Strong academics, poor grading system, London is amazing Past Review
By Max S (Economics, Politics, and Philosophy, Brandeis University) - abroad from 09/23/2018 to 06/14/2019 with
London School of Economics (LSE): London - General Course, Year-Long Study Abroad Programme
N/A
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Very strong academic program, housing is far away from campus, food is also paid on own not part of a meal plan etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very centralized administration which can make you feel like a number not a person, but they seem to do a nice job outside of grading (which is so robotic that it seems biased) |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
LSE Rosebery Hall is very nice to live in, that being said most of the rooms are quite old. |
| * Food: |
Poor food options and the dining hall food is terrible. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
London is very cosmopolitan and the campus is so small that really you feel like a Londoner not an LSE student. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The NHS is terrible. Go with private health coverage if you are concerned and make arrangements in advance. Had a minor heath issue with which I have years of experience dealing with and NHS took over 4 hours to find me a place to be seen. This was an urgent matter. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
London is not the place to be if you want to learn. Yes, resources abound for learning and the cultural events and London as a city are fantastic, but learning requires studying, and LSE is not a good place for that. |
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) |
London is expensive...very very expensive so be prepared. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $120 minimum |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Where you choose to live will define your ENTIRE experience. Each hall is close to different things and people who live on their own either die of boredom/make no friends or have to be obnoxiously (yes, that is the most apt word) outgoing. |
