IES Abroad London

This opportunity could not have come at a more perfect time. I had just finished my most grueling semester of college and my terms were coming to an end for my positions in both my business and social fraternity. I felt the need to break from the mundane and try something completely new, and the Study London program through IES gave me that chance. This program gave me so many opportunities and it can do the same for you. Through this program, I took relevant and challenging courses that not only kept me engaged and helped the GPA, but allowed me to think critically and gave me extra tools for both the academic and the "real" world. Despite my business major, I was able to take an acting class through IES. This allowed me to see a play once a week for a fraction of the cost, giving me the chance to soak in London's fine art culture at a discount. I was happy with the living arrangements (we stayed in Kings Cross, the proverbial epicenter of London). I could get almost anywhere I needed to be within 20 minutes and the common living area allowed for all of the students to really get to know each other. But perhaps the greatest thing about the study abroad program is that they understand that students want to travel and take that into account when building the program. The coursework can be a little rigorous at times, but IES has created a system where you can make your class schedule work with your study schedule. I knew I wanted to travel to different countries so I put all of my classes on Tuesday and Wednesday. While this option isn't always open, I was able to ensure that I put in a solid effort into my academics while being able to travel whenever I could. The result was a huge GPA boost and my unbelievable experiences in Berlin, Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Dublin. But don't forget to explore everything London has to offer! All in all, I had an amazing experience, I made friends I will cherish throughout the years to come, and I hope everyone can have as an amazing experience as I did.

I knew that if I graduated college without studying abroad I would regret it and once I experienced a semester at IES – Health Practice and Policy I knew I was right. Although stepping out of my comfort zone was a little daunting the staff in London was welcoming and allowed me to feel at home, in a completely different country. During my time abroad I not only discovered a new country, cultures and food but ultimately I rediscovered myself. One of the main reasons I loved my time abroad was because the program was so well rounded it allows my to engage in different things and shape my experience!

At the IES center in London I was able to take classes that were related to my major and counted for credit. What made studying abroad unique was having the ability to engage in topics of epidemiology, women’s history, social welfare, health and disease while walking and exploring the city. One of the highlights of the Health Practice and Policy was taking a class at Oxford.

Another aspect of the program that made it unique was the service learning component. While we learned in our classes we also had the ability to learn through our service learning placement. Through my service learning placement I was able to engage with individuals from different communities within London. I was also able to gain a deeper understanding and practice on how grants are obtained, monitored, and awarded. At the end of the semester we completed a new service placement in Jamaica, which had an immense impact on me both on a personal and professional level. While in Jamaica I was able to explore the culture and beautiful sight of Kingston but also observe different clinical settings and take classes at the University of the West Indies.

As if studying in London, having a service placement, and even traveling to Jamaica was not enough the program allows you to further shape your experience. Although you are focused on your course work the staff at IES London are really there to help with anything! They try to make sure to have all the resources you need to enjoy your time in London. One of those aspects involved traveling and activities. Throughout the semester the staff at the center planned different trips and activities. Some of the traveling I did with the center was visiting Bath, Stonehenge, and Oxford. On the other hand some of the activities I attended were soccer games and even visiting Harry Potter studios. Throughout my stay the staff also encouraged me to explore Europe and gave me different tips that made traveling easier.

The center allows you to shape your experience by allowing you to obtain a student ID from the University of London. By obtaining the ID you are able to join any club or intermural sport the university has. Through the center you are also able to apply for a program that allows you to do homestays with families in England. All these options allowed me and will allow you to shape your experience to what you find interesting and ultimately make London my home away from home.

On a school day, I would get up, try not to wake my roommate while getting ready for class, and walk down the street to the the cafe for a delicious pastry and hot chocolate. As I walked to the bus stop I would always admire the morning light on King's Cross. A 30 minute drive to the IES center on the double decker bus is great for people watching and seeing the city come to life. Getting off the bus, looking right and not left to cross the street, the center blends into the surroundings on Bloomsbury. You buzz into the center and Simon and Vanessza welcome you with bright smiles every time. As you walk up the stairs Albus Dumbledore gives you some education tips. The classrooms are small but cozy, and make the two and a half hour classes not as painful. The teachers, not Professors but teachers, insist you call them by their first name and constantly engage you throughout the lesson with their humor and fascinating experiences in their topics. The day is like a throwback to High School when you're in class all day, but you want to be there and you want to learn.

Running in Hyde Park on a Sunday morning was one of my favorite memories of London. I threw on my running sneaks, hopped on the Piccadilly line and ran for 5 miles around the park while still seeing historic monuments, like the Albert Memorial. It's really the little things that make abroad more memorable.

I was so blessed to study abroad in London for a semester. The experience challenged me as a person in a broad range of areas: socially, academically, and vocationally. Socially, I loved meeting new international friends outside the program in my student dorm, the local gospel choir, my sister's church, a London faith-based group, and just strangers I'd run into on the street and Tube! Academically, the classes were brilliant and allowed me to study subjects--such as art, architecture, and marketing-- that I didn't have the time to take back at my home university. Vocationally, my eyes were opened to the numerous homeless people living in London, and my interactions and conversations with them has deepened my desire to work with that demographic in the future. Overall, London became my second home and I'm so thankful for IES allowing me the privilege of studying abroad and growing as a person because of the places and people I knew there.

