Department Natural Sciences Degree Programme (e.g. BA French and Russian) MSci Natural Sciences Year in which abroad 2012/13 Where did you spend your first semester abroad? United States of America Type of Placement University Placement Where did you spend your second semester abroad? Same place as the first semester Before Departure How would you rate your preparation by your department(s)? Good Please give details/feedback and suggest any improvements: Matching courses abroad to UCL courses was hard especially finding the right level of course. Sometimes a specialist knowledge of the UCL course was needed and so more help from professors doing this would be good. How would you rate your preparation by the Study Abroad Team? Very Good Please give details/feedback and suggest any improvements: Plenty of info on visa process and other aspects of travelling to the US. Did you attend the Pre-Departure briefing organised by the Study Abroad Team in March? If yes, did you find it useful? Please give feedback/suggest any improvements:
Plenty of useful info, built confidence about living abroad How would you rate your own preparation ahead of studying abroad? Good Could you have done more to prepare yourself before leaving UCL? If so, please give details: Everything went smoothly and I had no issues once I got there. Could you have been better prepared by UCL? If so, please give details: No As part of your preparation, did you do any of the following (tick all that apply): - Contact the Study Abroad Team - Discuss your options with your Study Abroad Tutor - Contact the UCL Careers Service - Consult the resources in Moodle or on the Study Abroad website - Consult previous students' study abroad questionnaires - Consult your host institution's website If you contacted the Study Abroad Team, what did you seek advice about? Did you find the advice useful? Visa process, university application process, matching courses. Feedback was always extremely fast and useful Prior to departure, were you given clear instructions by your department on what was expected of you academically during your year abroad? No How did you prepare yourself for the academic aspect of your year abroad programme? Attempted to match courses at host university to UCL courses as closely as possible. Tried to make sure I met the prerequisites for any courses I took.
What advice would you offer to students prior to making a decision about where to study abroad? Consider location and activities on offer in the area as well as the academic reputation of the institution. A good way to get a rough idea of how prestigious the university is can be to look up world university rankings including subject specific rankings. What advice would you give to students preparing to go abroad? What things should they make sure to do ahead of beginning their year abroad? Make sure you have enough information to feel comfortable about going there and have a rough idea about what to expect in the first few weeks. Make sure to complete all tasks assigned by UCL study abroad as well as your host institution. Your Placement - University Name of your host university: University of Washington Location (city and country): Seattle, USA Was your university placement part of an ERASMUS or other exchange programme? When did you receive confirmation of acceptance from the host university? March/April When did your placement start? September How did you get to your placement? Please give rough details of the journey and costs: Flew through to Amsterdam then got a direct flight to Seattle from there. Cost was around 650 return.
Once in Seattle I used public transport to get to UW, it's an easy transport system to use and fairly cheap. Enrolment and Course Registration Please describe the enrolment process at your host university. What formalities did you have to complete, and, in particular, what documents did you need to have in order to enrol? (e.g. carte de séjour, passport, nomination letter). As an international student, were you given any special help with enrolment? Visa application process, passport, a paragraph on why you want to study there, an online form covering personal details, measles vaccination certificate Were any special orientation events/meetings provided for study abroad students? If so, please give details. A 10 day programme at the start of the year before term to meet other foreign students and get familiar with the campus and the city. There were further events run throughout the year such as picnics, museum visits, trips to other cities and many more Is there any advice you would give to future students ahead of enrolling at this university? Make the most of the orientation, particularly at the beginning as people will split into groups quickly. Student organisations are another great way to meet people and get involved on campus Registering for Courses How easy was it to finalise and register your course choices? Quite easy Please give details of the procedures and how to choose or change courses:
Course registration is first come first serve with a priority system for when you can start applying. Most of the higher level courses don't fill up to fast but make sure to register as soon as you can. Many courses have prerequisites so in order to register you must first obtain permission from a course organiser or the professor, do this before you're allowed to register to make sure you're ready on the day. Was obtaining information about courses and timetables difficult or simple? Simple If difficult, what advice would you offer on how to obtain the information? Academic Life At your host university, who helped you with the academic or administrative aspects of your year abroad? Please tick all that apply: - Departmental Coordinator Please give names of helpful individuals if possible: Please indicate what kind of help you received (e.g. with course registration; general academic advice; specific assistance with coursework; specific assistance with dissertation preparation; instructions concerning coursework; instructions concerning assessment): Mostly up to you to sort yourself out but departmental coordinators can be helpful to sort out administrative details Please comment on the number of classes you took and how many hours a week that constituted in the classroom. Please also mention the amount of work you had to do outside class on average: Varies a lot by class, social science classes are 5 credits but require less work on average than 3 credit science classes and lab classes can vary considerably. On average I took 3
