FIE London: Semester & Summer Internships and Study Programs

Along with studying abroad, I was also able to intern for 7 weeks. I never had much work experience so I was excited to have this "job". I was nervous since it was in another country and worried about the cultural difference.

I liked how FIE was able to set us up with an internship placement and made the interview process non competitive. There was also a seminar class that went along with this internship to help us check in weekly.

I am glad I had this opportunity to intern internationally. I believe I have learned more about the way I work and how to adapt. For my future career, I hope to work abroad as well and I think this internship prepared me.

Although the time was not long for an internship, I was still able to learn and gain skills from this.

Studying abroad has always been something I wanted to do in my college experience. Once I found out that my major at my home college offered this opportunity, I signed up. I was nervous because I did not know anyone but also excited to take on this new journey.

Studying abroad in London has truly been a great experience and I am so happy I was able to do it. Taking classes here was different because we had 3 courses in 8 weeks. Classes were Monday-Thursday and each about 3 hours long. Beside sitting in classrooms listening to lectures, doing homework, we also got frequent field trips. This was fun because we got to explore the city of London and incorporate class material.

Being here for 4 months has taught me to appreciate culture and diversity. I believe the outcome of this has allowed me to grow as a person.

FIE london grants you the special opportunity to live in the heart of the English capital. In walking distance is the gardens where Princess Diana started her famous gardens, as well as the palace where in they reside. Just a quick tube stop to many famous locations including Piccadilly Circus, Parliament, Portobello Road market and the South Bank. FIE offers a competent class schedule, as well as a wonderful and responsible staff. If you were ever thinking about exploring London on a study abroad trip, I would recommend it heartily!

I really enjoyed studying in London, especially since one of my classes had to do with London itself. The class itself was about monsters (such as Dracula or Frankenstein) in England, and it was cool how I could visit the areas that the books talked about. I especially enjoyed the freedom of being able to travel to other countries during the time. Since London is a great central point for travel in Europe, my friends and I had lots of options to go to other countries, but just did not have the time to visit more than three. My only complaint would that it could be longer...

You know when you look forward to something all your life and when it happens, its a disappointment?
Well this was the complete opposite. I had been dreaming of living in London all my life and the program exceeded all expectations. I cannot stress enough how much London has impacted. I went in the Fall.

FIE is set up in a way that half the time you are studying with professors and half the time you are placed in an internship. For the studying portion, I had really great professors like Dr. Carolina Valiente who was great Finance professor. I also had the chance to fulfil a passion of mine and take street photography. Because of that class, I realized how much I had been keeping my creative side dormant and now I even have my own graphic design freelance business on the side!

For internship portion, they say we will get to experience diverse professional settings and boy did I ever. I was placed in Mercato Metrapolitano-an vibrant food market- where I got to work with Italians who fed me and talk me essential Italian phrases like dov'è il bagno or Posso avere più vino. It so happens that an independent cinema owner-Backyard Cinema (recommend everyone attends a showing) also shared space in the market. Me as a cinema lover was so excited with the unique experience that I asked if I could also work with them in my time off so I can attend showings and in no time I was participating in the brainstorming of their next season! It was so exciting, I still keep up with them from time to time. Don't be afraid to ask for opportunities, the worst thing they can do is say no.

The best recommendation I can give anyone is to not be afraid to experience. I went to 7 countries in the short four months I was there and trust me, if I had more time the number would have doubled. I recommend if you are booking a flight, not to be afraid of using nearby airports like Gatwick, Luton or Stansted because tickets tend to be cheaper even if you include the transportation cost of going back to South Kensington. Explore beyond South Kensington, places like Elephant and Castle and Brixton are gems of their own. Never check bags, it is time consuming and stay in hostels! I met so many great people who went exploring with me around the different cities!

Also, don't be afraid to go by yourself to the study abroad trip. You will make friends with the people you live. I knew nobody coming to London and to this day, my flatmate became my best friend. In fact my favorite memory was in one of those nights out, we went out to celebrate, got lost in the process, figured out the bus system (back when Piccadilly line was not 24-hours) and bar hops around London.

All in all, use all the time you have, it is gone in an instant!

Studying abroad and interning with FIE was incredible. I made some of the most amazing, kind, adventurous friends in the world, see things I’d only dreamed of seeing, and gain international work experience on top of that. I couldn’t imagine a better program, honestly. I loved every minute of it and wish I could do it all over again.

I think what I’d tell future students is whatever city you’re studying in, let that city become home. Let yourself be comfortable there, do your best to live how a native Londoner, etc. lives. That makes it feel like you have a home to go back to across the globe from where you’re from. It’s a feeling unlike anything I anticipated when I left for my study abroad experience.

Studying abroad in London through FIE was one of the best college experience for me. I lived in the Manson place which was located in South Kensington. It was within walking distance from class and close by to the tube station. This made things more convenient. I felt safe walking back late at night .

Through FIE, they offered many fun trips. The Wales weekend trip was one of my favorite because it was well planned out and I got to jump off cliffs. How cool is that? I loved the adrenaline rush! The view of the coastline was breathtaking. I highly recommend this trip.

The staffs at FIE are very nice and understanding. They were all very welcoming and are willing to help resolve any problems. If I could do this again, I would!

I have studied abroad before, which was the best experience of my life. I was very exited for the opportunity to study abroad again, especially with an internship. The school is located in a great area, but the housing itself desperately needs updating. The school crams as many students as possible into each flat. There are cleaning staff that clean the flats each week but they barely touch anything and the house got so dirty to the point that several girls were grossed out walking into the common areas. The classes themselves were okay (lots of field trips) except that the school does not have many accreditations and so a lot of the classes offered were not accepted by my school. The internship office is not as good as they make it out to be. Only 10% of the people from the program were satisfied with their internships. Several of us got such poor internship placements that we cannot put them on our resume. This is the sole reason that I chose this program, but had I know the truth I definitely would have not done it. The social scene is good. If you find the right group of people, then you will have a great time- there is always plenty of things to do in London. They give you a free oyster card which saves a lot of money! If you are looking to go somewhere just for fun, this is the right program. However, if you are looking for a program that will help you to grow personally and professionally, this is definitely not the right program. Although I did enjoy myself, I was thoroughly misled and dissapointed by my experience in this program.