IES Abroad London

Studying through this program was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I would go back tomorrow if I were able. Not only were the professors absolutely amazing, but the way the program itself allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the city through classes and group outings really gave us a unique perspective of being able to use the city to our advantage. The staff at the IES center were always willing to help you with even the smallest concerns and I can't thank them enough for their support on the journey. If you're able, make sure to take every single tiny trip that IES offers you! They provide some of the most interesting tours and most interesting insight on the UK and I'm forever grateful for the experience.

The program offered at IES Abroad London was one I am very happy I joined. The program itself is very well organized and it is easy to see the effort that the entire staff at IES put into making this a great opportunity. I personally took part in the semester internship program as well, which brought another exciting aspect to my time in London. I seriously enjoyed the work I did at my internship and the staff teaching the courses were great as well. These individuals all had great industry experience, marketing in my case, and were passionate about the content they were teaching. As a city, London has so much to offer as long as students are willing to take full advantage of it. I personally became very involved with multiple local organizations which led me to create lasting relationships with countless Londoners. I highly recommend students consider this program when looking at their potential options.

Deciding to study abroad was one of the hardest decisions to make. I'm so glad I did it though. One of the best things I loved was that the IES Center was in the heart of London and my dorm room was right next to platform 9 3/4! I think that is what made it an even better experience. I was able to walk to big ben and trafalgar square in between classes. I was taking communication courses at the school and thought they were not super difficult which was great because I could focus more on traveling and less on stress! One thing I learned from this trip was that there is so much beauty out there, and I learned so much about myself. I learned how to travel and go unplugged from the internet and still find happiness. I didn't even care about my phone at that point. It was a twenty minute walk from my dorm to class everyday, and I loved it. Most students took the double decker bus, but I walked. I put headphones in and would walk miles everyday. I did this because I knew I wouldn't remember the bus seats, but I would remember all the great things on the streets I would see. Overall, I was very very pleased with IES. I even went on five field trips.... including going inside 10 Downing Street!

I studied in London in the Fall of 2016, where I enrolled in 15 credit hours of courses and worked about 16 hours a week for my internship. The IES program gives you the option to choose from some really interesting classes that you wouldn’t normally take at your home school – I chose to take a film production course while some of my friends chose architecture or theater courses. The internship program is amazing as well because IES will put you directly in contact with businesses and organizations that fit your interests and career goals. My internship experience matched my interests perfectly and helped me to grow my business and cross-cultural communication skills.

If I were to do it all over again, I would still choose London – hands down. In my personal opinion, London is the best city to study abroad in and the IES program provides you with incredible experiences and plenty of opportunities. Students get to live right by Kings Cross station, from where you can get virtually anywhere throughout London – and promise me, you will never run out of things to do in London! Ask the IES advisors or professors if you want some recommendations. Due to the way university is organized in the UK (the bulk of your projects and exams are towards the end of the semester) I felt that I had plenty of free time during the semester explore the entire city of London, and to travel around the UK and to other countries in Europe. If traveling is important to you, keep this in mind! The only downside to this program is that it’s difficult to befriend locals because you are living and taking classes with your fellow American IES students.

As a health policy and administration major, I was very excited to see that there was a program that aligned with my academic goals. To begin with, he IES staff were absolutely incredible. As someone who has an ongoing medical condition, they were always extremely helpful in helping me find doctors and working through all of that kind of stuff. The living accommodation is smaller than traditional American style dorms, but it has everything you need. I also would recommend on going on any of the field trips that IES provides. It is very organized and takes a lot of the stress off that comes with planning a trip.

Academically, being able to learn about public health in London was an absolutely incredible experience and I loved hearing the perspectives from my professors. Living in the city of London is amazing. You are very centrally located and there is always so much to do- no matter what your interests are.

This program also gives you the opportunity to take a class at Oxford. While you do have to catch a very early train, and spend most of your day Friday in class and traveling to and from Oxford, which limits your ability to travel some weekends, it was definitely worth it! I really improved my writing and critical thinking skills. The Oxford class also doesn't start until a few weeks into the program so you still will have the opportunity to travel and I was still able to find time to travel after I got home from Oxford on Friday.

Another unique element of this program is that you have the opportunity to participate in a service learning. I was able to volunteer at a cancer support center, which was a very valuable experience to me.

The best part of the study abroad experience was the trip to Jamaica. We got to observe in clinics around Jamaica and also got to see a lot of the country. We were able to go to Blue Lagoon, the Blue Mountains and a few local beaches. We also attended lectures at the University of the West Indies. Even though before going to Jamaica, nobody was ready to leave London by the end everyone really enjoyed the trip to Jamaica and found it worth while.

Overall, I would recommend this study abroad program to anyone who is interested in public health!

London, my choice city, is anything but ordinary. Walking on the popular Holborn street in London where I took most of my classes I heard just about every language except English, an indication of diverse cultures. While I was there I visited many cities on weekends including Cambridge, Brighton, Liverpool, Stonehenge, Stratford Upon Avon and Canterbury, thanks to the IES staff who organized these well planned trips on weekends. The courses that I studied in London, including one at Oxford University, immersed me in the health care world of the United Kingdom (UK). A lot of the courses challenge you to find solutions of the modern day health problems, which are mainly Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs). My program also included a service learning section working with Healthwatch Tower Hamlets. This organization acts as a liaison between the National Health Service (NHS) and their clients. I was able to visit hospitals, clinics, day centers and mental clinics in London and to see the approach the U.K. takes in providing healthcare for its citizens.

The study abroad program included a 10 day trip to Jamaica. In Jamaica we were placed at the island’s leading tertiary institution, the University of the West Indies. The program included visits to health clinics in both rural and urban areas in the capital Kingston. This experience gave us first- hand experience in comparing and contrasting the health care services in both UK and Jamaica. Professionally, my study abroad experience has made me more diverse in my field as a Health Management major. Health is global and this experience exposed me to the different health care systems employed by European countries .

IES London is a well executed program. They have though of just about everything to make the students feel comfortable and excited about their study abroad experience. I stayed in a dorm style room with a random roommate, who luckily turned out to be a great friend, and a shared kitchen with the floor. The place was all up to date and a maid came to clean our rooms once a week. We were also located near the biggest tube station in London so getting places was very easy. The classes at IES were interesting and a lot of the times were not held in an actual class room. The instructors would take the class around the city to give us an in person view of the building or the exact spot where a monumental event happened. This brought the information alive and was far more engaging than reading about it in a book. I planned my class schedule to allow me to have a 4 day weekend, leaving a lot of free time to travel to different countries and to also explore the great city of London. The city has so much to offer you and you'll only regret it if you don’t go and see for yourself.

I had a phenomenal time during my study abroad experience in London the Summer of 2016, but I will not deny that the finances of the city made it tough at times. I spent most of my time in the city as it was only a six week course, while some of the other people on my program would spend every weekend traveling. At the end of the program, I was so in love with the city that I had come to understand, and I cannot wait to go back. This program in particular had great professors and fun trips outside of London, but it was easy to spend a lot of time with the other people on the program instead of meeting Londoners, which was mainly due to the fact that the classes were not with London students. Regardless, this is an awesome program and I had a really great time. Research all the different events happening in London before you go, get to know your professors and they will tell you about stuff you have to do while there, and befriend your roommate so you have a buddy who you can go on adventures with!