Study Abroad in Reading, England with WorldStrides

I studied abroad in Reading, England in the Fall of 2022. Everything about it was wonderful, from the housing to the assistance ISA offered. I know some other girls studying with me had harder experiences in the accommodations, but mine was lovely. The orientation and drive to Reading was nice (although I wish I had gotten some more sleep), and when I realized I had forgotten one of my medications and needed to get a refill, ISA was able to connect me to a doctor! It was absolutely wonderful, and I highly recommend - especially if you're trying to save some money. The train ride to London was only about 15 pounds and 30 minutes!

I would do anything to be back in England on my study abroad experience! I loved Reading for a lot of reasons, but mainly because of the environment that surrounded me. At the University of Reading, you stay at a large university with dormitories of one per room on a hall of around 18. The showers and bathrooms are individual, and there are 10 to share. I never ran into an issue with sharing the bathrooms. As I stayed in a first year's room, it was a little rowdy but all in good fun. It was how I met most of my friends from England and who I stay in contact with now. What was especially nice about Reading was that it was so close to London, but far away enough to not feel exhausted by the big city. Plus, Reading is much cheaper than living in London (If you can get inexpensive in England that is..) but it was nice not to be surrounded by a large amount of people all the time. We went to London at least three times a month while in England, which was a perfect amount of time to learn the train and tube maps, see all the sights, and feel like a Londoner without being in London. The school was great and very accommodating to foreign students. It was a basic university and I honestly didn't feel too culturally different while I was there. My program, International Studies Abroad (ISA) was great to work with. They made the process smooth and easy, and took care of any administrative things I didn't want to worry about while abroad. They also took us all over England and helped us plan trips throughout Europe. The only downside was that the ISA office was in London meaning we couldn't stop by and say hi all the time! Overall I strongly recommend Reading, and ISA, and just studying abroad in general. Anywhere you go, you'll learn, laugh, and love the experience!