London: My Second Home Past Review
By Erica A (Economics., Wellesley College) for
King's College London: London - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
My study abroad experience was priceless. It taught me about who I am and my own openness to different cultures. It motivated me to want to travel to as many places as I possibly can. It taught me how independent I can be and it provided me with a new set of international friends. It refreshed me and took away the stress that I can associate with learning. It made me realize how open I can be to new experiences and different settings and situations. It definitely changed my future plans and made me realize that travel will definitely be a part of my future.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The class set up and way that students studied was different than at home. The study abroad department was more disorganized than the one at home so it was hard to get used to being in a new university. I had problems with my initial registration and had to change my classes multiple times because the university double booked several of my classes. Study habits for the locals were more focused at the end of the term and during exam periods versus throughout the term. At times this made the workload seem easier than at home, but in the end I had a decent amount of work to complete--but it was just in a different way. Two of my classes were evaluated only with a single assessment. Even once classes had ended I still had to work on my studies because assessments happened about a month after my final classes. Local students missed classes more frequently than I am used to at home, but during finals period the libraries were mobbed. Also, the classes were much more teacher lecture based than teacher student discussion based. Once I got used to the foreign system there were definitely parts of it that I liked better than our own American system. I liked the more personalized initiative involved in course assessments that came months after the class ended. I enjoyed the more laid back attitude of students because it helped my learning more than hurting it. I'd say that some of my most valuable educational experiences were outside of the classroom. I learned how to manage my own time better, how to get around a world city alone and how to deal with an unfamiliar educational system. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The strength of the host country program administration was that they were very friendly and willing to help. The major weakness in the program was their inability to organize things well. I (along with my other study abroad friends) was constantly having problems during the initial registration process and the study abroad office didn't seem to have much of a means to help in that sense. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My program didn't really arrange trips but I was able to plan my own activities with friends. I got to go into the Parliamentary Archives with my history class. I was able to go to the Royal Wedding and camped outside of Westminster with a friend. Basically I went to every possible tourist attraction to go to within London. I also made it outside of the UK while I was abroad. I went to Paris when my family visited me and I went on holiday with my flat mates to Morocco. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | My expenses varied each week. I usually went on weekly or bi weekly grocery trips. I would say that weekly grocery trips varied from 20 to 30 pounds. I spent more on eating out and shopping while I was abroad and kept less track of this. I used public transportation a lot so I used monthly student passes for the tube and bus system that cost about 30 pounds per month (which was a big discount compared to paying as you go). |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I'd say that you should plan a general budget in advance but that you should expect to spend more money abroad than you would at home. I had a budget and didn't go crazy with my expenses, but I also remembered that studying abroad as a college student is a one time way to travel and that spending more money on usual on eating out and going out was valuable to me for my own personal life experience. I stuck within my budget, but I made my budget bigger than if I had been at home. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | A student who has their heart and mind open will benefit the most from this and any study abroad program. Studying abroad to me is about taking in as much as you possibly can and opening yourself to differences. Any student that is open to learning as much as they can about a different culture and who wants to leave the Wellesley bubble to approach learning in a different way can only benefit from this program. You must be willing to accept the bad times and the culture shock and the things that you don't like in order to gain the most. All in all I'd say the best bet is to be present in every moment and to expect the unexpected. Studying abroad can teach you more outside of the classroom than inside of it and this is invaluable. |
