An eye-opening experience that allowed me to grow as an individual. Past Review
By Shannon S (Communications/History, Austin College) - abroad from 01/01/2013 to 05/25/2013 with
IFSA: London - University of Westminster
I gained confidence in myself, living in a big city. It was worthwhile because I wanted to travel while abroad, and living in London allowed me to do that affordably.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The academic structure was very independent, which I enjoyed. Students were not penalized for not coming to class, it was up to them if they wanted to do well in the class or not. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Organized, but too many groups from the U.S. Looking back, I would have rather chosen a smaller program with more opportunity to meet the locals. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
very satisfied, although the bed was very uncomfortable. But the space was a good size, and good location. |
| * Food: |
Love London food in the winter. All sorts of ethnic and local options. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Pretty integrated, but as stated earlier, I had to venture off from my program in order to make local friends, the program itself was not very helpful in that. But the location where I lived was easy to involve myself in. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
very well. |
| * Safety: |
London is not the safest place in the world, but where I lived, Old Town, was. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
|
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) |
For me, not very easily, but I did travel to over 7 countries and never spent a weekend in my room. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 200-300 dollars (150-200 pounds). |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make sure to put yourself on a weekly budget and be good to it. I didn't for the first month or so, and it hurt my bank account. I wish I had done it early, I would have thanked myself later! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Don't bring five suitcases of clothes, budget budge budget, and I wish someone had gone through my program (IFSA Butler) so that I could better assess that it was not going to be for me. |
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. |
