Program Reviews

PKP has been an intense opportunity and you plan to do this program I highly suggest you go through Arcadia. The process to apply was highly tedious but very worth it. The staff at Arcadia's offices aren not always the mod communicative so you really have to push for information. The packets that tell us about the detail of our program came extremely late, during which no one knew about the detail of our stay. The staff at the Arcadia center in London, on the other hand where phenomenal, very friendly and helpful. The perk about going with Arcadia is that you get to London for a few days before the PKP program starts, which is not only fun but also gives you time to make a few friends before the start of the program and give you a broader sense of independence and confidence. Cambridge is very close to London so day trips to London are common, I took one by myself and had no problems finding my way through the city because of my time spent there. PKP, itself is challenging because of the amount of courses you take in 8 weeks. Most of the courses are held as the Cambridge Union society, although some are at Kings or Pembroke. My classes were interesting but beware of classes that don't have perquisites if the class is in your field of study. these classes tend to be lower level classes,in which the material may become repetitive. Take the art class with Thomas Newbolt, its amazing and worth the price of the program and more! Most of the professors on the program are welcoming and generally very good. I had one not so great professor but I still had no problems doing well in the classes. The price of the program is steep but I though it was well worth it.
The program included a trip to Scotland, this trip was incredible fun and its where I made good friends in the program. Besides Scotland, I had time to go to France, and Ireland, other people where able to travel more.
The housing was great for me, I stayed at Fitzwilliams and it was perfect. The place was old but pretty well kept and very simple. We had a communal kitchen,each a single room, most people shared a bathroom with one other person but I ended up with my own, and we all got along very well in the house. The location is convenient and my walk to class every morning was beautiful. The laundry room was right across the street from me and the, my shower did not always work well, overall I was very happy with my room.
Easting at Pembroke was a nightmare, the silverware was not very clean (use the plastic utensils), the food is bland or burnt and the eating space is overcrowded. If you have a friend that eats at Kings get brunch with them at kings, its worth the walk. The formal halls are a totally different story. Formal halls are amazing, they are fun, the food is delicious and its the moment to relax, go out and socialize.

When I found out in an email from my university that interning in London for a summer was a study abroad option, I jumped on that opportunity. To me, it was the perfect way to get experience in a career that I was pursuing as well as a great way to travel to a foreign country. I knew that it was going to be awesome, but I didn't think that it was going to be as awesome as it actually was. The program was set up so that we would take one course of our choice, one mandatory internship course, and intern for a company that matched our interests. Amidst all of that, Arcadia planned ahead trips for all of the students in the program to take to different cities all throughout England. All of the biggest things to see and experience in England, we experienced. It was the perfect blend of work experience, education, and culture. This experience is one that I'll never forget, and it's also one that every person I speak to about my work experience is the most fascinated by.

I chose this program because I wanted to really experience Italy and be as little of a foreigner as possible. I cannot say enough good things about Arcadia, Umbra, & Perugia. It was truly the experience of a lifetime.This program was outstanding and I would not change a second of my time in Perugia. It is a wonderful little town. The people are friendly and always thrilled to hear you try and speak Italian. Arcadia did a special welcome program at a slow foods farm where we all learned how to make pasta! The day Arcadia planned at the farm was a lot of fun and a great way to get to know others in the program (other programs just do a dinner so this was something special!).
Umbra really did their best to submerge you into the Italian culture. With tandem nights throughout the semester we were able to meet with local Italians and help them with their english and in return they helped us with our Italian. Going to Perugia without knowing any Italian other than Ciao, these nights were extremely helpful & lots of fun!! Umbra's classes also had lots of embedded field trips which were fabulous. My favorite was going to Parma to see parmesan reggiano cheese be made.
One of the amazing things about Perugia, that you would not get from a big city experience, was that you really did get to know the locals. Perugia is a vibrant town filled with wonderful people, food, and festivals. I could not have chosen a better place to study abroad and have missed Italy everyday since returning.

Classes were usually two days a week for about two hours. I had to use the tube system (underground subway) because it was about a 45 minute journey to class from my housing with walking and going through the tube. I tried to go to as many markets as I could while I was there because there is great shopping and wonderful food choices that range over many types.

After the orientation week is over, you have the ability to make your own travel plans and I took many four day weekend trips to other places around Europe. Using the bus system is a great way to travel around England and can be very inexpensive. I suggest finding people that you want to travel with potentially very early in the trip and buying plan tickets through Ryan Air and EasyJet because they go up in price the closer you get to the date.

The staff in this program are extremely friendly and helpful! Most of them are younger and have a lot of great suggestions on where to travel and places to go see in London itself. I would take advantage of the school and their free printing and computer room. They are open everyday but Saturday and it was a great place to do homework and print it for free!

This is a great program and I would suggest it to anyone who wants to experience a different kind of classroom experience but still wants the availability to travel around Europe and have free time! This is an awesome program!

I remember finally seeing the ocean. Emily, Bonnie, and I had been biking (or more like hiking while walking our bikes) for several hours in an attempt to find a cave on the beach to camp in. Although those hours were tough, similar to the hours it took to get to the magical country of New Zealand, it was totally 100% worth it. The view was magical. The community members in the village on the edge of the water were friendly and greeted us with huge smiles and waves. Once we settled in the cave, we realized that the fire wood was wet and lighting it was not going to happen. So, we sat in the dark - enjoying the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks and the sand while breathing in the freshest air my lungs have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. The morning started by watching the southern hemisphere sunrise which I had yet to experience. Considering the fact that our trip there took longer than expected, we decided to get an early start to our trip back home. Luckily, we found a cafe to stop at for a delicious breakfast, to me, anything would taste better than the bread I had packed for the trip. In an attempt to find a shorter way back, we ask the employees of the cafe for advice back to the university. We decided to go with their advice and turn left instead of right on our way out. The whole ride home was along the peninsula, down hill, going through cute towns along the way. This experience, which took place just 2 weeks into being in Dunedin, made me understand why everyone I know has fallen head over heels in love with New Zealand. The scenery was beautiful. The air was refreshing. Most of all, the people were the kind of human beings I have dreamed about - friendly, caring, happy, and helpful. If the rest of the world could learn something from New Zealand it would be to take life with a grain of salt. There is no need to worry, always find a way to enjoy life, find a reason to smile everyday and the world will smile with you. I can not wait to go back to the land of the long white cloud.

