ISA Study Abroad in London, England

I absolutely loved my study abroad experience, and I am so grateful that I was able to do it following the COVID lockdown. I studied abroad at the University of Westminster located in Central London and stayed in an off-campus flat (but still under the university) in Shoreditch, which is in East London. It was super easy to both adjust to and navigate the city whether it was through the Tube or by bus. I loved both living and exploring in the city. I got to go to Kensington Palace, watch Hamilton live (my first Broadway show), a London basketball game, Buckingham Palace, and more.

All of my classes were experiential, so I not only got to learn a lot inside of the classroom through guest speakers, discussions with other study abroad or domestic students, or lectures from professors, but I also got the opportunity to explore London through an academic lens. Through my criminology courses, we had field walks where we learned about the history of criminality and the London underworld. I took Black London: From Tudors to Today where I went to the Museum of London Docklands, Black Cultural Archives, Bank of England, and the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. England, specifically London, has an extensive history of colonization, but is also incredibly diverse racially. Unfortunately, however, there were a lot of strikes by both the train and lecturers, and as a result, I did not have a consistent academic schedule.

Socially, I went to a couple of university-sponsored events, mainly through the dance team, but I primarily went to the excursions hosted by ISA. I went on the tour around London, Stonehenge, Brighton, Bath, the Shakespeare World Theatre, and Borough Market--all wonderful experiences that I am very grateful to have taken advantage of given that they are not close to London. I also went on a couple of day trips to both Cambridge and Oxford--both of which were doable because I lived close to train stations that went outside of London; I actually went to Cambridge with a couple of people through the ISA program. Overall, I am very grateful for my study abroad experience and would recommend it to everyone.

I loved my study abroad experience! Kingston was the perfect location as it was only a short train ride from central London and the town itself is very nice. I felt completely safe the whole time I was there (walking around town day and night). It has a ton of shops, restaurants, a movie theatre, a market, lots to do on the weekends, a great bus system, and I loved walking along the river to get to class every day. I was at the Penryhn Road campus and lived in halls at Seething Wells. I had my own room and bathroom, but shared a kitchen with 5 flatmates. Kingston University even has awesome free buses for students, which was useful when it rained or was too cold to walk to campus. The school is very diverse and multicultural. My classes consisted of a lecture and seminar 1-2x a week for each class and my only grade in each was a final essay or exam. This has pros and cons as I had to make sure I did a lot of work outside of class on my own and stay on track, but it also gives you a little more flexibility since you don't have homework and tests every week. I kept a blog during my whole experience if you'd like to check it out:

The program was great as it provided a large degree of structure (on-site staff, planned trips, housing etc.) while still allowing us to really make it our own. For example, I knew that I wanted to really get involved with life at Westminster (my host university) so I was able to join a society (club). This provided me with a group of genuine friends who I still keep in touch with today (nearly two years later). Having the opportunity to interact with British Students outside the classroom was great as I was able to get a real sense of Britain and the island's culture. The program with ISA is absolutely top notch and I am so thankful to have been able to study abroad. Time abroad has shaped my career aspirations and has given me the "travel bug" I cannot wait to return to Europe and the UK!

I studied at Kingston University for my Sophomore Year Spring '13 semester (Jan-June). For the first couple weeks I was very homesick. However, I forced myself to jump out of my comfort zone and meet people who were not part of the American group in my program. I got involved by joining the Volunteer Society and the Christian Union on campus. I made many great friends, who I still keep in contact with! It was so neat interacting with many different cultures everyday.
I really liked how the classes were set up as well. They encouraged discussion rather than purely lecture. I learned so much from hearing different opinions and topics.
There was a fantastic faculty and staff support system! I visited the international students office at least once a week just to update them on how I was doing. They were so helpful throughout my time abroad.
I loved how easy it was to travel around London and even the outskirts. I would explore the city every weekend and experienced so many unique places with my local friends. I spent a weekend in Wales when we went to visit the Doctor Who Experience museum. We even travelled to Venice and Rome during Spring Break!
The memories and experiences I had while studying abroad truly shaped part of who I am now. They were some of the best memories I have so far. If you would like a more detailed and genuine account of my experience, I kept a blog throughout my time there: madilynmarie.tumblr.com

When I decided to study abroad, I wanted to serve in the community and see the culture and religion of London, England. I wanted to interact with locals and get a feel for a totally different place that I was used to. ISA provided me with that. I learned so much about God, about myself, and about others. The excursions were SO FUN and I enjoyed it so much. ISA is an incredible program that really cares about their students. It is worth every penny. In fact, it was a priceless experience.

This school was great! Having been attending one a smaller, more challenging school at home, I found this school to be very easy going and laid back. The party scene was great and the area was just as good! Just a train ride away from the center of everything!

You wake up to your cell-phone alarm and look around. To your left, a window, a small desk, and a wardrobe. Straight ahead you see a bathroom and a door leading out of the room. Still groggy from a night at the pub, you stumble into the bathroom and get yourself ready - shower, teeth, hair, and a spritz of the cologne your mother gave you as a going-away present. You toss on the first thing you find in your wardrobe, grab the paper you finished writing at 2 AM, toss it in your backpack, and head out.

