enriching experience in a lively city August 25, 2026
By A student (International Relations, Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/29/2025 to 06/19/2026 with
London School of Economics (LSE): London - General Course, Year-Long Study Abroad Programme
lots of interesting international perspectives in class, I also learned a lot about myself personally/feel like I grew as an individual
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 difficult and required considerable self-study, but was ultimately manageable. professors/teaching assistants helped prepare for exams and papers |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
very helpful whenever i had a question |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
inter-collegiate housing: a bit of an old building but heating, plumbing, etc. worked well and there was front desk 24/7 so it felt safe |
| * Food: |
london food was quite good when it was non-British cuisine (very good Chinese food, etc.) dorm food was generally alright but nothing phenomenal (as to be expected of a dorm) |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
didn't have any issues with cultural differences |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
did not have to go to the doctor/ER at all, but it was very easy to sign up with a GP |
| * Safety: |
my dorm and campus were safe, but it could be dangerous at night (as is expected in a large city) never had any life-threatening experiences myself, just general stress/anxiety of harm |
| 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) |
london is a very expensive city, so I spent over $10 on lunch almost daily (my dorm only catered breakfast and dinner) the tube is also very expensive, so commuting around london was quite costly |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $70-120 (lunch, commute, etc. ) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | save up over summer |
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?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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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? | go on more little day-trips, all classes are only pass/fail so I regret being so obsessed with getting first/upper-second honors |
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. |
