Went Reasonably Well Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The teachers I met were nice but the classes are quite big thus it can be difficult to talk to them since each one only offers about 4 office hours a week. Also any Email requests may be lost. As far as the academic rigor goes I am neutral on the subject. As an American I was caught off guard by the testing style which focuses on memorization, it is timed and fairly quickly paced, and it makes up the majority of your grade. I had a medical issue and the guys in the study abroad office were quite helpful. The library is pretty good and has the resources you need for class but it is still best to buy the books since they of course don't keep enough text books for everyone. I found I could get to Brick Lane, a good area to find a restaurant, in about 35 minutes of brisk walking each way.

On-site administration of your program

I chose this program because I like going it alone and aside from the study abroad people for Queen Mary there is none like you would have on a group trip through a third party or with a professor from your school. The people in the Study Abroad office there are quite helpful and friendly. In other the level of support is as advertised and those who are there to support you are good, so 5/5.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

It was older and had a bathroom I shared with 4 other people, but I was in a better priced place (note nothing in London can be called cheap) and there was a kitchen and I got my own room with its own heater so I liked it.

I got a voucher book were I bought a meal for every week day before the semester but each one was like 3.75 pounds which is really low for London and it was not amazing (some students don't like it) but I thought the food was good. There is a grocery store across the street and down the street in both directions. There is one on campus but it has less selection but would work in a rush, they also import American soda so if you are missing A&W they usually have it. There are a few restaurants around campus but not as many as you would think, some are priced pretty well.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It is more different than you may think but no where near as different as a non-western country.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

In an emergency you will be with everyone else in London waiting on the local healthcare. It is free since it is the UK but I would of so gladly paid my insurance deductible to have been treated quickly. I was in a bike wreck and was left laying in the road nearly an hour before an ambulance could arrive. It was hours before my open wounds got any treatment. In all I got three xrays, my wounds cleaned, stitched up, a week later unstitched, and some consultation some doctors and it took 20 hours. Granted this may very but where I am from the total would be 2 hours or less (unfortunately again from experience). I did not give the lowest rating since the people I encountered were very nice and caring but way to overburdened. I don't feel this review should be held against going to this University in any way, they were quite willing to do anything to make sure I was recovering well that they could.

Be responsible and watch for traffic is the most obvious thing you will notice in London. Don't walk anywhere but to and from central London or Canary Wharf from the University after dark like other students will tell you and you will be totally fine.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

For London, the area that the University is in is very well priced but at the end of the day the number of pounds something costs is the same as the number would be in dollars back home, do the math and you will be a bargain hunter.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Learning a foreign language in the UK is as hard as in the US in that practicing it is really difficult.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students
• Americans

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• Local Students
• Americans

• Among the first things they talk about when you get there is a major benefit of London is you can fly to and from it really cheaply into Europe. I flew from Sweden for about $32! In the Spring you have a good amount of time to travel unless you are a really unlucky person who does not finish finals until the very end.
• London is a cool place to live.

• Some help in adapting to the British academic enviroment would be helpful because the way grades and tests are done is really different.

The Avid Adventurer