Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Most Amazing Semester of My Life Past Review

By (Indiana University - Bloomington) - abroad from 01/05/2016 to 04/16/2016 with

IES Abroad: London - Study London

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My experience abroad gave me a more global perspective on life overall. I was able to travel to not only the UK, but to several other countries in Europe, all of which taught me more and more. It gave me a whole new appreciation for European history and art/architecture.

Review Photos

IES Abroad: London - Study London Photo IES Abroad: London - Study London Photo IES Abroad: London - Study London Photo IES Abroad: London - Study London Photo

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.

Overall, the courses were a little bit more rigorous than I was expecting. Each class met once a week for 2 and a half hours. The classes were highly based on readings and class discussions/participation. Grades were based only on midterm and final papers. I do feel like I learned a lot, but compared to other abroad programs, the courses seemed slightly more rigorous.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

All of the IES Abroad staff are great! I felt very welcome and they were always willing to go the extra mile to help us out.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Chapter King's Cross (formerly known as Nido) was a great place to live. It is essentially a large dorm building that houses abroad students as well as local students. It was really nice living in the same building as everyone else on the program. This made it extremely easy to meet knew people and it was convenient when working on group assignments and gathering for social events. You share a room and a small bathroom with one other person and you share a community kitchen with everyone else on your floor. There is a small gym and a cafe/common area which is pretty nice. Not to mention, the views of London are great. I lived on the 15th floor and was amazed every single night at how beautiful the view was.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt pretty well integrated with the local culture. I had the opportunity to do an internship while I was abroad which really helped me learn more about the cultural norms and differences between American and British culture.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I felt very safe during my time in London. The IES staff conducted multiple practice emergency drills and made sure that everyone was accounted for if anything happened.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

I absolutely loved my experience in London. It is such a large city, there was never a dull moment. I got to go to so many museums, see amazing art and architecture and just really soak up the history of London. Never having spent a significant amount of time outside of the US, it was a very eye opening experience.

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)

Living in a big city, the prices were already pretty high. At the time I was in London, the exchange rate was also not so great, so I was spending a lot of money on food and personal expenses.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $300
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Try to minimize eating out, if possible. My roommate and I tried to go grocery shopping on most days and cook dinner. However, we ended up eating out for breakfast and lunch a lot, which really added up.

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?
  • Kind and helpful staff
  • Location of housing - right by the largest tube station (King's Cross)
  • Beautiful City - so much to do!
* What could be improved?
  • I think classes could be shortened
  • More opportunities to meet local students
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish that I had anticipated how expensive everything would be. I ended up spending much more money than I was expecting. I also wish that I had chosen to take the City University class instead of doing the internship program. The internship program was a pretty large time commitment and I wish I had had more time to explore London instead of doing the internship.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
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.