IES Abroad London – Study London

My time with IES Abroad in London was an absolutely and unbelievably rewarding experience. First of all, I was not expecting to enjoy the classes I took as much as I did, but I swiftly fell in love with the curriculum and educators. Among my courses, two that stood out were British Youth Culture with Richard Weight and Architecture of London with Jon Wright. These two educators are incredibly intuitive, experienced, and above all caring. I am pleased to say that my academic performance was one of my best during my time abroad. I felt challenged, but embraced by all of the educators and staff at IES London. My housing, located in King’s Cross allowed for ease of travel to other parts of Europe, leading me to travel to 17 cities in 7 countries. While I was able to travel to places I’ve always wanted to go, I truly believe that I left my heart in London. A city with an abundance of culture, educational values, and above all good times. I am forever grateful for the time I spent in London and will absolutely be back. But while I wait, I want to recommend London and especially IES Abroad to expand your horizons and have the best months of your life!

When I was applying to university, I remember telling anyone who would listen that I would under no circumstances live in a big city. Needless to say, when I announced to my friends and family that I would be living in London for nearly 5 months during my sophomore year, everyone had their doubts (including me at times!). I am so glad that I took the leap. Even though London is so large and teeming with life, the community atmosphere at our IES center in Holborn made the city feel less daunting. Getting to live and study in the same city as Shakespeare and Chaucer changed my life for the better and gave me a deeper understanding and appreciation of their works. I would recommend IES London to anyone, especially if you have never considered living in a city before.

After being back in the States for almost four months, I am still continuing to rave over my study abroad program. I loved IES and everything they had to offer. The London center was phenomenal-professors, staff, location.

All of the classes that I chose to take gave us a chance to be immersed into the London culture, with field trips to art and history museums, walking tours of the various London neighborhoods, and theatre performances. All of my professors were knowledgeable in their fields, and I learned a lot from them.

The staff at the IES Center were always very friendly and helpful. I was a part of the running and yoga clubs, and got to know some of the staff members because of it. These extra-curricular opportunities not only continued to allow us to get to know London better, but it allowed us to get to know the people we were studying with, and showed us that the staff at the center weren't just there as staff. They were there to help make our study abroad experience the best it could be! And when I got sick during our exam week, I was able to get into see a doctor immediately, and everyone-staff and professors-were extremely accommodating.

I always felt safe in London too. My apartment was in a great neighborhood, with only a twenty minute bus ride to most of the iconic London places. All of the housing locations were close to each other too, which made visiting friends even easier.

IES Study London was a fantastic program that I am always going to recommend. It made my study abroad experience what it was, and I am forever thankful for that.

When I left for my study abroad program, I had no expectations. I had never been to Europe before and as excited as I was to embark on this journey, it was hard to believe that I would be living in a foreign country for four months. But I did, and I absolutely loved it. I used to think it was cliché when someone would tell me that studying abroad would change my life, but after my experience with the IES Study London Program, I can honestly say that it did. Not only was our housing situation fantastic, and complete with all of the amenities one could need, but the staff was also brilliant! I can genuinely say I have never enjoyed going to class more than I did while in London. The classes are all fairly small and the professors really take the time to help you better understand the culture you are living in. Our academic advisors were also amazing and got to know each of us on a personal level. This made the transition very smooth, and it made me feel as though I had a group of English friends from the start. All of the class trips were very fun and educational, and it allowed for students to affordably travel around the United Kingdom. Although IES gave us a great deal of support, they also gave us the time to explore London on our own and truly become immersed in the culture. This was the best of studying abroad, in my opinion. When I say that this program changed my life for the better, I truly mean it. Going on this adventure not only gave me a new perspective on the world, and my life, but it also gave me friendships that will last a lifetime. Experiencing a new city, and a new culture, gave me a newfound confidence and showed me how much this world has to offer, outside of college. I truly had the best time, and I would recommend this program to anyone who is considering studying abroad.

