Program Reviews

Studying abroad with Arcadia was the best thing I could have done for myself. I had never been abroad prior to studying abroad, and Arcadia gave me the support I needed to step out of my comfort zone. I am so happy that I was able to go on this program and discover myself and form friendships I will have for a lifetime. I encourage everyone to be your authentic self and put yourself into everything you do. Put yourself out there. Try to learn Italian. Engage with professors. Travel, but don't miss class. This can easily be the best experience of your life if you want it to be.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Arcadia in London. The staff was very friendly and wanted the best for their students. The orientation seemed long and unnecessary because we then got the exact same information from City University where we actually studied but it was mandatory so we had to go. I also had a negative experience with the Academic Center when I asked for help and they told me they couldn’t help me because I wasn’t directly enrolled in their classes. On the bright side, the excursions that they planned were fun and it took all of the planning away because they take care of everything. My time in London went so fast that by the end, I wished the program was longer than 3 months!

An incredible experience and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. I was able to grow professionally and advance my career goals while simultaneously having the experience of a life time in Europe. I was able to travel and learn so much more than I could have at home. I would highly recommend this program to other students and explain why it was so worthwhile for me. I already miss Ireland more than I would have imagined and I hope to return again some day

Going on the Arcadia internship program improved both my college experience and my life. Before going abroad I had no work experience in my field of study. Now due to the program I have four months of work experience and a professional credit in theatre. I loved living in Princess Elizabeth House! Although the commute was longer than I was used to, It allowed me to see new parts of the city. The Arcadia staff were always very helpful and available for whatever’s needed. I will forever love this program for making living and working in the amazing city of London so seamless and wonderful!

When a snowstorm pushed my departure date back I was nervous that I was going to miss out on meeting everyone at orientation and be lost the whole program. This was not the case at all, as soon as I arrived everyone (the advisors and other students) were super helpful and welcoming. I never had an out of place or homesick moment being surrounded by everyone. We all quickly became a little family through sharing meals, going on little trips, surfing and living it up at the beach.

My tips:: don't be afraid. There are so many opportunities for insane and memorable things to do in Australia. Come in with a positive mindset and don't be afraid to branch out or do things out of your comfort zone. Skydiving, surfing, even traveling to South East Asia were huge milestones for me but I wouldn't trade them anyday.
:: Try to go to Whitsundays. A somewhat expensive trip but completely worth it. Located between Cairns and Brisbane, this place has the most amazing beaches and sea life. One of my favorite and most memorable places of this whole semester abroad.
:: Don't sleep in. Most days I tried my best to wake up early and do something with my day. 4 months went by really fast, so it's really worth trying to spend every day outside or going to the beach (which is only 7 minutes away). The more time I spent away from technology or outside, I had a better outlook on everything.

We were able to have two orientations, one in Melbourne and another in Byron Bay and throughout the semester little trips within our program were available. I lived in the Blocks, which were single dorms but still communal. Even though I was living on my own I was still able to be friends with all the other girls on my floor. This whole semester was unforgettable, everyone was so nice and helpful. While we all live in different places across the United States, we still keep in contact every day and are planning trips around the world for the future. This was the best four months of my life, you become so close with the people and the memories will last a lifetime.

Going abroad with Arcadia University in Barcelona was an incredible experience that I would 100% recommend to anyone considering going overseas. Barcelona is a beautiful city, but it was the staff and the people I met through my program that really made my experience so special. Arcadia offers a smaller, more intimate approach to study abroad. I was not just one of 200 kids studying at the university. Since it was a group of 30 students everyone created a unique bond and was extremely supportive of one another. I met some of the best friends of my life through this program. The academics were great and really incorporated doing more learning outside the classroom, and got us into the city a lot to learn more about the city's culture and history. I would highly recommend this to anyone.

I thought Arcadia did a great job of getting us all to Scotland, hosting an orientation, and getting us to our individual accommodations. They were very organized, and were always there to help if you needed someone. Their excursions were very fun and well organized. Arcadia made the transition from America to Scotland much easier and fluid. I really appreciated having them as my program advisors.

I was very happy with Arcadia but my time at Queen Mary felt unsuccessful. The staff in the Global Opportunities office were very kind, friendly and easy to talk to. I felt as though there was no connections between students and professors, which is very different from my home institution. Meeting once a week for class made that connection harder to achieve. In addition, I feel as though the staff let me down with the strike and their lack of teaching. I wanted to study abroad to learn about and immerse myself in the London academic culture and I was unable to do that this term. The location of some of my courses were not on the campus where I was living and I was unaware that I would have to travel to a different location. Lastly, I felt as though the housing accommodations were not appropriate. There were a lot of issues with cleanliness of the common spaces and the age difference between us showed that the maturity level is different. We had a lot of issues when it people would be coming over at 3am screaming on a weekday. Also, The facilities staff was unresponsive to when something broke in my roommate's room when she called a few times. I enjoyed my time more abroad and traveling than the study part. I wanted to have a mutual balance between the two.

My experience overall was lots of fun and exciting. I enjoyed Queen Mary University and thought that the classes were not any more difficult than my university in the States and that the assessments were fair. One of the reasons I chose this university over the actual Arcadia campus in London was to be more immersed with and be able to meet more local students rather than just being with Americans and associate students. I was able to meet many local students, mostly through my living arrangement and the clubs I joined. It was lots of fun to meet them because I was able to learn more about British culture firsthand. However, I wish I did meet more associate students because the local students do not want to travel around the country every weekend like we do (since we are leaving in a few months). Therefore, if I were to do it again, I would have participated more in the associate student orientation activities at Queen Mary to be able to have met more associate students, and then would have had a better balance of British and associate student friends.
The opportunities given to me were great - from Arcadia trips and events to activities for associate students at Queen Mary, and I wish I had taken advantage of them better to have been more involved.

I did my last semester of undergrad abroad in Rome with Arcadia. Honestly, it was the best semester of my life. I was really unhappy at my home university and found the change of scenery to be just what I needed. Overall, the program itself is great. The staff makes you feel welcome and comfortable, and since it is a relatively small program (there were about 60 students in my group), they know everyone. The classes are varied and interesting enough but not too difficult.
Rome was a really special place to live. There is a ton to do and see, and getting outside the traditional tourist areas is important. You can pretend that you're still in America and refuse to learn any Italian and stick to study abroad bars/tourist traps if you want. Or you can do it right and make an effort to learn Italian, meet local people, and actually see something other than main landmarks and tacky American bars.
Rome is a good starting location for travelling. Reasonable flights and trains to other cities/countries aren't too hard to find. I did some traveling within Europe and Italy, but not every weekend. I recommend spending time in Rome and not rushing your travels.
The area that they housed us (Garbatella/San Paolo) looks a little rough but is safe, charming, and in a convenient location. I definitely preferred living there over Trastevere. The apartments themselves are fine, not amazing though, but ours did feel like home. In terms of social life, there are a lot of bars, clubs, (coffee) bars, and piazzas where people socialize. The gay scene in Rome isn't the most vibrant (it's not Barcelona or Madrid), but it's not bad.
I was sad to leave and I plan to return to Italy, hopefully to live and work.

Random tips
-don't use TIM for cell service, Vodaphone seemed better
-figure our your banking arrangement before you leave (I have BoA and I used BNL ATMS with minimal fees)
-learn some Italian before you leave (it's not that hard)
-expect things to move slower
-watch your possessions (I was never pick-pocketed but I know people who were)
-do some solo travel