England : Reviews (London)
The following program review responses have been selected for publication by Study Abroad & Global Engagement
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Chelsea Martha Cullen,
Spring Break 2016 Participant
My favorite part of this program was having the opportunity to explore London with my peers! We visited major tourist sites, walked through beautiful markets, and wandered everywhere in between! The chance to travel and explore London was absolutely incredible, and being able to share this journey with my fellow Jayhawks leaves me with amazing memories with new friends!
Jonathan David Dudrey,
Spring Break 2016 Participant
Being able to see a culture that was very similar, while still being fundamentally different from our own was amazing. Picking up on small social differences while I was there was a lot of fun.
Stephanie Lea Dwiggins,
Spring Break 2016 Participant
My favorite part of the program was our informational interview that each student in the course completed while we were abroad. I chose to interview the head of the Music, Mind, and Brain post - graduate program at Goldsmiths College of London. It was an amazing experience to speak her about the program, her career, as well as my aspirations. The cultural aspect of the program was also a very valuable experience. For ten days, I was completely surrounded by a different culture, something that many American college students haven't experienced. It allowed me to meet so many new and wonderful people, see so many incredible things, and learn important lessons, about culture and travel abroad.
Krystal Oseguera,
Spring Break 2016 Participant
My favorite part of the program was the amazing group of people I was privileged to study abroad with.
Maria Guadalupe Rodriguez,
Spring Break 2016 Participant
One of the highlights of the program was to visit the U.S. Embassy and learning from the different jobs and internships available to students.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
My favorite part of the program was learning about a culture that is different from my own.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
My favorite part of the program was being able to actually sit and talk with my informational interviewer person one-on-one. I learned so much from her and really got to have some insight on traveling and working in the UK.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
We had a lot of free time to explore London on our own, which was a truly amazing experience. I was with other KU students who I became very close with, so this made the adventure even more exciting.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
The best part of the program was the fact that I was given freedom to explore the city, and I was treated like an adult. On my "free day" which was Saturday, I took the tube, by myself out to Kew Gardens/Richmond, which is about 40 minutes outside London. I gained so much confidence and independence from this experience; and such a sense of adventure!
Madisen Andrew Pool,
Spring Break 2017 Participant
My favorite part of the trip was getting to bond with my classmates and getting to know a new city together. The class and the instructors were fantastic and I really wish the trip lasted longer.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
My favorite part of this program was learning to be more aware of the different cultures around the world and getting to witness a lot of them during the trip itself.
Spring Break 2018 Participant
While I had a general idea of what I wanted to do as an international career, I had no idea how to achieve my goals. This class taught me how to apply, interview, and negotiate benefits for an international career.
Jenna Rose Haith,
Spring Break 2019 Participant
My favorite part of this program was being able to meet with companies. My favorite was Facebook! I loved how they took us on a tour of the office. I liked how there was a panel of employees that we could talk to. They told us all about their experiences abroad and how they ended up there. I also really liked how we had so much free time to go exploring!
Anna R Holmes,
Spring Break 2019 Participant
I loved the freedom of the program. It was based around the class and we spent every day doing something that had to do with what the class focused around, but I still had free time every day to explore the city on my own or with friends and really take it all in. I even went up a few days early before my group got there and spent some time in a different city on my own and that was an experience I'll never forget.
Spring Break 2019 Participant
I really enjoyed meeting with the companies in London! It was fabulous to hear about what they did and how they adjusted to relocation. Especially the struggles they endured and how they managed to overcome them in relation to culture.
Stephanie Lea Dwiggins,
Spring Break 2016 Participant
After a few days in London, I found that I have become much more confident, both in international travel, and in talking, or asking questions, to people that I did not know. I flew to London by myself, dealt with a major flight delay, and navigated downtown London all within twenty - four hours. I can say that confidence that I gained while traveling alone, even in London, was what I found most rewarding.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
It was most rewarding to learn about how people in other countries/cultures live and work internationally.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
Seeing the many different cultural differences in the area. Not one person was like the last, and we were able to meet so many people from different countries and so many who have lived in London there whole lives.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
I found interacting with the locals to be the most rewarding. After meeting people and making small talk, they never hesitated to begin discussing politics or other things about America which they wished to learn about. Additionally, I became much more educated on Brexit. Hearing the views of Europeans on both their national issues, but also on political situations in America, was truly an eye-opening experience.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
The time spent with my classmates/the relationships I formed. Being able to explore London with people who had like-minded interests and who shared the same feelings of adventure and excitement was truly priceless. We got lost together, learned together, and had so many adventures that I will never forget!
