I saw more cities and countries in four months than I had the rest of my life. Past Review
By Andrea Smith (Oklahoma State University - Stillwater) - abroad from 02/04/2019 to 06/19/2019 with
Loughborough University: Leicestershire - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned to make the best use of my time. Instead of procrastinating a paper / taking longer than necessary to complete assignments, I developed the habit of finishing assignments as soon as I could, so I could do something more fulfilling with my free time than I was accustomed to back home. I also gained a love of art through visiting19 museums and galleries on various trips.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Loughborough University has good classes and facilities/student resources, but there is zero sense of student dedication to excellence. It is primarily a "sports college", and nearly every student just wants passing grades. There is partying every single night on campus, and the noise of it everywhere on campus is inescapable until 3am at the earliest. Very difficult environment to do homework in. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Far, far more expensive than warranted by the quality of the rooms. The facilities were nice enough, but many utilities not included. Every round of laundry was $4 and there wasn't an oven available to students in my housing. Very noisy every night, as well. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
University staff was friendly and helpful overall, and the town center (twenty minutes walk from the uni) has most everything you could need. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The town was perfect and accommodating for a student without their own means of transportation, and the university has good professors, so students who are interested in academic excellence have that option to pursue that on their own. The location in the middle of the country was also perfect for traveling all over England, it's not too far away from anything one would want to go see. |
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) |
The town itself iseasy to live in, nothing was too expensive. Campus prices for housing and food were astronomical, though. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Approximately $50 a week for groceries, buses, and entertainment |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There are many websites where you can find cheaper answers to your needs, such as train split ticketing websites where you can travel via train for less than half regular prices. Take advantage of tourist-y opportunities, but always check to see if there are cheaper versions of what you're paying for. (A railcard is 100% worth the investment as well). |
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? | Exchange |
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? | I absolutely would have sought more affordable, non-campus living options. I also would have researched into the places I wanted to go before arriving in England, so I could have made better use of my program from its beginning. It took me a few weeks to be comfortable traveling on my own. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
