are fun. You get to see a lot of historical sites.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	York is one of the safest cities in the Uk. There is a lot of tourism, so there is nothing to worry about.
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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	Weekly about 75 pounds.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Look for local groceries stores. The further away that you go from the student housing the cheaper.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	None

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Other
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	The freedom they give you while studying abroad is great.
* What could be improved?	The housing was not my favorite but it wasn't too bad either