AES Anglo Educational Services

Interning in London was the greatest academic experience I have ever had. My internship placement was absolutely perfect for me, and as a psychology student was very beneficial as it was completely hands on and very interactive. It was not a typical 'American' internship where the intern is grabbing coffee for their employers and making copies of things. My internship was not coordinated through Anglo, but my education through Birkbeck University and other social events were. For the most part, Anglo did a lovely job, though I think because of some majors changes within the company, there seemed to be a lack of communication and organization on their part. However, all of the staff at Anglo were wonderful and I do miss them terribly! They answered all of the questions I had and were a home away from home for me, personally. I would highly recommend the program for anyone who is primarily looking to do an internship abroad. The internship, for me, were much more emphasized than the three required classes that I had to take. The program encourages you to make the most out of your internship. Also, I would recommend this program for those who are not too terribly interested in traveling while they are abroad--because class selection is limited, and you have to make sure your credits transfer over to your home school in order to graduate on time, your internship/class may fall on Fridays and Mondays, as was the case for me. Like I said, this program is really internship-heavy, especially with the work visa you are required to obtain. With this visa you must have 20 hours of work a week--if you miss a day you have to make it up, otherwise border control will be forced to send you home (as I was told). Personally, I did not have the time with classes and assignments to take a Monday or Friday off and go away for a weekend holiday, so I did not have the time to make up any missed hours at my internship during the week. So I did not do any traveling while I studied abroad. Personally, I was perfectly fine with this as I really loved my internship. However, others with class on Fridays or Mondays instead of internship found it easier to travel. All in all, I loved the program and highly HIGHLY recommend it! :)

I signed up to do the Birkbeck program with three other students from Clemson University in the Spring of 2018. Like many people, I wanted to experience my time abroad with a group of students who were just as motivated to make the most of their time in Europe as I was. This was not my experience at all. We were placed in a cohort with 13 students from the University of Connecticut, which quickly became a close-knit community of about 30 students from various UConn programs that lived together in the same building. Rather than try to integrate an obvious minority, however, AES placed the four of us in a building on the complete opposite of London that was a 30 minute commute from the people we were supposed to be studying abroad with. The building was owned by Notre Dame, and the few students we met in passing were surprised to learn that Clemson students were even “allowed” to live in their dorm. We clearly didn’t fit into either community, and as a result I had an extremely difficult time connecting with other students during my time in London. I don’t want to blame AES for my negative experience, but wanted to put this here because ever since freshman orientation I’ve had people tell me, “go study abroad - it’ll be the best time of your life!” This is not a given, and in my case it was the worst semester of my undergraduate experience. If you’re considering this program or any other, take the time to research it thoroughly. Find out where you’ll be living and with whom. Ask what efforts will be made to integrate you with your cohort, and try to speak to a student that completed the program in the past. If you’re already in a program and it isn’t everything you hoped it’d be, remember that you’re not alone. While the students that loved their study abroad experience tend to be the most vocal, it’s totally normal to have a less-than-fantastic experience. Be honest with yourself and take steps to improve your situation while you still can. And finally, if you suspect that someone else in your group is being excluded, get their number and make a positive effort to bring them in. It can make a bigger difference than you think. There are certainly good things about this program. If you choose to do it, I hope you have a better experience than I did.

I greatly appreciated the location of the classes I took due to its location in Central London. 5 Richbell Pl is right by Lambs Conduit St and Bloomsbury, a wonderfully rich place to visit for lovers of literature and the arts. It is also close to Tottenham Court Rd where there are a lot of options for shoppers. Theatreland isn't too far either. I deeply enjoyed all the museums in London especially considering how most of them were free of charge! I visited Tate Britain four times for class and personal enjoyment. My living accommodation was nestled in an affluent neighborhood with Regents Canal flowing through it. Several times, I walked from Paddington Station to my flat so that I could enjoy the walk along the canal. I also appreciated using the Tube everywhere because of its efficiency and signage compared to NYC's subways.