A Cultural Whirlwind! Past Review
By A student (HISTORY., Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/01/2014 to 06/06/2014 with
IFSA: London - King's College London
I finally got to fully indulge my passion for Medieval European history on the actual ground. I loved every minute of exploring the historical culture, the museums, and traveling Europe.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes were not especially interesting nor did they have any variation. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I had no contact with the on-site program administrators from the college. The IFSA-Butler people, however, were funny, friendly, and worked hard to make sure I had a good time. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My apartment overlooked the Houses of Parliament and was within walking distance to class. Loved it! |
| * Food: |
Honestly, it was exactly like American food except 2000% more expensive. London has a ton of amazing restaurants though and I always wanted to go out to eat (especially Indian food). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I joined a club at school and that helped, but the British students were largely turned-off to having Americans around, mostly because there was a large American population at the school and they were used to us. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I went to the free clinic offered at my school and locally, and they were always friendly, efficient, and LOW COST. Their health care system is navigable and cheap. England did not have any prevalent health issues, nor did I need vaccines. |
| * Safety: |
Despite being a small-town girl thrown into a huge city, London felt amazingly safe at all times. No one I know was pickpocketed, threatened, or even cat-called which is astounding. In Boston I have felt unsafe many times, but London felt like a community in ways that surprised me. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100 pounds a week (180ish USD) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Budget budget budget. I spent 100 pounds a week while also being a penny pincher compared to my friends. Try to limit eating out as much as possible, and budget plenty of money for museums and bus tickets to other parts of England! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | 0 |
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? | It costs so much money. |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
