CSULB - Study Abroad at University of Leicester

Leicester was such an amazing place. It has the best of two places in one city: the urban and suburban scene. The student accommodation that I stayed at was in a suburban area, but as you head towards Uni and town, you'll start seeing the city life with shopping, buildings, and monuments (such as the Clock Tower in the city centre).
Everyone was really friendly and welcoming. The students in my classes were always interested in my views coming from a different country, but the feeling was mutual. It's interesting to see a country that speaks the same language can have such a different culture than what you're used to.
The campus was really small, but that's a good thing since you won't have to walk too far to get from one place of campus to the other. The library had a great selection of books for doing your papers, but don't pull it off to the last minute because all the books will be checked out by then.
The dining hall food, well, it's dining hall food. You can't expect more than that. Haha. I mean, even when the food was rubbish, you are always with your housemates chatting and catching up with your day and figuring out everyone's plans for the night.
Overall, my experience in England was amazing. I wouldn't take anything back!

Coming from a big city like Los Angeles, Leicester is a tight knit community. It was a great experience for me because I was able to enjoy the whole England experience without being overwhelmed because of how small Leicester is. I loved the fact that I was in the middle of the country because traveling was made that much easier. The food was not too great out here but it forced myself to expand my horizons and try food I have never heard of before. The school was very helpful with any situation I was put in, whether it was a positive or negative experience. When I was having trouble getting classes, the study abroad office was very patient and helpful. I would definitely recommend this program to my friends because I feel living out here changed the person I am today. I feel more liberated and independent as well as responsible. I feel the need to travel much more and see the rest of the world. If I could change one thing about my experience, it would be to save up more money before arriving so I could travel to more countries during my spring break! Overall, a life changing amazing experience!

My main grievance with this program was the University of Leicester's lack of organization. I've heard that students who come at the beginning of fall semester have a much more attention put toward their stay, but I wouldn't recommend coming here during the spring semester if you can avoid it. The school gives you a rushed two day introduction to the campus and then pretty much leaves you to fend for yourself. I had some problems with accommodation but after speaking with that office was able to remedy them. Other than that, the academics were fine and there are plenty of clubs for students to go to all week long. It's a smaller city but if you're okay with that I would recommend coming during fall only.

Leicester is a quite the college city. The community is split in two, senior citizens and university students. Accommodation was awesome. The education was the best though. All my professors were very informative and willing to speak with me one on one regarding assignments.