The most challenging best four months of my school career! Past Review
By Kristin Kalani (Syracuse University) - abroad from 01/18/2016 to 05/09/2016 with
Syracuse University: London - Syracuse University in London
Time management skills were key! I learned to be more independent and manage a city on my own. It taught me how to meet new people and expand out from my comfort zone.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The professors knew you were there for an international experience that wasn't solely focused on academics. They knew that most weekends were spent traveling Europe and were aware of this in terms of academic requirements. More specifically, all assessments were essay or project based and posted in the syllabi. This was convenient for students so that we could plan our weekends abroad accordingly while being mindful of deadlines and expectations. Classes also included trips to local historical sites and encouraged exploration throughout London and UK. In terms of difficulty, the classes were not easy, but they weren't extremely difficult either. Professors were transparent with you about expectations and it was up to you to manage your personal life and academic responsibilities accordingly. It was an amazing semester abroad for me. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Program directors were pretty strict about attendance and were less understanding than the professors themselves. They did help us navigate London and provided great safety tips for us while living abroad. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We found our apartment on our own and the program was not helpful super in guiding us. Luckily we knew older students who went semester before and they put us in contact with their landlord. Our apartment was in Soho Square which is the best location (walking distance to school and in the heart of downtown). Our landlord was absolutely crazy but it didn't get in the way of us having a great time. |
| * Food: |
Food in London is expensive! Plan ahead. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I got a stomach bug after returning from a trip to Morocco. It was very easy seeing a doctor and they provided me a note for school. |
| * Safety: |
Overall pretty safe if you're located in a dense area. Always travel in groups and make sure someone always knows where your headed. Share your location on cellular devices. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
London is expensive. I budgeted very diligently. Cooked all my meals Mon-Thursday because I knew that my weekends would be spent out or in another country. I purposely rented an apartment within walking distance from school because the underground is very expensive. I made sure to ask around for all student discounts and used up pretty much every opportunity. I also rented an apartment that was less than the allotted rent money we had paid upfront to SU. This allowed me to get that difference back on a prepaid VISA and this was my savior in my last month. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | about $3,000 on all food, travel, hotels, and excursions. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Start saving a year in advance. Look up every student discount opportunity. Walk as much as you can, its free! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | Other programs are longer and I wish I had more time abroad |
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. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Business of Art |
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| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This was easily the best course I have taken in my semester abroad and definitely in top 5 courses in all my 4 years at Syracuse. The professor was such a character and he had a plethora of stories to tell us from his personal experience as a collector in the art world. He taught us so much about the business behind the art world and the corrupt secrets that happen all the time in the background. More than 50% of the classes were held outside of the classroom. He took us to live auctions and we got to experience the bidding world on works like Damien Hirst and others of his caliber. I took this course because I was short some credits. It has no relation to my major at all but I am so happy I did! |
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