Worth the very, very, expensive price Past Review

By (Brandeis University) - abroad from 09/02/2017 to 12/14/2017 with

Boston University: London - London Internship Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My greatest life lessons learned abroad came from my travels as opposed to my classes. Traveling was absolutely worthwhile, and I am very grateful for the lessons I learned while abroad. The classes however, were very mundane; each was 4 hours long and could have been easily cut in half.

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.

Classes were very easy, and pass/fail definitely made them easier than any classes at Brandeis. I was not challenged in the classroom, and professors outside of my core course were lackluster. Saving grace was my internship, which was stimulating and beneficial to my career trajectory.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Administration was passive and did not prioritize our experiences.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing was nice. 24/7 security was a pain sometimes, but overall I am glad it was there.

* Food:

No food provided from the program, only a kitchen. London food is not the best, but I cannot fault the program for this.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Having an internship helped here, as it gave me lots of experience with the culture.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

N/A

* Safety:

There were "terrorist" attacks while I was abroad, but all were minor, and due to the scale of the city, they did not affect me.

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

I loved travel abroad and would absolutely do an internship program through Boston University again, but I did not fall in love with London compared to many other cities that I visited.

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 EXPENSIVE

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? too much
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? if you want to save money, don't go to London and don't travel. That being said, I would pick London again.

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

  • Local Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Travel
  • Freedom
* What could be improved?
  • Administration
  • Coursework
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? How to travel independently and how to live in a city, particularly in a foreign country.