Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Experiencing College in a Big International City February 28, 2023

By (Economics, Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/19/2022 to 01/11/2023 with

IFSA: London - King's College London

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Very worthwhile. Learned a lot about different cultures and got to travel to 9 countries.

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.

The educational setup is very different abroad. They place lots of emphasis on one or two tests/essays in determining the grade, which was an adjustment. The classes were interesting, though, and I liked how we had discussion sections with TAs.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I thought the onside administration was great.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I loved the people I got to live with and was centrally located.

* Food:

London has amazing food.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I loved the other kids that I met through the school.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have any health care needs but my friend dislocated his shoulder and said he was able to get help easily.

* Safety:

Lots of security so felt very safe

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

I loved London and had a great time meeting others from my school there

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)

It was hard sometimes due to London being expensive and wanting to travel a lot

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 500
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Cook at home

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • 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?
  • Traveling
  • Making Friends
  • Watching world cup at school bar
* What could be improved?
  • Make sure roommate requests get acknowledged
  • Could have a dining hall
  • More events
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Use the city bikes

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.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Development Economics
Course Department: Economics
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Course was challenging at times since most other students in the class had taken more econ class than I had, but the TA was very helpful and class was interesting.
Credit Transfer Issues: No
Course Name/Rating:

Experimental Economics
Course Department: Economics
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This was an interesting class. We got to read a lot of academic papers about interesting experiments. Felt like a psychology class at times. Graded on a final, paper, and presentation.
Credit Transfer Issues: No
Course Name/Rating:

Intro to Global Health
Course Department: Global Health
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This was in a subject area that I did not know much about. Graded on two papers. This was not my favorite class.
Credit Transfer Issues: No
Course Name/Rating:

Intro to Film
Course Department: Film
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This class was something that I didn't have any exposure to before. I found it interesting, but there was a new teacher (guest lecturer) who taught the class each week, which in some ways was good but in some ways made it harder due to lack of a consistent teaching style.
Credit Transfer Issues: