program bad, LONDON GREAT Past Review

By (Temple University) - abroad from 06/03/2018 to 07/05/2018 with

Arcadia: London - Arcadia in London Summer

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I fell even more in love with London.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Very friendly and felt like I could go to them with a problem. They helped me make a dentist appointment.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The housing was very far from central London. In addition most of the RLAs were extremely rude. One of them locked me out on purpose. There was also a lot of construction going on RIGHT outside of the dorms and they started every morning at or before 8am, which does not fit with the buildings "quiet hours". I also had an unpleasant experience in that some of the construction workers (working on a neighboring building) whistled at me and yelled obscenities as I was leaving the dorm. Safe to say I did not have a pleasant living experience and am very disappointed in this based on the money spent for housing.

* Food:

Great food all around.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The insurance through the program did not count my gum infection at my wisdom tooth extraction site as a dental emergency. I had to pay $130 for a dentist visit. However, Katie, an advisor, did help me make the appointment which I appreciated.

* Safety:

Never feared for safety! Just watch out for pick pockets.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

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)

London is a very expensive city.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 200$
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? cook at home a lot, thats what I did but still spent a lot.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • the city
  • friends
* What could be improved?
  • housing
  • insurance
  • $$$
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That you should try to make as many new friends as possible abroad. Meeting new people is very exciting.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.