Intellectually stimulating and very art-focused. Past Review
By jamiek (Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/25/2017 to 12/08/2017 with
Courtauld Institute of Art: London - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Yes--I learned to live in an unfamiliar major city entirely on my own, and I understand British people/culture a bit better now.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Good lectures, challenging conversations, manageable work load, small seminar sizes, and impressive staff. Confusing library. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Did not really have a set orientation/were not very organized for study abroad students in particular (just because there are not very many of us). Otherwise they were easy to connect to/quite responsive. The administration checked in with us a couple of times during the semester, which was helpful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Had to find my own housing in London, which was extremely pricey. The Courtauld only provides housing for full-year students. |
| * Food: |
Food in London is not as bad as people say it is, but it can get extremely pricey. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The Courtauld students were somewhat hard to get to know, and I feel as though I made my closest friends at the very end of my time there. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
This is not really applicable to me, because I did not have any immediate health concerns while I was there/I did not seek medical service(s). |
| * Safety: |
London is a safe city and I never felt too endangered. The city was under 'critical' threat condition re: terrorism when I was there, but it felt like living in any other major U.S. city. The most uncomfortable situations I was ever in were just cat-calling or rude comments, which is unfortunately pretty typical here in the U.S. as well. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I wanted to do an immersive art program, and I wanted access to London museums; I got exactly that through this program. |
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) |
London is a very expensive city, so it is definitely not easy to live there. For anyone who is trying to live on a small budget, I would not recommend London. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | around $200 per week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Find an accommodation in which you can cook, and cook your own meals. Eat out infrequently, and look for cheaper places to eat. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That I would have limited options for classes, and that I would only be with other (mainly) British students. |
