The Subtle Surprises of PKP Past Review
By Brendan Q (Economics., Harvard University) for
University of Cambridge, Pembroke College: Cambridge - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I got to learn quite a bit about different cultural experiences within the UK. It was really fun.
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 workload was very manageable. Since these are summer classes, they make it a little easier. There is more of a focus on seminars, so you get quite a bit of small group time even if your class is pretty large. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Greg and Carlos are always accessible and always run things very well. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
It was pretty decent overall. Cocum is supposed to be good for Indian food. Yim-wah is good for Chinese. Only East Asian restaurants are open after 5 or 6 most of the time. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The Edinburgh trip was really cool, and the formal dinners are fantastic most of the time. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
When the riots happened, our program took every precaution to make sure we would all be safe, such as checking on the events in London to figure out whether they would still do London trips those weekends. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | It depends on if you're traveling that weekend or not. If not, it's probably 100 pounds or less to cover meals you don't get in the dining halls, which equates to $170 (it's expensive). If you travel of course, it's significantly more. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Everything is more expensive, and or you get less for the same number you pay for. Just convert into dollar terms as often as you can, so you can remind yourself how expensive everything actually is. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | There are a lot of cool people in this program. Make sure to spend some time getting to know the locals, however you can because it's easy to stay within the American tourist bubble. |