I studied abroad in London during the fall of 2014. I lived right by King's Cross Station and my classes were held in Bloomsbury at IES London building. It was an easy walk to calss and the train station was close by to the dorm which was nice for travel. I absolutely loved my time abroad meeting new people and traveling to new places. I love seeing the friends I made while in London back here at my campus in the US. IES classes overall were interesting and I was very easily able to manage my time between school work, exploring London, and traveling to other locations. Overall, studying abroad in London with IES was an extremely rewarding experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I made amazing friends, learned alot about the world & myself, and can't wait to go back to visit London in the future.

Three of the best parts of my study abroad experience were my professors, travel, and the public health experience. First all of my professors were very smart and qualified. My public health courses were taught by someone in with years of experience. My Health systems class was taught by a global health lawyer who helped the World Health Organization craft health policy. My Social welfare policy class had two professors. One was a lawyer who regularly defended underrepresented clients and was an activist for many social causes. The second professor worked at Parliament and had researched the effects of social inequalities and welfare policies in various countries. At Oxford, every week a different expert in the field of public health gave a lecture on field of study in public health such as bioethics, bias in research, or study designs. I chose to learn about a the European Union in my elective course. The professor for that course had published research multiple times on European and French political thought and was a lecturer at university of Oxford. I felt very satisfied knowing that i was learning from experienced professionals in another country.

It was my first time in London and Europe so I did what I could do, travel. I saw Stonehenge and the Roman Baths. I met students from the University of Bath. I visited Amsterdam and Paris. I got lost a few times to find a new way home because it was absolutely amazing to live in another place for three months. It was very easy to find people who were interested in the same things as myself. I saw a Champions League and an NFL football game. I pedaled a cart around downtown London with 10 other people. I had a once in lifetime experience to be a college student in another place.

Finally, I gained so much experiential lessons and public health related experience. In Jamaica, I shadowed nurses in Jamaican health clinics. I sat in on a meeting about how the nurses should respond to an increase in the number of people with measles in surrounding countries. In England, I volunteered at a patient health and social care advocacy group. I gave a presentation to a panel of young people about mental health risks that young people in their borough face. I learned how to take a lot of research and communicate it to others without confusing my audience. It was difficult doing most of it on my own because it was the first time I had ever done something like that. There were a lot of maturing experiences like learning to cook on my own and making new friends. There were times I had to figure out how to balance the new kid in a big city, but I feel stronger from the experience than I ever had before.

Studying abroad in London was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I chose this program because I wanted a program with a health focus. I want to be a physician assistant, and this program had numerous qualities that I thought would be helpful towards that endeavor. It's important to note that this program is focused on public health. I found this to be interesting because, as a biology major, I had never really been exposed to different healthcare systems and other public health topics. The classes I took were Social Welfare Policy, Comparative Healthcare Systems, Health and Disease (the Oxford class, which is basically an epidemiology course), and Architecture as an elective. The two IES Health Practice and Policy classes (Social Welfare and Comparative Healthcare) were good, and should be even better in the future since they are working on better coordinating the course curriculums to provide a more cohesive program structure. The Health and Disease course was also okay, but the long commute every Friday was a bit of a bear. I absolutely loved Architecture as my elective course, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see as much of London as possible.

As part of the Social Welfare Policy class, I had an internship/service placement at a breast cancer charity in London. While I was hoping for a placement that allowed me a little more clinical contact, I was still abel to interact with patients in the office which was nice.

Overall, living in London is absolutely incredible. I'm from the Midwest and had never lived in a cosmopolitan city like London before. Not only is London one of the most iconic cities in the world, but there are also amazing cultural opportunities that can't be found anywhere else. I discovered a love for theatre and art that I didn't know I had before. Everything from seeing Van Gogh's self portrait at the Somerset House to winning discount ticket to The Book of Mormon created an amazing experience I will never forget. The residence hall, Nido, is located just a few blocks from King's Cross station, which means it is super each to get around to any part of the city. The Nido dorms are pretty standard dorms, but you get a private bathroom to share with your roommate, and there is a kitchen on each floors that can be used to make your own food. IES also offers a ton of events to see more of London, like a walking tour of London including a ride on the London Eye, a boat trip to Greenwich, an authentic football match, and a tour of Harry Potter Studios. You can pick what you're interested in and participate for free or an extremely reduced rate. There are also field trips around England and the surrounding areas; for example, I went on trips to Stonehenge, Bath, Salisbury, and Cambridge thanks to IES and their subsidized field trips.

At the end of the program, we went on a ten-day field study in Kingston, Jamaica. This was the part of the program with the most clinical components, which I really enjoyed. Observing in the clinics was really interesting, and we saw everything from standard vitals (blood pressure, weight, urinalysis, etc) to post-natal exams (6 week old babies getting their checkups) and wound dressings. We also had some interesting lectures at the University of the West Indies School of Nursing, where we learned about the history of nursing in Jamaica as well as the role of natural and holistic healing to the healthcare culture. Please keep in mind that Kingston is a lot different than London. There was a significant amount of street harassment, etc, that would occur whenever we went into the city. I was kind of unprepared for that, and it was very uncomfortable when in contained areas like the clinic where it was hard to get away from harassing people. However, we always traveled in groups and so there were never any real safety concerns.

Overall, I learned so much over the course of this semester, and I recommend this program to people who have an interest in healthcare--especially those interested in a public health perspective.