Loved London! Past Review
By Shrutikona Das (Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/23/2019 to 01/10/2020 with
SOAS, University of London: London - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned how to be more independent since I had to live by myself (with other suite mates), cook for myself, and take responsibility for my own schedule. I also learned a lot in my classes at SOAS which I never would have learned at Wellesley.
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. |
I loved all my classes and felt that I was learning a lot that I wouldn't have gotten to learn at Wellesley. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Their study abroad coordinators are easy to reach and available to answer any questions via email. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had a nice room. Dinwiddy bathrooms were somewhat clean but difficult to maintain. For example, my shower drain was not working properly so it was difficult to get used to showering there. |
| * Food: |
We had to cook our own food, but the kitchen was a good size and we shared them with only 6 or 7 people. Food in London is abundant and it was amazing to try out new cuisines all the time. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
All the study abroad students were put into one dorm building, so it was difficult to meet students from the UK initially. I had to actively go out and befriend UK students, but still most of my friends were other study abroad students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Health care was amazing. I had a really high fever the first couple weeks I got there, but emergency services were extremely speedy and close to Dinwiddy. |
| * Safety: |
The city is overall safe but watch out for cars! The roads are dangerous and pedestrians don't have right of way. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved all my classes and I loved the city. I'm from New York so at first London felt like much the same, but over time I learned to appreciate all the subtle differences. It was a nice break from Wellesley. |
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) |
2.5 Wellesley's estimated living costs did not accurately reflect what I had to spend there. Yeah maybe if I stayed in my dorm 90% of the time and never ate out, I would meet the budget. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | In the beginning, in order to save money, I decided that I would eat out only once a week. But then I realized that it's important for me to experience new things and new foods since I was in a completely new continent so my food budget got bigger and my transportation budget got smaller (I walked as much as possible). I had a budgeting app that was very low maintenance and easy to use so that I wouldn't lose the motivation to budget a couple of months in. |
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
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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? | Do your work incrementally so that all your papers and exams aren't left for the last minute! |
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. |
