Great Independent Learning Program

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in London through IES Abroad. I ultimately chose this program because of the classes I would be taking. As a public health major interested in global health policy, the classes corresponded wonderfully to my academic goals and allowed me further explore possible career opportunities in social services and public health.

That being said, I would only recommend this program if you are sure what you want to study and what you want to get out of this program. I loved that it involved a lot of independent learning - I got to self-direct my learning in my courses. If I wanted to focus more on understanding past international health laws, I could choose to do more reading about that and get really great answers out of my professor. If I wanted to understand how international actors get involved in health policy, I could choose to focus on that. The teachers do their best to teach you what YOU want to learn. That was true in all of my classes. So, if you are unsure of what you want to learn, you might find yourself a bit lost in this program. However, if you know what you want to learn, you can really get a lot out of this program.

London is a great location to study abroad. It's a very modern city, but like many European cities, has lots of history and culture. As this is a very independent program, you get what you want out of the cultural experience. If you leave the country every weekend to explore the nearby European countries, you won't have as much time to absorb the rich culture of London itself. I loved being able to take advantage of the free museums and late night events offered. IES also has a wide selection of field trips on the weekends, which really helped me explore more of the English countryside and cities farther away.

This program includes a course at Oxford University as well as a Service Learning Placement. The course at Oxford is what you make of it. There are positives and negatives, for example, the long commute to get there every Friday morning. However, Oxford is a beautiful little town and I really enjoyed walking around with my friends after class. The Service Learning Placement is also what you make of it. The staff at IES try to place you with an organization that you have interests in, but it's not always perfect. You just have to remember that this is just another experience, and take advantage of the opportunities. I loved my placement and made some great British friends.

Finally, the program ends in Kingston, Jamaica. We spent about a week there volunteering at health clinics and learning about the health system in Jamaica and the Caribbean. I will say that I probably learned more in Jamaica than I did in London the past 3 months. It was a great way to end the program and I am infinitely thankful for the experience in Jamaica.