worth it, but not worth repeating. Studio Art program in Great Britain Past Review

By (BFA 2D Studio, Brigham Young University) - abroad from 05/01/2012 to 06/15/2012 with

Study Abroad Programs in England

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
i got six credits closer to graduating. i saw many things that i have hoped to see and i made two close friends that i have been able to stay in touch with. worthwhile? yes. worth repeating? no. not while im in school at least.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: University of Lethbridge (Canada) Brigham Young University
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The instruction and resources made available to us by Wirral Met were SO great!

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Liverpool was the only stop on the trip where we had opportunities to really interact with local people. Some of the guidelines for the program inhibited searching for opportunities to meet and interact with people in the other places that we went.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Safety at the expense of exposure to the places we visited made the trip feel very touristy and incomplete. Some of the safety measures taken by the program inhibited opportunities to have meaningful and personal experiences in many of the places we visited.

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

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 difficult to live, but i would like to have been informed about more of the optional expenses that were incurred on the trip. it would have allowed greater financial preparation.

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? not sure.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? don't spend money on things you dont need.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Hostel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
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?
  • opportunities to work with local students
  • architecture
  • museums
* What could be improved?
  • fewer limits on freedoms to interact - especially in places where danger level is considerably lower
  • incorporate food costs into the program
  • inform students about optional expenses they are likely to incur in order to make the trip more meaningful - ferries, special tours etc
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? if i had known prior to payment deadlines about the abnormally early curfew and the mandatory buddy system requirement for any and all excursions outside of the hostel, i would have reconsidered signing up - especially without having a close friend to come with me. if i had taken the money that i scraped together for this program, and put it instead towards a personal trip - i could have done all the same things and had a richer and more meaningful experience, unfortunately devoid of university credit. if i had known that, i would have taken my own trip post graduation and exposed myself to more of the places that i went to see.