62 reviews
3.93 / 5 based on 62 reviews
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1
Christine H
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings
Work opportunities:
I didn't want/need to work
Personal spending habits
Everything in London is more expensive. EVERYTHING. But it's worth it...there's just so much to experience that it's a shame to let budget constraints wear you down. But travelling was actually quite cheap, with Go Fly and Easyjet making it cheaper to fly to all parts of Europe for much, much less than it would be to fly from Chicago to New York, for example.
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Nightlife, Overall, Food, Housing, Telephone:
was more expensive than at home.
Travel:
was the same price as at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
The dollar to pound ratio is killer. Save money by buying at Sainsbury's or Tesco, not the little shops. But markets are great for cheap stuff, like bedding. Especially on the east end, where everything is a bit cheaper.
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0
Christine H
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
Well, it's London. They speak English there. Though the accent was a bit hard to understand at first. Having an American accent was annoying after a while because people sometimes assume you're just a dumb tourist. But overall, it was not a big deal.
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3
Christine H
Overall
I wish I had known...
More packing advice. Well, there was plenty, but it was very hard to take it seriously! Bring big bag, put another bag in it (like a soft duffel bag that can be folded up) and fill it 3/4 with whatever it is you're bringing. THAT'S IT. Everything else is unnecessary, and especially if you're in London, you'll just end up buying a ton of stuff anyways.
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In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
Queen Mary is very small and rather intimate. The teachers are very nice and willing to talk to you outside of class. The Humanities classes were all rather easy, too.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
Don't pack too much. In fact, pack too little.
Always keep about 2 days worth of necessities (like contact lens supplies, a change of socks, etc) in your carry-on. That was one piece of advice that I felt was unnecessary, but paid attention to anyways. And it paid off, because the airline lost my luggage and it didn't arrive in London when I did!
STA is a rip-off. Always book flights on-line from Go Fly (the best), Easyjet, or Ryan Air. It's so much cheaper. And go to Stansted--it's very easy to get there, and not as overwhelming as Heathrow. Just make sure to take the Stansted express train from Liverpool St, not the bus because it never comes on time.
Plan out a budget. Multiply by 3. And forget about travellers checks, they're mostly a waste of time and a pain to get changed over. Just use the almighty ATM and credit card.
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1
Christine H
Academic
Course recommendations
Stay away from the large introductory courses, if you can. They're easy, but so much so that if you don't go to class for 3 weeks, you can still pull off a decent grade!
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
More interaction between students. Discussion seemed almost competitive amongst students rather than very helpful, and many fell flat.
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
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1
Christine H
Student life
Describe host city:
Students equally interact with the local and student community
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Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Nightlife, Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
Favorite night spots? Too many to mention! Rather than list them all, just check Time Out. They did an awesome job of previewing events and listing things. Best cafe? I don't think I ever ate at a cafe, usually just the pubs and fast food places. Food was expensive, but there are tons of great restaurants and such. Also, too many great events to list. But definitely do the Guy Fawkes fireworks, promenades, all the touristy stuff because it gives you pictures to show the parents when you get home...
But the best advice I can give is to just get off at a random tube station and walk. It's amazing what you'll find.
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0
Christine H
Housing
Type of housing: On campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
More of a "real world" situation. Being in university housing was like freshman year all over again. Not unpleasant--actually, it was great having a cleaning team to keep the flat neat, but the whole atmosphere was very US college-dorm like.
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Personal comments
The accomodations were great--always kept very clean, and with relatively spacious single rooms--which is a change from sharing rooms at a US university, of course. Great location on campus. In general, quite nice and probably much better than what I would have found on my own.
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