KEI Abroad in London, England

I loved my trip to London and stay with KEI! It was amazing housing and a trio of a lifetime. London was a great place to be able to study abroad. I traveled here with one of my roommates but we had separate rooms while abroad. My KEI rep while in London was amazing, Susannah brought us to many locations and was always there for any of us while we needed in London. Being in London it was a great place to be to be able to travel to other locations which was amazing!

London is one of those places for study abroad that individuals either immediately think of or immediately say "no" to. However, I would say to give this amazing city a chance. Initially, I wanted to go somewhere where I thought would have more "culture" than a city I assumed was extremely Americanized. While it is similar in many ways (considering it has some fast food restaurants we have), I was shocked at the differences that London had to offer. With KEI, we were centrally located, and were able to experience all of the different aspects of London. KEI was concerned with our safety and well-being and supported us throughout the entire process. KEI set it up so that our program participants and on site support became like a family. If I had the chance to study abroad again, I wouldn't hesitate to pick either KEI or London over and over again.

Studying abroad was the best decision I have ever made. Coming from a small town, I never thought I would get to travel, let alone live in another country!

I tend to plan out everything, and planning for studying abroad was no different. I compared about 30 different programs, and included location, price, duration, and inclusions into my decision making process. After weighing the options, I found that KEI was the best option! I'm am so grateful for all the hard work that went in to making sure that each of us were fully prepared before embarking on this journey. While there, Susannah Kyte was the "Mama duck" for us students, and made sure we were always safe, healthy, and happy!

London South Bank University is a very centrally located Uni. The accommodation, the David Bomberg House, is a short 5-10 minute walk away from campus. Borough Market, and Tower bridge are only about a 10-15 minute walk away from your doorstep. I spent countless evenings eating dinner along the Thames, and grabbing Turkish candy from Borough Market.

While I took mostly general education courses while abroad, I found the classes to be challenging, yet not too difficult to pass with a good grade. The professors were extremely helpful when it came to writing papers (the most common assessment in Europe), and made sure we understood what was expected.

Although London is one of the most expensive cities in the world, this program through KEI was the most affordable I could find among many. Personally, I generally spent around $100 US per week, and about $600 US on travelling. London is so accessible for travel that I was able to visit 5 other countries while I was there.

KEI includes several different excursions in their program. One of my favorite memories while abroad was going up the Shard with Susannah, and the rest of the group. We spent a few hours watching the sunset from the highest point in London, and enjoying the sights. I will never forget this experience.

Wanting to live in London had always been a dream, and being able to accomplish this dream has been unreal. Now, there were a couple of minor details that I did not care for such as having the room directly above the kebab shop. It may have kept my room nice and toasty, but for the summer, that was not exactly what I was looking for. Granted, at the end of the program, I did try the kebabs that had haunted me my entire program, and they were delicious. If only I did not despise their location.

The location of the dorm however was excellent. I had the opportunity to not only walk to class, but also to many places in the city. London, I have learned, is huge. On days that did not seem the best, I went for a walk along the Thames and was able to clear my head. It was nice to just watch everyone pass by and go on with their day and not be so focused on myself. The air might not have been the cleanest, but being outside was always refreshing.

The view is very pretty and the University is close to many buildings of parlaments and central london. Some difficulties have been picking classes and making them transfer back to my college back in the States. Most days I have class for 3-5 hours and then I travel around the town exploring. Everything is very expensive but if you budget well and limit the amount of times eating out you should be fine. Overall I am really enjoying the experience.