A beautiful, life-changing semester in London! Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/11/2016 to 05/20/2016 with
University College London (UCL): London - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
My experience in London made me realize how much I love urban environments and being surrounded by so much excitement. I also greatly valued the opportunity to travel during my time abroad.
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. |
The level of work involved was much lower than at Wellesley, but grading standards were on par with what I was used to at home. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My hall was relatively close to campus, accessible to major tube and bus stations, and clean and comfortable. I lived in a flat with 2 other international students, and shared a kitchen and bathroom with them. |
| * Food: |
I was not on a meal plan |
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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 did not have any major health issues abroad and did not have occasion to use the healthcare resources. |
| * Safety: |
London is very safe overall and I did not feel threatened or afraid even while walking alone at night. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Though the academic system took some getting used to and I didn't get as much out of my classes as I'd have liked, UCL has a great location and living in London was a truly transformational experience. I enjoyed the luxury of being able to travel extensively and fairly cheaply on weekends and breaks from London. Getting to see so much of Europe in such a short period of time was one of the main reasons I picked London. Also, one of my friends was studying at Oxford and we were able to visit each other frequently because the direct buses come often and are inexpensive. London is a huge city and there was never any lack of things to do, see, explore, etc. Museums' permanent collections and galleries are free--and in general, living in London gave me access to a high level of culture and excitement. The broader experience of living abroad and traveling made me independent and more self-sufficient, as I had to accustom myself to a new culture and figure things out for myself. |
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 an expensive city and I rarely cooked/spent most of my days out, so I spent a lot on food and transportation. I also arrived with very, very few clothes because I knew I wanted to do a lot of shopping in London, so I spent part of my monthly budget building up a wardrobe. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook, and share groceries with your flatmates/friends. One of the reasons I chose not to cook most of the time is that buying groceries for one person means that you have to eat the same thing for a week in order to prevent food from going to waste. Also, prioritize according to what is most important to you. If you are on a budget and want to travel extensively, eat most of your meals at home, or take advantage of supermarket 'meal deals' (Tesco, Sainsbury's 3 pound meals). Fly on budget airlines like RyanAir or EasyJet, and try to travel during off-peak times or during the week to keep flight costs low. |
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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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? | I wish I'd started budgeting earlier, and spent slightly less on food. I would have been more proactive about planning out travel for the entire semester at the start, rather than purchasing flights and hostels a few weeks before going. |