IES made it so I could travel abroad and experience a new culture. It was so much fun to experience London through sightseeing and living in the city. I got to see all the major sights and experience a few that weren't so common, while also interning at a really cool British company and take classes. My internship really let me experience the field I'm interested in. Although the classes weren't very stimulating for me, it was still fun to experience how British professors taught.

I wouldn't trade the experience for anything!

This past spring I had the joy of participating in the IES Direct Enrollment program at Queen Mary University of London. IES was very helpful in terms of the arranging everything so I could be settled in my new home! I was able to apply to QMUL via the IES website and IES staff were very communicative with me about what I needed to do to get the appropriate visa. In addition, they sent me a packing list so I could feel more prepared about what I would need. They also set up an IES London facebook page so it would be easy for me to meet other study abroad students in different programs and so I could get reminders for IES meet-ups. So even if you are doing a direct enrollment program and do not take classes with other IES students, you can still get involved in IES activities. IES also took care of making sure I had housing at my new location which also a great bonus!

But IES is there to support you! They will send your transcripts to your home institutions so that’s one less thing to worry about. Also the greatest thing about IES is that the provide you with amazing travel insurance!! With my plan I only had to pay $100 deductible and after that, every doctor’s visit was free. This was really amazing and saved me a ton of money since I got a nasty back injury while abroad! And IES was very supportive as they guided me through the insurance claims process! So, if you have a medical issue problem while abroad, IES will definitely help to make sure you get what you need!

I stepped off the plane at Heathrow almost 5 years ago excited, terrified, and armed with about a million questions and concerns, and every step of the way, the IES staff were absolutely incredible. Living, studying, and interning in London has made such a lasting impact on me, and I return to the city every chance I get (and I’m certain everyone I know is sick of me talking about it). The experience even inspired me to get a working holiday visa to Ireland after graduation, during which time I popped back into the IES London office unannounced with my best friend (who I met during my semester abroad) and was floored when the staff still remembered who we were, including our names and our university. The IES staff really care about you having the best experience and seeing as much of the city as you can. Nothing can quite compare to reading a novel set in London and then literally walking in the characters’ footsteps with your class! IES also offers so many great trips outside of London that are included in the program, make sure you go on all of them! If you are uncertain about making the leap and going to London through IES, you should absolutely go for it (but only if you want lifelong friends, to grow academically, culturally, and personally, and have stories to tell that will make your coworkers cry laughing).

I signed up for the Study London track on a whim; I knew I wanted to go to London and I knew that I wanted to do an internship, but that's it. However, I am so happy that my school's Study London program was cancelled. Being able to go abroad with IES provided me with once in a lifetime experiences. With the program, I was able to meet and make new friends from different colleges around the US, expand my professional career with an internship, travel to different areas of the country and overall showed me so much of what London had to offer. The staff were helpful, the accommodations were amazing, and I can now saw that I feed reindeer in the highlands of Scotland.

If you have the opportunity to go to London with IES, do it!

This was the best year of my life. Living only 20 minutes by tube from central London was extremely convenient. I got to live with students from around the world, not just England. I made unforgettable memories and learned how to be much more independent. It is certainly a different academic experience, but that's the point. Don't let this opportunity pass you by; London is the best city in the world to study abroad, and IES will make it happen.

Studying abroad in London was one of the best decisions of my life. IES provided a great living location that made it easy and quick to get around London. All of the IES staff were welcoming from the moment we arrived and were always trying to make our experience abroad more enjoyable. IES provided multiple planned trips to other cities and towns around England that gave us more opportunities to travel and meet other students in our program. I enjoyed every one of my classes I took at our program's center. I was able to explore parts of London through my classes on a daily basis which helped make the classes and learning more enjoyable. My time abroad was one of the best experiences and I am happy to say that I am still connected with the the friends I made in London. I would highly recommend studying abroad because you get to experience new cultures and make unforgettable memories with new people.

Studying through this program was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I would go back tomorrow if I were able. Not only were the professors absolutely amazing, but the way the program itself allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the city through classes and group outings really gave us a unique perspective of being able to use the city to our advantage. The staff at the IES center were always willing to help you with even the smallest concerns and I can't thank them enough for their support on the journey. If you're able, make sure to take every single tiny trip that IES offers you! They provide some of the most interesting tours and most interesting insight on the UK and I'm forever grateful for the experience.

