Comments about the London Summer Program from Past Participants

for more complete comments, please check out the binders in the student lounge, 215b DKH

Useful Advice

"This was the best experience of my life. I would not exchange it for anything. I learned more on this trip about myself and about the world than I have in 3 years of college. Definitely take part in this, or you are missing out!!!"
-Natalie Popp, Summer 07

"I wish I had known to pack more sweatshirts or sweaters. Even though it was summer there, the weather itself would only get somewhere between the high 60's to low 70's Fahrenheit. Plus, it would rain a lot, which made it pretty damp and therefore feel even cooler. Also, I would have wanted to make sure everyone was in contact before the trip to figure out where in Europe we wanted to travel to insure that we could get the cheapest rates possible. The last thing would be to not book airfare as round trip from London to elsewhere in Europe. This is because if you booked it all as roundtrip from London you would be charged all in pounds. Instead if you were to book it one way each, you would be charged by the pound to get to your destination, but if you were traveling outside of the United Kingdome to somewhere else in Europe and booked a one way back to London, you would be charged in euros.""
-Rachael Kosicek, Summer 07

“I thought the overall trip was amazing. I would recommend this trip to anyone. It does cost a lot of money because the exchange rates are not very good right now. But, do not let the money get you down and keep you from seeing the stuff you want to see.” – Joel Koehneman, Summer 06

“I had a great time in London. I would definitely recommend it to another student.” – Jason Shiffman, Summer 05

“I really had the time of my life and totally enjoyed the whole experience. I would want other students to know that they will have the opportunity to travel a lot throughout Europe while they are there. I had not anticipated that so I did not plan accordingly as far as financing. Had I realized that those opportunities would be there, I would have saved more before I left and I could have done a lot more traveling” – Teena Thomas, Summer 05

“I did enjoy the overall experience. FIE did not live up to my expectations and we did not integrate with university students from other parts of the world as much as I would have liked. Upon looking back on my time abroad, the shortcomings of the program seem minimal when I realize how much I’ve learned about myself, others, and an entirely different culture while abroad. I believe that is what makes or breaks their time abroad. I think this experience helped me to build character as well as learn to live entirely independently.” – Asha Ann Kalayil – Summer 04

“I was very satisfied with my study abroad experience. Even though I believe that the classroom structure is not conventional when compared to most other study abroad programs, most of the things I learned were actually outside the classroom. With the way the class schedule was structured, it allowed for an extended weekend to travel both around London and outside of it. Having visited various sites in London, Paris, and Amsterdam, I could confidently say that my horizons and capacity have been both broadened and nurtured. Being able to visit different places and see completely different people and their cultures is truly an exhilarating experience. My advice to future study abroad students would be this; grades are very important, but in the grand scheme of things don’t let grades alone limit you. Go out and experience the infinite number of things the world has to offer. If you every study abroad, you should study, but also remember to learn outside the classroom.” – Leo Chan, Summer 2004

I would say I had a very rewarding and exciting time in London. I got to experience so many things and see so many sights in London. I would want study abroad students to know that studying in Europe is something they should definitely do because it makes one see the world in a new light. I would also encourage them to travel to different countries while over in Europe any chance they get because every country is so different from the next. It was an awesome time.” – Darcie Streckfuss, Summer 2004

“I had a great experience. I made the best of things and wasted little time. I was always exploring London. School and exploring were manageable. For future study abroad students, the ISIC card does not help in London, but travel every weekend to other places in Europe if possible. England is a gorgeous country with so much to experience.” – Norilynn Bailey, Summer 04

“My study abroad experience has been one of the most amazing things I have ever been part of. I met many incredible people and saw so many amazing things. To anyone interested in studying abroad my only advice would be to definitely do it. Also while abroad make the most of your time and do as much as you possibly can.” – Ryan Amberson, Summer 04

“GO GO GO study abroad anywhere!! I absolutely loved being in a different country, along with traveling to many others. It was really a once in a lifetime experience because I’ll never go back to Europe as a student traveling all over the place without worrying about work and other obligations. GO GO GO!!!!!!” – Amanda Kramer, Summer 04

Location

"One positive about studying in London was the lack of a language barrier. It is a really great place to study in, and very easy to travel to other countries as well. I traveled four out of the six weekends I was there very inexpensively."
-Natalie Popp, Summer 07

"London was absolutely amazing!!! I loved it over there and found myself adapting to everything really well. I also really loved old history and so being able to see some of these buildings that I have only previously read about or seen in movies was incredibly neat. London is also practically a gateway to the rest of Europe, which gave me an amazing opportunity to take cheap "holidays" over different weekends. I ended up traveling to Dublin for one weekend and Rome and the Vatican City for another."
-Rachael Kosicek, Summer 07

“The location was excellent. The housing was close to the subway stops, which made traveling around London very easy. Additionally, the area was very safe, and it had many local stores where I could get anything I needed.”

