Wild London Past Review

By (Drama & Integrated Marketing Communications, Ithaca College) - abroad from 01/09/2012 to 04/30/2012 with

Ithaca College: London - Ithaca College London Center

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned that I love living in cities, and I love to travel more than I ever thought possible. I want to continue to see the world after graduation and I am no longer nervous to go alone or to visit unfamiliar places.

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.

I particularly enjoyed utilizing the city of London in my academics like going to galleries and museums in the city for Art History, and viewing plays during evenings for Drama and the London Theatre.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Everyone on staff at the IC London center were excellent and helpful during time abroad.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

It was stressful to find housing within the first few days.

* Food:

It's a city, everything is amazing and diverse.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

it was easy to assimilate into London culture for me, I found myself feeling more at home there than in the U.S. sometimes.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Yes, I used the insurance to look up a medical office where I could go and got right in. I was able to purchase a prescription (OTC) there as well.

* Safety:

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)

The U.S. dollar was worth about half of the pound at the time I studied there around 1.62 towards the time I left. So it was very expensive.

* Was housing included in your program cost? No
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 200
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Use a credit card more often than a debit card, especially if you do not have an international bank provider, this will save you money overall.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
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?
  • Traveling Europe
  • The City
  • The opportunities given
* What could be improved?
  • money
  • housing search
  • expenses
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That Chase bank is not international in England, and that you need to convert everything into pounds in your head before you spend any money.