Russian in London Past Review
By A student (Russian Area Studies, Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/18/2013 to 06/13/2014 with
University College London (UCL): London - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
London is a wonderful city, and of all my experiences over the year, the only thing that made me pleased with my decision to study abroad at UCL was being able to spent the year wandering London. Walking through the parks, exploring museums, and setting off with an end destination in mind without having plotted a course (getting lost is harder than you'd think!). And, in all honesty, all of that, and all the personal development stemming from being on my own, independent, in a foreign country for nine months, made the whole experience worthwhile. UCL, however, proved less than I would have hoped, and the academic experience was far from rewarding.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I largely felt unchallenged by the expected coursework, and little encouraged to pursue my studies more rigorously. Expectations on papers were, I believe, lower than I was accustomed to, and the amount of effort required was less. Language classes were organized in a way that I cannot comprehend learning effectively (meeting for an oral class for an hour a week, meeting once a week for a writing class during which the class sentence by sentence read a summary they had written). Few lecturers maintained the interest of their students, or made any positive impression on me. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Dealing with UCL's bureaucracy was a lesson in patience and tolerance. Constantly I was shuffled from one place to another (as the place I was first instructed to go was, in fact, not the correct one), questions were not answered and were stepped around with all the skill of a politician when one does not wish to give an answer. This was true from the first week on campus through to exams. Information was withheld, constantly changed, and there was little in the way of any feeling of security, or there was any part of the administration I could communicate with effectively. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Rooms were small, nothing special. But no major problems, either. |
| * Food: |
N/A, as I cooked for myself most of the time. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
London is so metropolitan and multicultural in the first place, that the adjustment was not severe. All, both at UCL and in the city, were welcoming and open to helping me navigate the conflicts of language and culture, and while adjustment was necessary, there was not a huge sense of "culture shock." My flatmates were all international students, and London looked after us. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I found it necessary to go through UCL's health center to continue my antidepressant treatment, which largely was a, once registration was completed and I learned to schedule appointments early, simple task. The GP was happy to explain the slight differences with filling prescriptions to me, and no problems arose. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe, or encountered any safety incidents. I am sure that, in some parts of the city, or if one is less cautious, problems might arise. But I felt quite safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Note that this component was only due to my Russian major, and was not a required component of any study abroad program at UCL. We had language class two hours a week, and with the exception of our hour-long oral class, did little actual work on the language, except what we managed on our own. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 300 level (third year) |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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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 had known what to expect from UCL's language classes, how little I would find classes beneficial, and that overall I would be so unimpressed with the university itself. |