You leave your room just in time to catch your suitemate leaving his. He asks if the milk in the fridge is still good. You say you don't know, you never have time for cereal, and grab an apple from the tiny, humid kitchen before running downstairs.

This is your home for the semester.

Your run slows to a jog, then a walk, when you realize you have a half-mile to school. As you stroll past the quaint, suburban houses, with their quaint suburban yards, you look at your watch, which is still set for your home time-zone, before checking the time on your cell-phone. You still have an hour before class. Plenty of time to hit the bakery! Halfway to campus, you see the orange sign that promises a hot meal good for on-the-go. You pop in and grab two sausage rolls for a pound each and continue your journey to campus, eating as you walk.

You get to class a few minutes early, with just enough time to hit the loo and try to wash out the grease stain from those sausage rolls. You sit down just as class starts. The professor takes attendance then gets right into the lecture. This part of class is pretty similar to back home, except that the Prof. has a dreamy accent. You daydream about British girls until the first break.

Time for lunch! Not wanting to walk very far, you join a few classmates on their way to the campus store, where you buy an energy drink, a pre-packaged egg-salad sandwich with bacon, and, as an afterthought, an orange, just to be healthy.

Class is resuming soon, and it's a field-trip day! So you and your mates head into Kingston proper to get to the train station. You manage to only get on one wrong train before finally arriving at Waterloo Station in London, where you're meeting the rest of your class. Today, you'll be doing a Dickens walk. You read "Oliver Twist" (er, well, skimmed), and now you're going to see some of the places mentioned in the book! Fagan's house, the bookstore where Oliver makes a delivery, etc. It's all there, coming to life in front of your eyes! Suddenly Dickens doesn't seem so boring - you can't wait to re-read "Oliver Twist."

And then "class" is over, and you're free to roam London to your heart's content. There's shopping in Piccadilly Circus, Broadway shows just down the street, a cafe if you're still hungry... and then a friend mentions a pub. It's only 4 PM, so there's plenty of time for a pint!

It's 1 AM, you just barely caught the last train home, and you fall onto your bed in a daze. It was a good day - you even think you learned something on that Dickens walk. Now it's time to pass out and do it all over.

I did a summer course at Kingston University - London, through GlobaLinks Study Abroad, and that's about what the whole semester was like. You're constantly going, going, going, because there's just so much to do!

Some practical advice:

- Get your schoolwork done ASAP. It's no good having to rush through Buckingham Palace, because you forgot about that paper due by midnight.

- Talk to your professors before doing any major projects. Paper requirements are different over there - for example, I'm a Creative Writing major who hasn't gotten anything lower than an A- on a paper in years, but I got a B+ and B- on two papers, because the professor simply had different expectations than the ones at my home school. It never hurts to ask!

- Try the food! Drink the beer! Have a sip of that funny looking soda in the convenient store! You've got a limited time to experience an entire culture, so go DO it!

- There's no shame in doing the touristy things. Remember, you ARE a tourist. Go to Buckingham Palace; take a picture with the Beefeaters; stop someone in the tube station to ask how to find your terminal; walk into a pub and ask exactly what a "pasty" is. It's okay! As long as you're friendly, the locals will be, too.

- Talk to the locals! Making friends is probably easier than you think, especially when you mention that you're a foreign student. Think of how YOU react to foreign students back home - probably with interest, asking questions, offering to show them around, right? Right.

- Talk to the other students. It's a lot less scary to explore when you have someone to watch your back. Also, strength in numbers! I didn't personally deal with crime in London, but you're much less likely to be targeted if you're in a group.

- I can't stress this one enough... GET OUT OF LONDON. That's right. London is huge, awesome, and only city out of dozens in England. Take a weekend, catch a train to Portsmouth, Brighton, or Newcastle. Check out Wales or take a ferry to Ireland. Your options are only limited by your time and imagination, so start planning side-trips!

- This is a super-tough one, I know, but try to keep a budget. It will make the whole trip a lot less stressful, and you don't want stress when you're supposed to be having fun.

I decided to study abroad because I wanted a summer that I would never forget. I also wanted the opportunity to travel and experience new things. The program I participated in was absolutely great. To start off, I became extremely infatuated with the city after living there for only a couple days. London is truly hopping. The great restaurants, shopping, nightlife, I could go on for days. In addition to the NYC feel, London has great architecture and history rooted within the city. The ISA program was so easy-going and fun. Many activities were planned but not mandatory (even though everyone wanted to go to everything!). The education abroad team found the perfect medium between guiding me to find things to do/places to see and allowing me to venture out on my own. The education abroad team was terrific and so loving. They truly took good care of us! The best thing about this program was that it allowed me to see some the most beautiful, jaw-dropping sights. The Tower of London, Windsor Castle, Houses of Parliament, Stonehenge, and the Roman Baths just to name a few. I have absolutely no regrets in choosing this program. For future students studying abroad, just dive right in. It is going to be the greatest experience of your life!