or 4 classes per term which generally had at least 12 hours scheduled time and variable amounts of work outside class (but more than you would get at UCL) Please describe the nature of the classes (i.e. large lectures, smaller seminar groups etc.) What was the average lecture/class size? Varies a lot, lower level classes tended to be large but the more advanced classes could be smaller (maybe around 50) and many classes had smaller tutorial groups (around 20) Please describe the mode of assessment for the courses you took (e.g. written/oral exam, essay/project etc.) and its timing (e.g. mid or end of year). Were there coursework requirements (presentations, essays etc.)? Generally at least a midterm and a final (at the end of each term) as well as regular assignments throughout the term. Please comment on the availability and approachability of teaching staff at your host university: Varied a little but mostly made themselves available, in the larger classes it tended to be TAs who were the point of contact. How would you rate the teaching at your host university: Average How would you rate the selection of courses offered: Average How would you rate the intellectual level of the material covered: Average How would you rate the difficulty of the courses at your host university compared to UCL: Slightly easier than UCL Please give details:
The difficulty of the subject material tended to be easier (though sometimes was higher) but the amount of work required throughout term was consistently higher than at UCL. If you attended a university where the language of instruction was not English, did you experience any language difficulties? Did your tutors make allowances for your not being a native speaker? If yes, please give details: Facilities Library provision: Good library provision though don't expect required texts to be easily available, they expect you to buy these. Some libraries generally open 24 hours. Access to computers, internet etc.: Good access to computers throughout campus and wifi was available in every building and most public areas Clubs and societies (type, range, and cost): Huge range of clubs and societies, almost too many to find the right one. Can vary in cost, generally aren't subsidised by the university Sporting facilities (type, range, and cost): Excellent sporting facilities available to all students for free, also a climbing wall at a very low cost and a waterfront activities centre also at low cost. Other: Summary Why did you choose to spend your year abroad at this university in particular?
Great location with plenty of outdoor activities. Also well place in world rankings with a good academic reputation. Are you glad that you did so? Would you recommend this university to future UCL students? Please explain why: Great experience over all. There's plenty to do there no matter what you're looking for, unless it's sunny weather (though it's still better than britain). How would you rate the placement overall? Very good How would you rate the placement within the context of your degree programme? Good Is there any specific advice you would offer to students considering a placement at this university? I think the biggest issue I had this year was matching the right courses, consider this carefully before you go and consult with your tutor at UCL to get advice Accommodation What type of accommodation did you obtain? Accommodation provided by your host institution How did you obtain your accommodation? Please describe the application process, when you applied, and when you received confirmation:
Application process began soon after I was accepted at UW. Simple online application form. What was the average monthly rent? What was included in this cost (e.g. bills, internet, food etc.)? Please give as much detail as possible about the costs associated with your accommodation: Cost was around $2200 per quarter for accommodation with internet etc. included. In addition you must sign up to the university dining account (for most residences), which is $800 and can only be spent on campus How early could you move in? Early arrival was available to stay over orientation (2 weeks before start of term) or home-stays were also available then. A few days before the start of the quarter you could move into main halls Did you have to vacate the premises during the holidays? How would you rate the accommodation provided? Very Good Please describe the type of accommodation you stayed in, its location and level of comfort. Did you have a single or double room? What were the kitchen and other facilities like? What was or wasn't provided (e.g. bedding, kitchen utensils)? Did you feel that the accommodation represented good value for money?
Single room, very poor kitchen facilities, bedding must be bought yourself, no kitchen utensils provided. However, the room itself was very nice and the hall was also well kept. Maybe a little expensive for what it was and if you want to live cheaply it isn't too difficult to find cheap accommodation very near campus Did you live with local students, or with other foreign students? Were the halls a good place to practice your language skills and interact with local students? Lived with mostly local students Would you recommend this accommodation to future students? Is there any other advice you would like to share with future students looking for accommodation in your host town/city? Finance How much money did you need on arrival (e.g. for housing deposits, rent and other start-up costs)? $2000 (excluding accommodation paid in advance) 1. Cost of Living Rent (per month): $700 Bills (electricity, gas, water, internet, phone etc.): $10 Books (overall amount spent on books during your stay): $200
Food (weekly): $70-100 A (simple) meal (in a cafe or restaurant): $10 A coffee (in a cafe or bar): $2 A beer (in a cafe or bar): $4 A cinema ticket: $9 Local travel (weekly): Bus pass for quarter $75 Entertainment (weekly): Varies a lot $20-30 Any other regular costs: In total, how much did you spend per month on average? $1000? How would you rate the cost of living in your host town/city when compared to London? The same Please give details. Were there certain things which were more expensive than in the UK, and others which were cheaper? Expected it to be cheaper but over all things work out pretty much the same though rent can be cheaper depending on where you live 2. Working Is supplementing your income through part-time work a viable option?
