Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Choose UCL if your goal is to explore London Past Review

By (Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/01/2014 to 12/31/2014 with

University College London (UCL): London - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
UCL is ideal location-wise for London - choose UCL if your goal is to explore London. The professors are hit or miss, as are the classes... I was bummed that my Political Science classes consisted of only Americans. Also, I took fantastic art history and history courses at UCL that involved field trips to London museums - these were such a highlight and a treat to take... I learned so much!

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Class attendance required, class presentations and discussion, 2 substantial papers for each class. Professors were hit or miss (I had 2 fantastic ones, 2 terrible ones)

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Depends on which department you're in. Political Science was well organized though the professors were disappointing (hard to understand, read directly off of the powerpoint slides, uninterested in teaching).

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My dorm (Ramsay) was excellent in terms of location; the rooms were in awful condition (and there was no Wifi) but the location was great

* Food:

Sadly UCL had the worst catered food I've experienced. It was oftentimes inedible - and to add insult to injury, they oftentimes ran out... ?!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

UCL is a huge institution. Unfortunately, UCL students are not really interested in making friends with Americans. I was lucky that my roommate was a European on her Erasmus - I became acquainted with a lot of her friends.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

N/A during my time

* Safety:

I felt very safe in London (it's a well organized, efficient city with lots of police everywhere). Of course, you should always be safe when in a foreign city!

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)

London is beyond expensive! Try to get a student tube card - that helps a bit.

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

* 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

  • 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?
  • Location
* What could be improved?
  • Organization - from my experience, UCL was very disorganized. I had a lot of issues getting classes, rooming, etc. -be prepared to advocate for yourself
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? -UCL is disorganized (see above) -It's harder to make friends with local students than you think... -Learn about the school you're applying to in addition to the location. All of the schools in London are very different!