ucl -- juhi mirchandani
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Program Details: 6 month long program, with a 5 week ‘study break’ from the end of March til early May Courses offered in all majors/disciplines Course credit and GPA do transfer! Juhi Mirchandani [email protected] Spring 2011 University College London, IFSA-Butler Least favorite parts of the program: Unless you’re really lucky, you’re going to need to take the tube (subway) to classes. Waking up more than 5 minutes early for class was foreign to meTRANSCRIPT
LONDON, England
Juhi Mirchandani [email protected]
Spring 2011 University College London, IFSA-Butler
Program Details:
6 month long program, with a 5 week ‘study break’ from the end of March til early May
Courses offered in all majors/disciplines
Course credit and GPA do transfer! Courses I took:
Philosophy: Rationalism Philosophy: Virtue Ethics, Old and
New History: Georgian London History: History of Parliament
Favorite parts about the program:
London is the most diverse city in the world. Seriously. There are more languages spoken in London than anywhere else. I got to meet people from ALL OVER, whether they were in my classes or just hanging out in a coffee shop
London is also one of the coolest cities in the world. There is always so much going on. It’s easy to escape from though, as it breaks into smaller neighborhoods. You get the big city feel without it being overwhelming
You are only in class for maybe 8-10 hours a week. This gives you a LOT of time to get to know London extremely well
UCL is one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Not only is it gorgeous, the other students are smart and driven
IFSA did an adventure weekend in Northern Wales which was really fun. It’s easy to meet other students in London. Make sure to join a club when you
go! Taking classes about London and being there. Going to see parliament in
session or exploring the architecture of Georgian-built buildings was really cool.
Least favorite parts of the program:
Unless you’re really lucky, you’re going to need to take the tube (subway) to classes. Waking up more than 5 minutes early for class was foreign to me
UCL is HARD. It is the fourth best university in the world… and it has that ranking for a reason!
Professors expect you to do a lot of your own work outside of the classroom. Do not slack off or you will be miserable during finals
London is cold. Very cold. And expensive. Make the most of student deals! I would recommend this program because:
You’ll learn a lot and have the best time If you haven’t gone abroad for a long time before or
have concerns about it, London is pretty easy to get acclimated to. Everyone speaks English – whether you understand what they’re saying is a different matter.
You get to meet so many people with different backgrounds from cool places. Take advantage of this!
UCL is internationally renowned. London is a great transportation hub. It’s easy to get
anywhere in Europe from here and makes traveling a whole lot easier! Lots of night and day activities!
Things I think people should know before going:
London is expensive. Budget yourself accordingly. Make the most of student deals (Wednesday nights are great at the UCL student union, make the most of student nights at bars –Mondays at Moonies and Wednesdays at Roxy!-)get an unlimited travel oyster card and walk! London is extremely walkable
Join a student organization on campus. The sports teams are particularly social and are always up for a good time
People have been in classes together for several years. Make an effort with them and they will welcome you with open arms
Explore London’s markets. Borough (see picture above,) Camden, Portobello and Spitalfields to name a few! Trail off the beaten path.
Explore London’s neighborhoods. See Shoreditch, Notting Hill, The City ++ Book travel plans ASAP. This saves a LOT of money. There’s so much to do and see in England itself… don’t ignore the country for
the continent! London is beautiful and so much fun. Make the most of it. Go to the museums;
go to the galleries, the parks, and the markets. Make the city your own.