I recommend KCL and London as a study abroad option. February 03, 2023

By (History, Philosophy, Creative Industries, Brandeis University) - abroad from 09/18/2022 to 12/17/2022 with

Arcadia: London - King's College London

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Yes! I created some valuable connections, visited all the UK countries, got to know the UK university system more, and learned many interesting things in classes and from readings.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes require lots of reading, but the course grades are only based on the final essay, so you could get good grades by focusing on reading books and writing the final papers and not having to go to class at all during the semester (not recommended because you would be wasting money and miss out on making connections, but many people do this anyway). The actual final essay is more difficult than a US uni's final essay because it is 100% of the grade as well as KCL expects you to read many many books to write the essay. There are resources and office hours for you if you reach out.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Arcadia is really good with Americans who have little to no abroad experience. Their orientation program was very detailed, and they are fairly responsive with emails. I didn't feel very well-supported as an international student (in the US) as I don't feel that they understood how time-consuming and tiring getting a visa could be, but they try, and they are very nice people. Arcadia also offers free tours for the program, which was nice. I really really enjoyed the service of the insurance company that Arcadia chose for us.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I live in an older KCL dorm. It's not pretty, but it's very affordable compared to other student housing options, and it is quite central. UK dorms are more private than US dorms (at least private sink, single room), so I liked my room.

* Food:

There is no dining hall or mandatory meal plan. Lots of flexibility with cooking or eating out.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Not having to learn another language makes it easy. Everyone was friendly. Making friends were a little bit difficult only because KCL is very big and has few areas to socialize, and no actual campus culture because people come to campus only for lectures.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Health care was accessible, both physical and mental support. All of my health checkups were free, and I could've gone to counseling 5 times for free. Much better than the US.

* Safety:

I felt quite safe since the area where I live is always busy. The biggest threat that commonly happens is probably theft on the street. I know of 1 violent event that happened while I was there for the semester. There are lots of peaceful protests in London though.

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)

Expensive, but it's still cheaper than staying on campus and eating with the meal plan at Brandeis.

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? Apply for scholarships from your school and your programs. Plan trips you want to take while abroad to better account for expenses.

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
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

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

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Health insurance
  • Excursions and trips
* What could be improved?
  • Accounting for the fact that international students may/should get their documents earlier to apply for visa, or plan for a backup orientation program for those who can't make it on time due to visa application wait.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? There are so many ways to get student discounts or other types of discounts for everything.