Canterbury, England: Went with one friend, came back with a family and friends i'll never forget Past Review

By (Nursing., Illinois State University) for

Canterbury Christ Church University: Canterbury - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Yes completely.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

One of my instructors was great. He was tough, but we learned alot. About life and about politics.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Our instructors and advisors were pretty slow and a little bit unorganized with our group. It wasn't bad but it would be little things such as the internet was down for a day and no one could get a hold of our advisor about it. Or one time i was sick and i couldn't reach my advisor, she was not very helpful. I ended up contacting an american teacher who was there with us.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I LOVED our living situating. It was a row of little flats and they were just right. we lived with one other american and 4 other Brits. Everyone from our study abroad program from ISU was intermixed with Brits all along our street, which made it so easy to make friends, lifetime friends, with everyone. Amazing experience.

* Food:

Green Curry has the best pad thai I've ever had and Nando's chicken is delicious! Club Chemistry has really good drinks too!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Everywhere we went was amazing! Amsterdam, Paris, Italy, London, Ireland, Spain! Stonehenge, Bath, Windsor. I loved everywhere so much! Travel, travel, travel. If you have enough money of course.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I felt very safe all the time. I was not afraid to walk alone at all. Small town and campus.

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Probably around 100 pounds every 2 weeks on all food expenses (including going out and getting sodas, drinks etc.)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? They gave us a "Bed Pail" sheets and a duvet, pots and pans and cups and cutlery. I ended up buying a duvet there because the one they provided was thin as were the sheets. I also bought a small mirror because there was only one in the bathroom. I also had to buy towels. Everything was super cheap it just added up. The apartments were very clean and nice and were cleaned every week. Loved them. Washing machine was provided we just had to buy detergent which was cheap too.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Direct Enrollment

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

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  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

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  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

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A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Just do it. Any nerves you have, push them aside, this experience will be with you for your whole life. It was 110% worth it.