IES Abroad London

During my program, I had the privilege of studying health policy both in London and Oxford and then traveling to Kingston, Jamaica for the last week of my program to listen to lectures at the University of West Indies School of Nursing. This is a relatively new program and the experience was pretty amazing throughout my time there. The staff and program directors invested time to making sure we were fully prepared and aware of everything we needed to do, i.e organizing train rides for our weekly trip to Oxford, telling us what items/clothing we would need for Jamaica, finding amazing service learning opportunities with local NGOs that fit somewhere in our professional interest. The staff was always very friendly and approachable. They often shared some of their favorite places, which was very helpful in a massive city like London that has so much to offer for everyone. The Jamaica portion in particular was extraordinary. When we weren't listening to lectures at UWISON, we were exploring the island and the staff took us to some amazing restaurants and beautiful sites. We swam in a natural salt water lagoon, took a boat ride to a small nearby island to swim and relax, visited the Blue Mountain coffee plantation, and sat by an infinity pool overlooking the island. It didn't feel real and it was so much fun doing it with the friends I made during the program. I was very impressed with what the staff put together for us and I would definitely recommend this program.

I studied abroad in London with IES Abroad this past spring semester. I come from a small town in West Michigan, USA and I have never lived further than 30 minutes away from where I grew up. Making the decision to go live in one of the biggest and most famous cities in the world was the best decision of my young adult life that I have made thus far. IES London helped me get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself in ways I didn't think possible. I learned so much about organization, time management, stress management, and taking in every opportunity that life has to offer. I also learned things about myself including how I react to certain things, what I value in other people, and what is most important to me. I'm sure I won't ever be able to fully grasp the impact that studying abroad had on me.
My classes only met once a week, but I was always excited to go to them because it was a different and new experience than what I had back home. I had the opportunity to learn from professors who grew up and lived in London and they shared experiences and secrets of the city that I never would have heard of otherwise. I made lifelong friendships in just one semester and I will take the memories I made with me wherever I go for the rest of my life. The staff of IES and the program field trips made the experience even more memorable. We travelled all over the UK to places like Scotland, Bath, Stonehenge, Brighton, and more. I learned just as much inside the classroom as out of it.
Studying abroad truly changed the way I look at the world and has sparked an interest in me to see everything the world has to offer. IES helped me live out dreams that I didn't even know I was dreaming.

It's extremely hard to describe how amazing this program was and how much I learned and grew from being a part of it. The staff at IES were truly incredible--many of them were young and love experiencing the city so they were able to provide advice and suggestions (whether it was where to go for dinner, what museums were the best, or what are of London had the best nightlife). The classes were very interesting and I loved being able to learn about the UK and then have the opportunity to go out and experience what we were learning in the classroom. In all of my classes we took at least one trip out of the classroom and into the city--being a visual learner this was extremely helpful in learning the class materials and it also helped me learn a lot about the history of certain parts of London. Living right near King's Cross was incredible and it was so easy to get around London considering the tube was right down the street! I also was able to make so many amazing friends from this program that I know I will always share my experiences with! I cannot wait to go back to London and wish I could experience it all over again!

London is truly the most amazing city I have ever had the honor to call home for a semester. There was always something new to explore and see. Everyday was filled with new sights: it was exciting not knowing what would happen tomorrow. I owe so much to IES Abroad for facilitating such an incredible experience. From organized field trips to safety to classes, the IES staff was so organized. I felt so at home in London and part of that is because of IES Abroad. Go study abroad!! This will always be my favorite semester and I learned so much that I never could back home. You won't regret going!

Studying abroad in London was so amazing - since I've been back, I've thought to myself everyday that I want just want to go back and live in London forever.

If you are interested in public/global health, this program is for you. I went into this program with no prior education in public health and I learned A LOT. There was a good mix of students who had a lot of public health experience (typically public health majors) and none at all, so any level of prior experience is ok. This specific program provides you with a pretty set schedule of three required courses (one of them which is at Oxford University), which allows for one elective class. You are also placed in service learning (sort of like an internship) at a organization in the community 8 hours a week. Overall, of these courses were very interesting and the instructors were great people. The everyday workload is minimal but I felt like there were lots of papers.

The one class at Oxford University was pretty cool - being able to walk around this campus as a student was quite an experience. My complaint about this class was that it consumed my entire Friday - we had to leave at 7:30 AM and take three trains to get there, then get back around 5PM, so it made traveling a little difficult. Additionally, the workload was too much for a study abroad class (in my opinion...weekly papers). But, I'd say it was worth it. I learned A LOT not only about public health, but I definitely improved my writing and in-class speaking skills.

London is also a great place to study abroad. The fact that people speak English was great - a lot of my friends who studied abroad in countries with different languages were pretty stressed out because they had to work hard to communicate, but that is also an amazing experience in itself. London just has so much to do all the time, there's really something for everyone...I thought that I would be too overwhelmed by the size of London, but I really wasn't. I'm not a big-city person, but London had the right amount of homeyness in its smaller communities and quirky neighborhoods, that I had an easy time getting used to it. Public transport is so efficient and the fact that I could leave the dorm and get to Big Ben or the 2012 Olympic Pool just by train and walking was amazing to me.