The program offered at IES Abroad London was one I am very happy I joined. The program itself is very well organized and it is easy to see the effort that the entire staff at IES put into making this a great opportunity. I personally took part in the semester internship program as well, which brought another exciting aspect to my time in London. I seriously enjoyed the work I did at my internship and the staff teaching the courses were great as well. These individuals all had great industry experience, marketing in my case, and were passionate about the content they were teaching. As a city, London has so much to offer as long as students are willing to take full advantage of it. I personally became very involved with multiple local organizations which led me to create lasting relationships with countless Londoners. I highly recommend students consider this program when looking at their potential options.

Deciding to study abroad was one of the hardest decisions to make. I'm so glad I did it though. One of the best things I loved was that the IES Center was in the heart of London and my dorm room was right next to platform 9 3/4! I think that is what made it an even better experience. I was able to walk to big ben and trafalgar square in between classes. I was taking communication courses at the school and thought they were not super difficult which was great because I could focus more on traveling and less on stress! One thing I learned from this trip was that there is so much beauty out there, and I learned so much about myself. I learned how to travel and go unplugged from the internet and still find happiness. I didn't even care about my phone at that point. It was a twenty minute walk from my dorm to class everyday, and I loved it. Most students took the double decker bus, but I walked. I put headphones in and would walk miles everyday. I did this because I knew I wouldn't remember the bus seats, but I would remember all the great things on the streets I would see. Overall, I was very very pleased with IES. I even went on five field trips.... including going inside 10 Downing Street!

I studied in London in the Fall of 2016, where I enrolled in 15 credit hours of courses and worked about 16 hours a week for my internship. The IES program gives you the option to choose from some really interesting classes that you wouldn’t normally take at your home school – I chose to take a film production course while some of my friends chose architecture or theater courses. The internship program is amazing as well because IES will put you directly in contact with businesses and organizations that fit your interests and career goals. My internship experience matched my interests perfectly and helped me to grow my business and cross-cultural communication skills.

If I were to do it all over again, I would still choose London – hands down. In my personal opinion, London is the best city to study abroad in and the IES program provides you with incredible experiences and plenty of opportunities. Students get to live right by Kings Cross station, from where you can get virtually anywhere throughout London – and promise me, you will never run out of things to do in London! Ask the IES advisors or professors if you want some recommendations. Due to the way university is organized in the UK (the bulk of your projects and exams are towards the end of the semester) I felt that I had plenty of free time during the semester explore the entire city of London, and to travel around the UK and to other countries in Europe. If traveling is important to you, keep this in mind! The only downside to this program is that it’s difficult to befriend locals because you are living and taking classes with your fellow American IES students.

London, my choice city, is anything but ordinary. Walking on the popular Holborn street in London where I took most of my classes I heard just about every language except English, an indication of diverse cultures. While I was there I visited many cities on weekends including Cambridge, Brighton, Liverpool, Stonehenge, Stratford Upon Avon and Canterbury, thanks to the IES staff who organized these well planned trips on weekends. The courses that I studied in London, including one at Oxford University, immersed me in the health care world of the United Kingdom (UK). A lot of the courses challenge you to find solutions of the modern day health problems, which are mainly Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs). My program also included a service learning section working with Healthwatch Tower Hamlets. This organization acts as a liaison between the National Health Service (NHS) and their clients. I was able to visit hospitals, clinics, day centers and mental clinics in London and to see the approach the U.K. takes in providing healthcare for its citizens.

The study abroad program included a 10 day trip to Jamaica. In Jamaica we were placed at the island’s leading tertiary institution, the University of the West Indies. The program included visits to health clinics in both rural and urban areas in the capital Kingston. This experience gave us first- hand experience in comparing and contrasting the health care services in both UK and Jamaica. Professionally, my study abroad experience has made me more diverse in my field as a Health Management major. Health is global and this experience exposed me to the different health care systems employed by European countries .