You will get an international outlook on life. March 29, 2021
By A student (University of Toronto) - abroad from 01/13/2020 to 05/22/2020 with
Queen Mary University of London Study Abroad programme
I gained a holistic outlook on business and working internationally. I learned about new cultures, experienced several cities and countries, it opened my eyes and my mind to succeed. I became more independent and autonomous, gave me inspiration and confidence to take on new challenges, and was an amazing way to wrap up my undergraduate degree. It was without a doubt worthwhile. I would do it again.
Review Photos
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. |
A lot of good classes to choose from. Especially as an Associate Student, it gives you a lot of freedom to pick electives that may be outside of your Major in your home institution. For example, I majored in Political Science and Media Studies, but I was able to take classes in Film, Creative Writing, and Law. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were very nice and accomodating. I was waiting for my scholarship to come in and they let me extend my payment date for residence by two weeks with no trouble. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in Pooley House at QMUL. I had a very nice room, even my other friends I met studying abroad told me I got lucky with a bigger room. I liked the "U" shaped design of my room with large windows, an en-suite washroom, and a shared kitchen with 7-8 other people. There were a lot of fire alarms and drills, which I was not used to. |
| * Food: |
I ate at the Curve (QMUL's dining hall) some days. But often I ate at pubs and local places nearby. There was a lot to explore and try new foods. You will see a lot of QMUL students at Spoons (I recommend you go here!) |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I had never been to London before I decided to study abroad here and I was a little worried about fitting in. But London is amazing and QMUL has a good sense of community. I ended up making friends with other Associate Students also studying abroad, but also met local students in class and at events as well. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I was actually hospitalized, but luckily I had travel insurance from my home institution. I would highly recommend you make sure you have health insurance because you never know. The school was very accommodating and regularly checked in with me once they found out I was hospitalized. |
| * Safety: |
London is generally safe and QMUL is in a pretty decent neighborhood. Of course with any city, you have to be cautious at night and make sure you travel with a couple of friends and not alone. But the campus and community are great, everything is within a 10 minute walk max. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
It may be because the pandemic ended my exchange program early, but it was one of the best times of my life. I traveled, learned about new cultures, explored, became more independent, and felt free. |
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) |
As a Canadian I saw my money shrink given the exchange rate between CAD and GBP. For example, something that costs 10 pounds sounds reasonable, but it was actually 18 dollars for me. There was a lot of things I did not think of until I got there which ended up costing a decent amount. Such as sheets, pillow, toiletries, kitchen equipment, plates, etc. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $350 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I saved up by working part-time in the semester before studying abroad. |
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? | No need to worry about anything. Once you get there you will figure it out and people are all around you ready to help. I think pre-planning too much could actually ruin the experience. Be open to new experiences and challenges. Go to as many events as you can and meet as many new people as you can. |
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 UrbaniteA 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. |
