Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Fun? Yes! Life changing? Meh. Past Review

By (Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/02/2016 to 06/11/2016 with

IFSA: London - King's College London

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I definitely learned about being independent and got to experience more cultures that allowed me to think about the world and people differently. I think it was worthwhile and gave me a chance to change up my college routine.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Good location but older, not very nice rooms

* Food:

I keep Kosher and it was doable, but not especially convenient.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I seemed to interact mostly with other American abroad students

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have any health issues, so I'm not familiar with the system

* Safety:

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

As an observant Jew, I was not in the ideal situation for keeping all my customs and probably could have gone in a more accommodating way.

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? 20-50 pounds maybe?

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
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • IFSA helped me with a lot of the administrative aspects
  • There was a wide range of classes to choose from
  • Classes were the regular ones with students from England
* What could be improved?
  • Accomodations
  • We did not need to come as early as we did and could have left earlier than we were told
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? How far I'd be from the Jewish community and how hard it would be to break out of the American Study abroad bubble and actually interact with British students.