Dana El-Shoubaki,
Spring Break 2017 Participant
Networking with KU Alumni and making new connections with people we met at companies were the most rewarding elements.
Madisen Andrew Pool,
Spring Break 2017 Participant
The most rewarding part of the program was getting my informational interview set up and following through with it. It was very satisfying being able to walking into a company and sit down with someone after having arranged the whole meeting myself.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
An element of the program I found most rewarding was making connections and finding someone abroad to interview with.
Spring Break 2018 Participant
I found the visits with various international companies, as well as the one-on-one informational interview to be the most rewarding part of the course.
Jenna Rose Haith,
Spring Break 2019 Participant
The most rewarding element of this program was being able to meet new people and gain connections! I really enjoyed the alumni dinner. I was able to speak with multiple people about how they ended up in London and their career experiences. I also enjoyed traveling with my classmates! Being immersed in a new culture can be hard to do by yourself! So traveling with my classmates made it easier to explore and try new things. I'll never forget the memories that we made. I definitely consider them as good friends and I cannot wait for a reunion!
Anna R Holmes,
Spring Break 2019 Participant
The program itself was super helpful for planning my future. It was informational and had a multitude of resources for me to use when I start planning for where I want to settle down and how to do that if it's in a foreign country. Each of the places we visited were beneficial to me and helped me figure out how to balance living abroad.
Camden J Leary,
Spring Break 2019 Participant
Navigating a new city and meeting alumni that lived in London was such a rewarding experience and provided a special connection to professionals abroad.
Spring Break 2020 Participant
My favorite part about the program was how we spent every moment preparing for the trip. Every assignment and every scheduled visit the professors planned was structured around relevance and feedback we gave the professors. This was not some filler class and if we were asked to do something or for our input, then that feedback was used to directly benefit is.
Spring Break 2020 Participant
By far the best was getting to meet fellow writers, and performing my informational interview. If the program didn't require that, or teach us how to search for alumni in certain fields, I never would have met my contacts. Now, I have a friend and amazing contact.
Chelsea Martha Cullen,
Spring Break 2016 Participant
I learned that Strawberry Nutella crepes are as addicting as they sound, and that you cannot bike through the center of London's parks (only around them). On a more serious note, I learned that the Tube will literally get you anywhere so long as you actually get on!
Jonathan David Dudrey,
Spring Break 2016 Participant
How different England is compared to the US. I think most people assume the couch tries are very similar when in reality they both have complex social and cultural norms that don't translate across the ocean.
Stephanie Lea Dwiggins,
Spring Break 2016 Participant
I found that the career advice that I received while in the program was the most helpful for me. The two advisors, Kelsey and Wendy, are amazing assets. I had access to many career building tools, like having my resume revamped and being allowed to use the global awareness site through KU. Career planning is important, and I think that too many people wait until after they graduate to start figuring it out.
Krystal Oseguera,
Spring Break 2016 Participant
I learned that it is so important to network! Making connections with the people around you is so beneficial and is way easier than you think!
Maria Guadalupe Rodriguez,
Spring Break 2016 Participant
Do not be afraid to network, this is the most effective way to make connections necessary to find a job or internship after graduation.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
I learned that it is important to get out of your own culture and try new things, and meet new people even if that is outside of your comfort zone.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
I learned a lot about myself, the social differences between the UK and the US, and also how to be flexible and adjust myself to fit in socially and keep myself safe in a new place.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
Bring comfortable walking shoes! Comfort over style was the mantra all week.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
Don't be afraid to get lost (with reason). Traveling is a learning experience- embrace the chaos and confusion. Be willing to ask for help and make mistakes. After 1-2 days of feeling confused and learning to navigate, you'll be familiar with the city and the public transportation system. Then, you'll have the confidence to go off and explore, and you'll gain invaluable skills/confidence/independence!
Madisen Andrew Pool,
Spring Break 2017 Participant
What I learned from this meeting is that networking is key in the career world. It became so evident during the trip that there is a strong importance on who you know and which way your interconnected web branches out.
Spring Break 2017 Participant
I learned to be more aware and to notice certain things that only Americans do and that would make you stand out abroad.
Jenna Rose Haith,
Spring Break 2019 Participant
I learned so much from this program! First, there isn't enough time to do everything. You can plan on doing some things but just leave some room for exploring. Second, don't let the weather bring you down. It was really rainy and gloomy but that's just what London weather is, so embrace it! Third, you will meet a ton of people on this trip so make sure to keep in contact with them on LinkedIn! They will be beneficial when looking for jobs and internships in the future. Lastly, take advantage of the informational interview! Don't be afraid to meet with someone, just go for it!