Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Amazing Past Review

By (business, HSSP, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/01/2013 to 06/08/2013 with

IFSA: London - University College London

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I loved my experience abroad. I had an amazing time in London, and really loved living here.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes were a little less exciting than I had expected them to be. The UK educational system is just generally a little different from the US, so it took a little adjusting to (ex. enrolling in classes was difficult and relationships with professors were difficult to create)

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

IFSA was not really helpful (since there were many different universities). UCL was also not very organized with their international student admin.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Dorms were nice, I lived about a 20 minute walk from campus.

* Food:

I cooked food myself in my suite

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt integrated within London culture, but not within UCL culture. UCL did nothing to help us join clubs and societies.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had several health issues during the program, but I had to seek medical treatment myself by registering with a GP.

* Safety:

I always felt safe in London

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

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)

London is a VERY expensive city. If you plan on traveling/enjoying the city you need to spend money, there's no going around it.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? On non-travel weeks, about $100-150
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Save now, so you can spend when you're abroad.

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

  • 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?
  • Living in London
  • Seeing a new educational environment
  • Meeting new people
* What could be improved?
  • IFSA was not helpful in many aspects, I could have direct enrolled
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? IFSA was not necessary. Although they had some good program trips throughout the semester, they were very disorganized as a program, and were generally much less helpful than I had expected them to be

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.