A Wale of a Time Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Cardiff University is a really great school with a good reputation, and for the most part, I enjoyed my courses and professors. That being said, there are far fewer assignments throughout the school year in the UK than there are in the US so I found myself spending very little time on school work until the end of the semester when I had to hand in my final papers.

On-site administration of your program

We didn't hear very much from IFSA while we were in Cardiff. Our orientation was supposed to be 2 nights in London, but they had to cut it short for the Cardiff students which was a bit annoying, especially because they didn't reimburse us financially for the London orientation (nights in the hotel, etc.). I knew I could always contact IFSA if I needed them, but never really found that necessary. They did take us out to dinner & a play in Cardiff when we arrived & lunch 2 other times during the semester, which was nice.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in Talybont, which is where a ton of first year students live (upper-classmen live off campus). You have your own bedroom and bathroom there (very small, but you won't have that much stuff anyway), and I shared a kitchen with 5 other students. I liked living in Taly because you were living with full-time Cardiff Uni British students, not other Americans. Talybont is about a 20 minute walk from the center of campus, which is way more convenient than Uni Halls, which are a bus ride or a 35 minute walk away.

Taly was self catered so I cooked for myself.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Based on what I know about my friends' experiences abroad, I know I was far more integrated into Cardiff Uni than most other American study abroad students. Since we lived and took classes with Cardiff students, I inevitably made friends with British students, in addition to international students. Also, it helps that Cardiff Uni has a Student Union that so many students hang out in, whether at the Taf ( a pub) or Solus (a club), which is big on Wednesday and Saturday nights.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had to go to the doctor's office once when I was in Cardiff. I wasn't really sure what would happen with insurance and everything there, but I saw a doctor and was given a prescription for penicillin (I had strep throat). I asked the receptionist on the way out if I had to pay here, and she said no, and I filled the prescription across the street, also for free. I'm not sure if they didn't realize I wasn't a full-time Cardiff Uni student and this was a mistake or if that is how it always happens.I didn't need any vaccinations, though there was a mumps outbreak in a city about 45 minutes from Cardiff, but most Americans should have the MMR vaccine.

Cardiff is an extremely safe city, the safest in the UK from what I was told. The area around Cardiff University & where I live in Taly is quite safe, and I never felt uncomfortable or in danger. That being said, Cardiff Uni never sent us security alert e-mails like my home institution does. There was a rumor about a student being assaulted while walking through Taly late at night, but the university never addressed it.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Cardiff is a fairly affordable city with a lot of cheap places for students, but the pound is worth way more than the dollar so that was a killer. Not including traveling, I probably lived on $100 on an average week (didn't buy expensive tickets for a concert or show or something) or maybe a little less, including food, alcohol, going out (cover charges & taxis). I obviously spent a lot more money traveling.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students

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• Local Students

• The immersion in Cardiff University
• Lots of time to travel (3 week long spring break, reading week, and several weeks of finals that allowed time for traveling)

• Try to immerse us even further! (maybe teaching us how to join clubs & societies may make more study abroad students join them)
• The International Office at Cardiff could be a bit more proactive. A lot of our professors had no idea what we did or did not know (i.e. we had no idea that we had to pick up the final essays topics & all the guidelines, including due dates, in the English Department office. I only figured it out because I eventually asked another student).