“It was nice to be in the central part of London. It was right near everything I wanted to see.” – Jason Shiffman, Summer 05

“I really liked our spot in London. Everything was very accessible and we were near a lot of museums and not too far from class. Also, there were Tube stops nearby. Although it was nice living in such a upscale area of London, the only complaint I have as to the location was that we found ourselves to be far away from actual London student life. The area was more professional and families, and the only students we got to interact with were other American FIE students.” – Teena Thomas, Summer 05

“The FIE staff were not always very pleasant when addressing some concerns we might have had. I do wish that FIE integrated us with more international students. Our program consisted solely of students from U of I and Purdue. Though there were students from around the US and around the world in the program, we had very little opportunity to socialize with them.”

“I was fairly satisfied with the fact that we lived in a very upscale part of London. In addition to this, we were also within a reasonable distance of the study facilities.” – Leo Chan, Summer 2004.

“My experience in London was a really invaluable experience. I had a great time and being in a big city in a different country was a growing opportunity for me. I really enjoyed the location of the Foundation House in London. We were only a short subway ride away from the center of London and the buses ran right by our residence.”– Darcie Streckfuss, Summer 04

“We were located in the most expensive part of London; the area was always very well kept and safe. London in general was full of things to do; the city never slept, and was prime location if one wanted to travel to other European countries.” – Norilynn Bailey, Summer 04

“The location of the program was amazing. The area of London our housing and classes were located in was very safe and upscale.” – Ryan Amberson, Summer 04

“Living in Kensington was an opportunity of a lifetime. As students we were able to live in a very nice neighborhood and across the street from Kensington Gardens. The surroundings were gorgeous and the busses and underground were close. We lived in a great location in London. We were centrally located among all the other sights and nightlife.”

“Since we lived in such an upscale neighborhood, everything seemed very expensive, and along with the 2 for 1 exchange rage it emptied out my funds very quickly.” – Amanda Kramer, Summer 04

Courses

"The most undesirable was the Financial Management class mainly because I extremely dislike math. Plus, it required the most work out of the three classes that were offered. So, it would sometimes drive me crazy to see one of my other friends who wasn't taking the class go off and explore London, while we were all in class or doing the required homework. Also, the final exam was pretty hard."
-Rachael Kosicek, Summer 07

“It was good to have teachers from Europe teach the courses. They offer a different perspective than some of the teachers we have at Illinois. I enjoyed learning their points of view on topics. The teachers were also helpful in scheduling trips, so students could sightsee while studying abroad.” – Joel Koehneman, Summer 06

”The Business Culture class was interesting”

“The Finance class was hard. Purdue’s finance course was more advanced than ours. The students were ahead of me before the class even started” – Jason Shiffman, Summer 05

“I feel like the Finance 221 course was not at all comparable to the one on campus. The subjects on the syllabus are different, and I was completely unprepared to take Finance 300 in the fall. The course on campus is a very difficult one and the course in London was not as comprehensive. The business culture class was useful and somewhat interesting.” – Teena Thomas, Summer 05

“The courses were taught in small classroom settings, which made learning easy and very interactive. Since the program consisted of just a few dozen students, we were all able to get to know each other and our professors well. The courses were helpful and thorough and included an appropriate amount of work. Our professors were also very helpful outside the classrooms. They were all well-traveled individuals, and so were able to tell us what shows to see, what restaurants to eat at, where to shop, etc.” – Asha Ann Kalayil, Summer 04

“The courses provided me with many interesting insights to business across different cultures and marketing. They delivered what the course name suggested.”

“The marketing course offered was challenging and informative. I really enjoyed learning about different marketing techniques and how they varied from country to country.”