If yes, do you have any advice about what type of work to look for, or where to look? Please give the names of any employers or agencies you worked for, and any newspapers, websites or notice boards you would recommend: on campus work is the only available, online application Does your host institution help with finding part-time work? for on campus 3. Banking Did you open a bank account in your host country? If yes, was it easy to open an account? Please describe the process and what documents were needed. Did you have to make a minimum deposit to open the account? Very easy. Almost no documents required, only passport Which bank did you open an account with? US bank What type of account did you open? Were there any charges, and was it easy to withdraw money within your host country using this account? Student checking account, no charge and easy to withdraw money Would you recommend opening a local bank account? If so, which bank(s) or account(s) would you recommend? It is recommended as paying by card can be very expensive for some of the university fees (eg health insurance). Any checking account with a major bank will be fine though US bank has plenty of branches around campus
General 1. Social Factors (Opportunities and Ease of Meeting People) How much interaction did you have with local students? Plenty of interaction, more through societies than anything else How much interaction did you have with other international students? A lot, initial orientation was great for getting to know people and there were always opportunities to meet up again In your experience, what were the best ways of meeting people? Societies and international orientation If you were studying in a country where the local language is not English, how often did you speak the local language? 2. Mobile Phones Would you recommend getting a mobile phone with a local tariff as well as/instead of your English mobile? Please give details. Are there any mobile providers you would recommend? I got a pay as you go account with AT&T where I payed $20 for 3 months (no data) a typical contract is $50 per month for unlimited calls, texts and 4G data Transport Was local transport good or bad? Please give details of local transport you used: Local transport was good within Seattle (buses and link light rail) but not so great for getting between cities (though bolt buses are an option) What was the cost of local transport? Are there any special deals or discounts for students?
The upass gives trasport around Seattle for $75 per quarter Did you travel more widely within your host country or within the region? How easy was it to travel, and was it expensive to do so? Travelling to Vancouver or Portland is around $20 one way by bolt bus/greyhound. Other than that transport without a car can be difficult. Signing up to zipcar through UW allows you to rent when you're only 18 but can be a little expensive depending how long you want it for Life in your Host Country Please comment on the social life and entertainment in your host city/country, or any other aspects of life there which you would like to share: Plenty to do round Seattle. Coffee is extremely good there. Also look for local microbrews and wine and local produce. There are a lot of foodies round Seattle Is there any advice you would give to someone preparing to live in your host city/country? As always try and make the most of all the opportunities open to you, particularly things you can't do at home. Did you experience any problems/difficulties while living in your host city which you would like to share with the Study Abroad Team? Study Abroad - Summary Did you find your year abroad rewarding academically? Please give reasons for your answer: Although not as much as I'd hoped. There was a lot of variation in the level of courses and the syllabus often didn't match well with UCL courses
Did you find your year abroad rewarding in non-academic respects? Please give reasons for your answer: It was great experiencing life in the US and getting to know a lot of new people How would you rate your year abroad experience overall? Very good Please give reasons for your answer: There were so many new experience and things to do Do you feel that you have developed skills which will be of use to you in future? a) My cultural awareness: Has increased greatly b) My language proficiency: Is the same c) My independence: Has increased slightly d) My self confidence: Has increased greatly e) My intellectual development: Has increased slightly f) My personal development: Has increased greatly g) My ability to make decisions: Has increased slightly h) My ability to explore and create opportunities:
Has increased slightly i) My ability to cope with difficult situations: Has increased slightly j) My ability to solve problems: Has increased slightly How would you rate the support you received from your department at UCL during your time abroad? Good Please give details/feedback and suggest any improvements: Approval was given on the courses I chose but it was mostly up to me to work out what to choose. Could use more meetings and info on it How would you rate the support you received from the UCL Study Abroad Team during your time abroad? Very good Please give details/feedback and suggest any improvements: Great over all with fast responses to any questions and helpful advice Are there any other comments you would like to make?