I would say that the past portion of this program, which takes place in Kingston, Jamaica, was the best part of the program. One of our instructors and an administrator took the entire group to Jamaica for a week, and it was absolutely amazing. The hands-on experience that I got to do in the clinics is something that I will probably never have the opportunity to do again, and it was perfectly balanced with time spent at the beach and sight-seeing. This portion of the program is something I tell my friends and family about all the time, and I can't describe in words how awe-struck I was to see and immerse myself in the Jamaican culture and health system.

London is an amazing city to study abroad in because it exposes you not only to a local culture, but an international culture. As one of the international capitals of the world, London is absolutely massive and is home to an ethnically diverse population. This dynamism is part of the reason I fell in love with the city. You could walk from the Tower of London, an iconic British and ominously medieval emblem of dark ages, across the Thames to the colorful Borough market, which overflows with food stalls from all corners of the world.

IES and the IES staff did a really excellent job of making sure that we didn’t leave London without having explored all rich deposits of culture that the city had to offer. The program often offered free trips to different neighborhoods in London. One of my favorite day trips was to Camden Market, in Camden Town. The streets leading to the market are lined with brightly-colored store fronts housing eclectic vendors. The market itself is home to some of the best food I have ever tasted. Literally I don’t think I could even name every country represented by the all the different culinary options there. At one stand you get can get traditional paella, at another they have Jamaican jerk chicken, or you can go to the curry cart and enjoy some of the best Indian food you will ever eat in your life. The food in London is amazing and I don’t think I will ever again have the chance to try Mesir Wot from Ethiopia and Thai green curry in the same place again (just one of the many reasons I love London). If you love food, trust me, you will love London too.

These outings were led by student assistants, whom are British university students working with IES. I really liked having these trips because it gave you an opportunity to talk with the student assistants in a more relaxed setting and ask about things like nightlife or their favorite restaurants.

My study abroad experience in London was better than I could have imagined going in. The IES Study London program offered a good balance of structure as well as freedom to let the experience be shaped by each student. Through this program I was placed in an awesome internship, took classes from professors who were experts in their fields as well as genuinely great people, and went on some incredible trips organized by IES such as an excursion to Scotland where we got to feed reindeer. The staff in the IES London program are all incredibly nice and welcoming and provided so much support throughout my four months abroad.

I’m being completely sincere when I say that study abroad was a truly enriching, eye-opening, and transformative experience that allowed me to not only discover more about myself but gain worldly perspectives. I was not only able to explore London culturally but also take classes at the prestigious University of Oxford, where I was challenged to think beyond what I've been taught and excel academically.

With regards to the academic aspects, students aren't really given a choice in choosing their classes for the Health, Practice and Policy program mainly because it's already a highly specialized program that is focused more on the health aspects. This makes this program perfect for anyone already with a major in public health, pre-med, biology, psychology, or just with an interest in these kinds of fields. I took classes on social welfare, comparative healthcare systems, health and disease and human rights - all of which I can surely say I gained something I probably never would have gained from classes back at my home university. These classes are very English-style in that they are highly discussion-based rather than being lecture-focused. As a part of the class, students also took many outside tours and went on field tripos that supplemented the coursework and allowed us to truly gain that outside-the-classroom learning experience. Additionally, the professors were excellent, passionate and knowledgeable in their fields, making the classes very open to thought-provoking discussion. The health and disease class was held at Oxford along with a discussion tutor session led by lecturers. The Oxford class was without a doubt the most challenging part of the program in that there is a high amount of workload and expectation for the student to achieve highly. Nonetheless, the lecturers are also improvement-focused so just because you do poorly at first does not mean that you will fail the class. Rather, they want to see you improve and they do help you out during the way to help you do better, which you will as long as you put in the effort.

My service learning placement was a very unique and enjoyable aspect of the program. I worked with an organization that works toward helping the homeless population, and it was an extremely humbling and rewarding experience to say that I was making a difference in another country through the small work I was doing. For example, I washed dishes and prepared food for the homeless, but also had the opportunity to work in the office for more behind-the-scenes and logistical work (which is not the most engaging or fun). Through this experience, however, I learned so much about social issues plaguing London and the stereotypes I had about the homeless, which was truly eye-opening. I feel as if I'm a much more enlightened and passionate student due to my experience doing service in London. Likewise, other students were matched with other organizations that were not just social service/volunteer based but also towards the medical field, etc. and I know from their personal accounts that they also learned and enjoyed their time with their service learning placement. That being said, 8 hours of service a week definitely added to the stressful workload of HPP program students. A lot of times, most of us were doing homework, essays, or doing service that we didn't have time to enjoy the culture or travel as much as students in other programs may have. Nonetheless, this doesn't mean we have absolutely no time at all - it's mostly about how one manages their time and how ambitious they get with what they want to do, see, or travel.
In fact, even with all the stress and sleepless nights, I still managed to plan and travel to Spain and Scotland, two places that I absolutely loved. It's a matter of what YOU want and how you make that desire happen even with all the obstacles you'll face.

Lastly, Jamaica was probably the best part about the program. This is where you really get to bond with some of your professors/IES staff who tag along and truly immerse yourself in the culture. The people are kind, the settings are beautiful, and the work that you do at clinics and at the Missionaries of the Poor... it's a priceless experience. It's a short week full of cultural immersion, learning, and working but it will, without a doubt, be the most wonderful and rewarding week of your life.