CEA CAPA Education Abroad in London, England

I studied and interned in London, UK with CAPA in spring 13'. It was honestly one of the highlights of my life. CAPA placed me in an internship with a small multimedia company where I got to work on so many different projects and people. A lot of my class included field studies where I got to see and explore the city in depth. I gain so much experience and learned so much about the culture and myself. I would highly recommend studying in London with CAPA.

I had an amazing time with CAPA International Education in London. Although it was initially daunting to be dropped in the middle of such a huge city with a bunch of random people, it turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had in my life. CAPA was really good about trying to get you acclimated to British culture and customs. They never lacked knowledge on how to handle various cultural situations that we as Americans were not accustomed to. They were able to provide a lot of help and support in many different arenas. They also had a wide variety of interesting classes and internships available to the students. One particularly memorable class I took was Post-War British Popular Culture with Moe Dodson. He was very intelligent and toted his students all over London; places that one would never even imagine existing. It was an amazing class and made for a memorable experience. CAPA also offers a wide variety of trips and tours within London as well as outside of the country. If you do study with them it would definitely be in your best interest to take advantage of these offerings. Through CAPA I was able to have an amazing cultural adventure and make life long friendships as well as gaining much needed work experience. I highly recommend going on this program if you want to get work experience outside of the United States and have an overall amazing time.

Do something new everyday! Travel on the weekends! Don't be afraid to make new friends! Everyone is in same boat! Loved my classes! Loved my location in Kingston, loved everyone I lived with! Just a great time!

I learned so much from my experience abroad that it is hard to pin point on specific moment. Something I would like to touch on would be finding out about the differences in theatre there versus theatre in the United States. I found myself much more at peace with the arts in London then I have ever felt in the United States. It was amazing to see the differences and understand how they are perceived by the people of their societies. I loved learning about this and definitely will carry it through my own career within the arts. This experience was completely worthwhile and I just wish that everyone would be able to have a chance to study abroad.

When arriving to London it was very challenging because I had no cell phone to rely on for directions. I had to actually rely on instinct, and logic to get from paddington to Camden town. It did not take me long ( two days) to figure out how to use the tube.

During the week I had classes till Thursday so my weekends were free to do whatever I wanted to do. I usually would wake up late, and then venture out until the morning time.

I really did not encounter any difficulties while I was in London, except when it snowed for one day. I am use to there being delays, but in this city there was none.

(See what I did there). But seriously, all cheesy titles aside, CAPA is an excellent program. It is a smart fit for you if you are considering advancing yourself in the professional world and if you want to something different and life changing.

I studied in London, my fall semester of 2012. Adjusting was strange, but I felt the CAPA program tries its best to help me. Well before I arrived in London, I was given a big packet of information with nearly every question I had answered. Arriving at housing for the first time, we were given a welcome tour of the neighborhood we were to be part of for the next couple months. Staff was available for questions, advice, and even just to listen.

My housing was nice, it’s not like staying at the Ritz, but it’s good. We had housing keeping come, which helped us a lot. I didn’t find my flat to be crowded and I lived with 5 other roommates.

Your Visa allows you to work 20 hours a week since you also attend classes and attendance is mandatory. Classes are with the Americans who also part of the CAPA program, so you get to form friendships. I loved that my internship was with mostly British people and it was in the center of London, in the midst of excitement. It helped me learn more about the British culture and make new friends and connections. CAPA truly wants you to get immersed in British culture. The program organizes tours and trips that teach you about the culture, people, and history of London. Try to go on as many of these outings as you can.

Looking back now on the experience, I’m glad I did an internship and studied abroad. CAPA allowed me to balance both. CAPA program also allows you to have a good amount of free time to travel and sightsee.

If you’re having doubts about going to London, drop them! London is an amazing, diverse, and lively city. If you’re bored studying in London, you’re doing something wrong. There is so much to see and do, and while it’s expensive, it’s worth it. This makes me want to go back!

I am not lying when I say this was the most worthwhile experience of my entire life. Having an internship abroad was the perfect experience. And not just any internship, but one with the NBC bureau. Not many programs have those type of connections, and the experience I gained there was invaluable. I felt behind before studying abroad, a lot of my peers had at least one internship under their belt. Any intimidations or worries I had about not adapting to London disappeared within a week. Soon, I was giving directions to tourists and could master the bus and tube schedule with ease! There were moments of homesickness, but I just went outside, hopped on a bus and just enjoyed watching the city. Sometimes it was a pain in the butt to pay for things with the awful exchange rate, but it really is all worth it and I wouldn't change a thing!By the time I got back from London, my friends who hadn't gone abroad were jealous of me!

Are you an athlete who is considering going abroad? Are you afraid that you won't be able to stay in shape once you reach your travel destination? Well if you chose the CAPA London program, don't have any worries. Placed directly in a major area of the city, the CAPA program is incredibly close to many gyms in which you can receive a discounted student membership. Personally, I went to regent's gym, which is actually on the Westminster University campus, and places you into an atmosphere with other university students. Another gym option that is closer to the CAPA academic building itself, is the Imperial College gym. Since CAPA is technically an offshoot of Imperial College, you receive an Imperial College student card, which also offers you a discount to the gym located on campus. So if you're an athlete or just someone trying to stay in shape, their are options for you!

In addition, if you are more of the running type, the city of London is a fantastic place to do a daily morning jog, or just a fun run every so often. Personally I enjoyed running along the Thames River at night, since everything from Parliament to the London Eye is lit up, and offers a amazing view for all joggers and walkers alike. Also, the parks surrounding CAPA offer incredible scenery, and some of them, such as Regents Park, even have a track!

But what is it that CAPA itself offers to athletes? Well, CAPA classes only meet once a week, and they meet for approximately three and a half hours each session. This allows for students to get their coursework done for the day in one stretch of time, leaving the rest of the day for personal activities, such as working out! If you are also interested in the internships that CAPA has to offer, you are allowed to negotiate your work schedule with your individual manager, which gives you the opportunity to leave plenty of free time to get your coursework done as well as a workout.

Finally, through the CAPA program, you are given a meal stipend based on the amount that your individual campus has negotiated. This means that you get to cook your own food, as opposed to swiping into a cafe and eating a cheeseburger and fries every day for lunch! For an athlete, this is ideal, being able to plan out your meals and eat exactly what you need for your body to develop allows for you to keep track of what you are eating, which for athletes and non athletes alike, is always beneficial.

Now, other than the ability to stay in shape, the CAPA program itself is absolutely incredible. The classes and professors are challenging, yet fair, and the opportunities that CAPA offers for you to explore the city and the surrounding area is rivaled by no other! Taking Harry Potter walking tours and trips into Bath are parts of a study abroad experience that are crucial, yet many programs do not arrange for their students. With a staff that truly cares for the students who are studying with them, you will never feel alone and will always have the ability to do a fun and interesting activity every week!