Great Experience Living in London

I had a great experience with Arcadia and the University of Westminster. The spring semester program was long enough to allow me to immerse myself in the English culture and explore the city of London.

I do wish, however, that international students weren't grouped together so often. Because programs, housing, and even some classes were solely for American and other international/study abroad students, I found that it was difficult to step out of my comfort zone and meet locals. While I'm grateful to have met so many wonderful people from the US and other countries, I often felt that we were separated from everyone else. It was tough to meet locals.

At the University of Westminster, I was able to take courses I was interested in that would fulfill requirements at my home school. The education system is different in the UK, but the setup was beneficial to my schedule and my desire to travel. I found some of the classes challenging, but not so much that I was struggling.

While I didn't interact with the Arcadia program team often, I knew that they were always a resource for me. The program team made sure that we all knew where the office was located and how we could get in contact with them. I went on one Arcadia-led travel program to Scotland, which was one of my favorite trips that I took all semester. They set up housing and tours for us, and all went smoothly. I also attended a small get-together with Arcadia toward the end of the semester, which was also nice. It was good to reconnect with the other students in the program after a few months.