School, friends, and travel: you can have two but you can't have three! Past Review

By (Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/03/2019 to 06/08/2019 with

Queen Mary University of London Study Abroad programme

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I got to see a lot of London, and had ample time to travel thanks to my one month vacation, and only one exam in May. So that was defenitely worthwhile. I was cast in a student production also, which was an experience I was really grateful for because it helped me get to know local British students on a more personal level and also just get to act which I love.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Queen Mary gave me the basic resources to have an education, a classroom, library, professors and textbooks but that was all. The learning energy of the student body was low and class dialogue was lackluster. Attendance was slim and you often felt very unmotivated to put in any effort, as none of the Queen Mary students were.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

QM study abroad office gave us the basics but nothing else. They organized no outside of orientation programming and were unhelpful when it came to academic issues, and never picked up their phones when they were called. I wish they put in more effort into programming with us and helping cross the bridge between us and the local London students.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Satisfactory!

* Food:

Dining hall was gross, so I was appreciative of having a kitchen in my dorm to cook my own food.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It was really hard to meet with local students. QM is a commuter school and a school of 2,000 people, so when you show up mid year, nobody really takes an interest in you. I signed up for a plethora of clubs at the activities fair, and I think only two ever emailed me. QM abroad students basically just end up hanging out with each other since we all had a hard time making british friends.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I was really frustrated by the health care at QM. Before being able to see a doctor on campus, you had to fill out an online form and have a physical. The online form was very unclear, asking for various numbers and codes we did not have and the physical was impossible to scheduale with the university because the doctors were always so booked. You had to make an appointment about four days in advance if you wanted to see anyone, which is frustrating because if you are really sick at school you can't wait that long. I had to pay 200$ out of pocket to see a London doctor because Queen mary couldn't see me when I had a horrible stomach bug, and had to take a very ill friend to the hospital due to QM being able to accomodate us.

* Safety:

Not a very safe neighberhood, especially if you are a women.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

I'm not so sure really. I wish I was more academically challenged and had an easier time interacting and forming friendships with British students. But I think Queen Mary is a good program if you mainly want to travel and just enjoy your time in London+Europe. Queen Mary provides you with nice housing for essentially six months, one of those months is a vacation, and the workload isn't too heavy so you can really enjoy yourself. While I liked the direct enrollment aspect, and even the location of my Uni, I do wish there was better programming from the abroad office and also just the overall academic experience.

Finances

* 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)

It's defenitely hard to budget, especially if you want to fully enjoy London culture (see shows, eat out, etc.). My parents gave me 3,000$ before I went abroad and that was easily spent, and with an extra 4,000 I was still spending a lot of my own money to pay for things.

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Eat in when you can! And try to work a job the summer before and after to save.

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

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • Location
  • Direct enrollment
  • The play I was in
* What could be improved?
  • QM study abroad office
  • Health services
  • Academic engagement
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? How hard it was going to be to see a doctor there, and the lack of academic engagement. Also to buy a student rail ticket

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Virginia Woolfe

Course Department: English
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This class was challenging because it was a senior level english class, so when it came to writing essays I really had no idea what the professors were looking for or what to expect. I was also told often that my tons when I wrote was seen as too "casual", when in the U.S. i know it would be viewed as more formal. Additionally, getting anyone in the class to talk abut the readings was like pulling teeth. I often found that I was the only one speaking, and when other students did speak they would only echo thoughts or so brief one line comments. Nobody brought for their own individual intellectual opinion based off the readings, and that was a shock to me, especially for a senior level class.
Credit Transfer Issues: