Loved it, but it could have been better. March 29, 2021

By (Pontificia Universidade Catolica Do Rio De Janiero) - abroad from 01/20/2020 to 06/07/2021 with

Queen Mary University of London Study Abroad programme

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Was totally worth it learn a lot from another cultures e had amazing experiences but the university was disappoint. The food part is always London.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Really different from the educational system in Brazil, there are not many classes. I had just 8 hours of class per week. In Brazil I usually have 20-30 hours of class per week.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

They were ok, but they not really conserved and something were broken and did not work. I was at Chapman house.

* Food:

The food on the cafeteria was good bu ir was expensive.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Loved the local culture, I love london.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Did not have any health issues

* Safety:

Compared to other parts of London it is less safe, however, it is London so it is in general really safe and I am from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil so was not a problem. At night was dark and there was no people on the streets or only strange people, especially in week days.

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

It is great that the university has a campus, which is not common in London but it is distant from the center of the city/touristic area and is not the safest/best area to stay. Almost all the international students are from the US. The are almost none activities to socialize/integrate the international students and for me it was one pf the worst points.

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 was not easy because London is expensive.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I do not remember, but if only eat home I would say 20/30 bucks a week it is fine. If you eat put it is a lot more expensive and it varys a lot. In cheap place you can eat from 3-10 pounds a meal. I am not count transportation and other activities because its much more expensive. And it is a bad place to walk to touristic points and other activities you always have to take de bus or tube.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? When you go to the market look for the itens on sale I ways bought the yogurt and the Ice cream and others that were in sale. Of you like musicals use the today tix app and search for day tickets/rush ticket and the special sales. For eating out the wheterspoon pubs had great prices.

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

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The city
  • The university was next to the tube and a great mall
* What could be improved?
  • Activities for integration an socializing of the International students
  • More diversity in nationality of the international students
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? There are just a few classes, lots of self-study and lack of orientation. Try to talk to everyone in the very few integration events they have because then you almost never see the other international students.

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 Linguist
You 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!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

History of Human Rights

Course Department: School of History
Instructor: Emily Andrea Steinhauer
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Really confusing and hard to follow, but I am not a history major.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

War in World Politics

Course Department: School of Politics and International Relations
Instructor: Katharine Hall
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Great teacher and monitors. Really interesting course, learned a lot.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Introduction to International Relations

Course Department: School of Politics and International Relations
Instructor: Clive Gabay
Instruction Language: English
Comments: It was interesting but I was a bot lost because this is a two semester course and I studied just the second semester. I think it not worth it to study only the second semester. There were different teacher for each class. The teacher of the seminars was really bad.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Global History

Course Department: School of Politics and International Relations
Instructor: Rowan Lubbock
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Best class that I had in the study abroad program. Really interesting discussion and content. The seminar were really good too. I recommend this class to everyone.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Principle of Academic Writing 2

Course Department: Languages
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Really bad class because the teacher was terrible.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Effective presentation skills

Course Department: Language
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Great course, Great teacher.
Credit Transfer Issues: