La-la-la-London! Past Review
By Katherine O (English, Seton Hall University) for
AIFS London - Richmond, The American International University in London
Yes, no matter how poor I was (and believe me, I was, I came home with $8 to my name), I always found a way to have a good time and get worthwhile experiences. If you are willing to live a less luxurious lifestyle than you are used to, you can make things work.
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 loved my classes. Almost all of them related to British history/culture or travel in some way. My professors were fantastic, and the courses were interesting. I also had a lot of field trips for my History of London class, and I really feel like I know so much about the city now. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The laundry was a nightmare. There were only 3 washers and 3 dryers, and you had to run the dryer two or three times to get your clothes reasonably dry. The fact that it was free was great, but the hours for it were terrible (it closed at 11pm) and it was so inefficient that a lot of people payed to go to laundromats instead, which is really inconvenient. But that's my only major complaint, other than that the program was great. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Very safe location (South Kensington-very posh), and nicely located between two tube stations, High St Ken and Gloucester Rd. The academic buildings were close by, as was a surgery (what they call a doctor's office) if you needed to see a doctor. Also near several pubs! High St and Gloucester Road were both fun, busy areas, and Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens was only a five-ten minutes walk away. Beautiful, beautiful location. |
| * Food: |
There were not a lot of options (it was difficult for kids with food allergies), and the meal plan only provided us with breakfast and dinner mon-fri. The pre-departure package specifically said we would get brunch, not breakfast, so a lot of us were really angry when we had to buy lunch every day. Unexpected expenses like that are difficult to deal with when most of us didn't have much money to begin with. AIFS should change that, it is irresponsible to have false statements about meal plans. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The trips were good, I really enjoyed many of them. I did a trip to Paris through AIFS, plus Richmond-run trips to Oxford, Stonehenge, and Bath. Richmond also had a lot of great orientation activities during the first week, like bus tours of the city, walking tours of the neighborhood, a river cruise/dance on the Thames, and trips to see shows in the West End (all trips except the walking and bus tours cost extra, but were well worth it). |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Safety was fine. and the program did what they could for health issues. NHS was the real problem, but that is out of AIFS control, obviously. Just bear in mind that doctor's visits need to be paid for up front while you're there, and you'll only see a doctor for ten minutes max. Again, this is because of the National Health Service, not AIFS, but it's good to know ahead of time. |
| 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) |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | When going to London: get an oyster card first thing, it will make your life easier, put your name on the guest list for clubs the night before and you won't have to pay cover, and get a student membership with the royal palaces because it pays itself off in two visits to any of the locations (Tower of London, Kensington, Windsor, Hampton Court), and don't be ashamed if you end up going to McDonald's, it's the cheapest there is and with the exchange rate you will be broke. Also, get rewards cards at places like Cafe Nero, because you'll get a free coffee for every nine you buy. Just be smart about spending and you'll be okay. And the national museums (Natural History, British Museum, the Geffrye, V&A, National Gallery etc) are free! Take advantage of them! Be sure to walk as much as you can, not only does it save money but London is a great city for walking. The parks and markets are especially great (Holland Park, Ken gardens, and Portobello Rd were my faves), and don't be afraid to take the tube out of zone 1. In the end, despite any issues with your program (just like there are issues with every college and university), you will love it. I am already planning my trip back. |
