Past Review

By (Dance., SUNY Purchase) for

SUNY Purchase: London - London Contemporary Dance School

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
YEs, I gained confidence, inspiration, connections, and a thorough understanding of myself.

Personal Information

The term and year this program took place: Fall 2009

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The dance classes were taught very well and my truly academic class was challenging and held to a high standard of excellence.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

They were very helpful Student Support Services were always ready willing and able to help in a timely manner.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

IT was perfect two stops away on the tube, and in a decent neighborhood.

* Food:

English food is bland and I'm not a good cook.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The program did not lead to many friendships. People were generally unfriendly and rude to me because I was American.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I did not have any health issues while abroad, However, safety was only questionable at night. I never traveled alone at night so I felt safer but if someone were to be traveling alone then I could see a potentially dangerous environment.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Language

Language acquisition improvement?

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? A dance major student would benefit most from this program. Words of wisdom: 1) Have enough money put away so that if you need unexpected items you will have the funds to get them making your overall experience better! Ex) I bought an electric blanket which I could not live without on my stay. 2)Make sure you live within three or four stops on the tube to the school, otherwise it is just too far to commute and you will miss out on some fun social things because you will not want to commute that far into central London. 3) If you feel bad or sad or anything, take a nap first and make sure to give yourself the alone time you need to unwind. Don't plan to do everything in one day! 4) That said also kick your butt out of bed on the weekends so you're able to go see all London and the surrounding area has to offer. 5) Get to know what is around London and know you can get there by train so go see the country side!