Depressing Past Review
By Sara Cooper (Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/07/2019 to 06/05/2019 with
University of the Arts London - Integrated Study Abroad
That I want to pursue psychology and not art for the time being. That was probably the only useful clarity that I gained, but it wasn't worth the months of wasted time.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The course was not intellectually challenging in the slightest. Most student didn't even show up to classes that didn't interest them. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I heard from the Study Abroad Office very seldomly, and there was hardly any program for getting students acclimated to the country. There were also almost no opportunities to interact with other study abroad students, I barely met any. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing was functional but dirty and generally uncomfortable. |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was very similar to America so there wasn't much of a feeling of living in a culturally distinct city. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I always felt very safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
This was the most difficult semester to get through of my college experience. I felt that I gained no valuable skills or knowledge, and ultimately put myself through an immensely disheartening, uncomfortable, and lonely experience with little to show for it. |
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 extremely expensive and I felt that Wellesley did not accommodate for nearly enough with the expenses budget that was calculated for me. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I didnt keep a strict budget but probably just over $200 a week. This involved only eating one full meal a day however. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't study in London. |
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?
Select all that apply |
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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? | 0 |
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 that I had more student experience feedback available to me, so that I would have known how unstructured the program is. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