The Arcadia staff was very supportive while still making sure students learned and practiced independence. Our living situations were very nice in my opinion; however, as the semester went on a lot of household items began to break and stop working. Our landlord was not very supportive, but the Arcadia staff was always trying to help the students be comfortable in their living situations.

Studying abroad in Melbourne was an amazing experience! Located in the cultural capital of Australia, there was never a lack of activities to keep me busy. From jazz concerts to days at the beach to amazing dining experiences to unbelievable nights out, Melbourne certainly lived up to its reputation as the World's Most Livable City. Arcadia provided housing with ten other American students and this was a great way to start of my adventure with some friends right off the bat. It was also easy to travel to and from Melbourne with the airport so near by and easily accessible. This allowed my to travel to the Outback, Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Surfer's Paradise, Byron Bay, Port Douglass and all over the state of Victoria, including the Great Ocean Road, the Mornington Peninsula, the Yarra Valley and the Dandenong Ranges. It was the absolute best immersion and travel experience of my life!!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Perugia, Italy. Umbra Institute definitely prepared me for my semester in Italy, as well as for future experiences. To start the semester, every student participants in an intensive Italian language course, which allows students to learn Italian and apply it within the community by interviewing people in the piazza or making Italian desserts by following directions solely in Italian. After this week, all students take an Italian course which provides a lot of practice and out of class experiences as well. The other courses are all very interesting and most of them consist of field trips in Perugia and also different parts of Italy as well. I took two of the three courses in the Food Studies Program--learning all about Italian food, culture and sustainability while attending many taste tests, having real Italian meals and even going truffle hunting (not for chocolate, for actual truffles--mushrooms!). This program was absolutely incredible and allowed me to see different parts of the food system in general, as well as specific parts of the Italian food system. With this program, I toured the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese factory, the Parma Prosciutto factory, and visited Dario Cecchini's meat store. All of these field trips gave me outside experience to further understand the material in class--exposing me to experiences I probably would not have in the United States. Although not located very close to major cities (2 hours by train from Rome and Florence), Perugia is located in the rolling hills of Umbria and surrounded by many historical and beautiful towns in this area. All of these towns are necessary to spend time in because each are unique and valuable to this area! All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Perugia and at the Umbra Institute; I learned a lot and the staff members were very nice and helpful to all of the students!

I highly recommend this program to anyone interested in an immersive experience in Spain. To begin with, Granada is a wonderful city to study abroad in, its main advantage being its size. The larger cities in Spain, while perhaps being bigger centers for arts, culture, and partying, are so large that as a foreigner, you're unlikely to be able to experience the repetition and familiarity that constitutes a study abroad immersion experience. Granada was walkable, safe, and small enough that I was able to make friends with Granada natives, but large enough that I still never stopped exploring its corners. Its one of the most inexpensive cities in Spain, its close to Morocco, it has a North African influence...
You'll be able to practice your Spanish everyday. Granada is one of the most popular spots for European students to study abroad, so the entire city welcomes college students from all over the world, and a lot of the bars even have nights where your drinks are cheaper if you are there to practice languages with Europeans.
I chose to live in the international apartments, and ended up living with 4 Spanish girls my age and 1 Argentinean woman. They welcomed me like family and I still talk with them a year later. My Spanish improved an immense amount this way, and I was able to learn colloquial Spanish and go out the way that Spanish people my age do. The international apartments also host other Europeans... I became good friends with a few Italians this way as well. Spanish became the common language in the apartments, even when I was speaking with my American friends living there.
A typical day would consist of waking up pretty early, heading to class at the Centro de Lenguas Modernas for Spanish and Culture classes, and then coming back for siesta. I would hang out with my roommates in the kitchen during this time, cooking and talking. I'd often go for a run later, or out exploring the city in the afternoon, and then would often get tapas or a coffee with my Spanish friends at night.

All in all, after completing this program, I think I avoided a lot of the complaints people make about studying abroad... I was able to learn colloquial Spanish from natives through immersion, I was independent because I wasn't living with a family that cooked for me and had strict rules, I was actually immersed in the Granadian student way of life with my friends, rather then only hanging out with Americans and traveling all over Europe every weekend (which you still could do)... I also wasn't broke after the whole thing because Granada is incredibly cheap.

One of the highlights from my trip was renting a van with a few Spanish, American, and Italian friends, and driving out to Salamanca for their new years party, as well as cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my Spanish and Italian friends.

The program also provides you with amazing excursions throughout Spain... hiking in the Sierra Nevada, going to Toledo, seeing professional Flamenco dancers, eating expensive and delicious Spanish food.

Arcadia guided me through the entire application process, which included complicated financial aid portions. The orientation experience was easy and a great way to meet friends, because we were all in a new country and mostly didn't know anyone else. Arcadia also gave us an extensive amount of activities to participate in during our time abroad, so all of us were able to become more familiar with Scotland.

The only difficulty was registering at the beginning of the semester. The university's system is very different from the American system, so we could have used more guidance in that experience.