“The cultural studies class was a little on the unchallenging side, and I did not feel like I learned anything new.” – Darcie Streckfuss, Summer 04

“The courses were beneficial. Corporate Finance was a good choice because it was mandatory for business students, but was also enjoyable to attend. The material was well paced. The culture class was very straightforward.” – Norilynn Bailey, Summer 04

“The Finance and Marketing courses were run very well. The professors for both classes seemed to enjoy teaching. They also made class enjoyable while at the same time teaching a lot of information in a short period of time.”

“The amount of work at the end of class was a little undesirable. While this is nothing new for any class I have ever taken we were expected to complete quite a bit of work for finals in a very minimal amount of time. This should not deter anyone from this program as this is to be expected from any real academic class” – Ryan Amberson, Summer 04

“Our finance professor, Raghu Rau, was amazing. He kept the class interesting and integrated us into the learning experience. It was nice that he was from Purdue because we had someone to relate to back in the states as well. That man has taught all of us lessons for life, and not just financial! Anyone who has him as a professor is fortunate.”

“Our International Marketing course was taught by Joe Shami, a British man. He helped relate class topics to the real world. We did group projects along with individual final papers. The material we covered was very interesting and I learned a lot.”

“Both courses were comparable to the classes I’ve had here at the U of I. They both had just as much assignments and equally difficult. They challenged me, but I learned a lot from both classes. The only difference really was the class size, which I liked for a summer class.” – Amanda Kramer, Summer 04

Housing

"You stay in the nicest part of London, right across from a huge park where Kensington Palace is located. It was gorgeous! Be careful about the housing on this program. they made it seem really wonderful, and it was, unless you are put down in the basement, i.e. 'the dungeon,' as we called it. Everyone else from my program was up on the third floor with a beautiful view of the park. Another girl from Illinois and I were shut down in the basement, away from everyone else. It was cold, dark, and damp down there. We tried to joke about it, but it was really awful."
-Natalie Popp, Summer 07

“The housing was clean and they had all amenities needed to cook your own food. The common rooms were plenty big, so everyone had space in these areas.”

“The bedrooms were small, and there was very little closet space.” - Joel Koehneman, Summer 06

“The flat was nice, in a good location near tube stops.” – Jason Shiffman, Summer 05

“I really liked the housing we had. We had some problems with the hot water and climbing six flights of stairs with luggage and groceries, but, it is Europe. The television was messed up but that was not that important” – Teena Thomas, Summer 05

“I really enjoyed the fact that Foundation for International Education (FIE) program had housing in the Kensington Borough of London. This is an upscale area of London, so it gave average college students a good idea of how upscale living in London is. FIE also provided us students with a lot of resources to get around the city: maps, brochures, and best of all the metro passes. This allowed us to really get out there and explore the city without having to worry about the expense of public transportation. The maintenance staff was wonderful and very friendly.” – Asha Ann Kalayil, Summer 04

“The housing was nice. It was located in an upscale part of London and we stayed with some students from California. It was nice to live in an apartment with people from other parts of the country.” – Darcie Streckfuss, Summer 04

“The location of our flat was great. Stores were within walking distance, Hyde Park was across the street, nightlife was near, and computers were very accessible. We also had new linen every week and cleaning every week.”

“Though we had cleaning every week, the living conditions were not very good. Mold was everywhere in the bathroom of the flat. There was also only one pay phone for the entire building of five flats with about seven rooms per flat and about three people per room.” – Norilynn Bailey, Summer 04

“Our housing was more than adequate; we had our own bathrooms and the kitchens provided had enough room for everyone on the flat. Maintenance requests were also handled very promptly.” – Ryan Amberson, Summer 04

“Housing was nice; the flat we lived in was comparable to a 7-bedroom apartment with bathrooms for each bedroom along with a full dining room, living room, and kitchen. I lived with all Americans from different states who were not on the same program as me, so it was nice to have a variety of people to live with” – Amanda Kramer, Summer 04

Costs

"Once we started shopping at Sainsbury's (their local and cheapest grocery store) I spent roughly 25 pounds a week (or $50) after the first initial shopping trip. We were provided with all online or copied versions and so I didn't have to pay anything We had to purchase some Harvard Business Cases for the Financial Management class though, that cost about $3.40 each, which equaled a grand total of $6.80."
-Rachael Kosicek, Summer 07

"I spent around 70-80 pounds weekly on food, but I did eat out more than cook at home."
-Shruti Bhat, Summer 07

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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