ISOIS ▸ Final reports

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Host institution:
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Faculty:
Ac. year:
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King's College London

United Kingdom 2018/2019 Freemovers

Personal data
Mobility type:
study

Faculty at MU:
Faculty of Social Studies

Field of study:
International Relations

Level of study during period of placement:
Doctoral

Language used:
English

Summer/winter school?:
no

Period of studies:
autumn 2018
spring 2019

Period of placement (from-to):
2018-10-22 - 2019-04-22

Number of months:
6.00

Activities before my departure abroad
Where can information be found about courses taught at the foreign school?:
at the website https://www.kcl.ac.uk/warstudies

Which documents were needed for acceptance at the foreign university?:
Recommendation letters, transcripts of records from previous studies & copies of diplommas (PhD., MA, BA), cover letter, plan of studies.

How far ahead did you have to organise your acceptance?:
6 months

Did you need a visa?:
no

Documents and materials needed for a visa:

Length of wait for visa:

Fee for the visa:

Studies
Did you have a Learning Agreement signed before your departure?:
no

If not, why not?:
I was already staying in the UK, there were delays on the side of KCL with signing the document.

Before your departure did you know how your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
Yes.

During your stay did you change your Learning Agreement?:
No.

When and how did course registration take place? Are there any restrictions? Possibilities of making changes?:
I was at a research internship, the courses do not apply to me.

Did you take any examinations at the foreign school?:
No.

Does the school use the ECTS system?:
yes

If not then explain how the credits there were recalculated into ECTS:

Describe the teaching methods (theory, practical and projects) and assessment of students:
I was at a research internship, the courses do not apply - however, generally, more focus is put on practical use of the knowledge.

Quality of teaching in comparison with home school:
Higher.

How did you receive study materials?:
does not apply

Can you recommend an interesting course/subject/teacher?:
war studies departement - Leonie Ansems de Vries, Claudia Aradau

How well is the school library equipped?:
well equipped - several libraries

Availability of computers, internet access, level of software needed, requirements on notebook:
the faculty, school and department provide great service for all students incl. study rooms (own laptop needed), for PhD. students a study room with desktops

Options from printing and copying:
library, several printing points at the Strand Campus

Does the foreign school/student organisation arrange special events for exchange students?:
no

If yes then what?:

How would you assess your integration with the local students (evaluation like in school from 1 to 5 with 1 as highest):
3

or describe in your own words:
the locals tend to be rather reserved, but are friendly in a closer contact

Practical questions on your placement
Where did you live?:
At a flat I did rent with members of my family

Cost of accommodation - monthly:
1650 EUR

Additional comments to the price of accommodation (as to what the price includes):
this price is above the average given it was divided by 2 - the price for a room in a shared flat (for longer-stays only) can range 600-850 gbp

Describe the equipment. Tips for future students – what should they bring with them?:
does not apply

How and how far ahead should accommodation be organised?:
at least 6 months

What are the catering options?:
school canteen, take-away restaurants

What are the rough costs of groceries (compare with Czech prices):
as above the same

Transport to location of placement:
plane; in the location bike/subway/bus

Rough prices for transportation:
5-6 gbp per day (for pricing see https://tfl.gov.uk)

Tips for purchasing cheap tickets and other recommendations:
student season card - for UK registered students only (for pricing see https://tfl.gov.uk)

What are the local transport options (public transport, cycling, on foot, rough prices):
bike/subway/bus/on foot only in the city-centre

What kind of formalities have to be arranged before arrival, for example residence permit?:
prospectively: visa

What health insurance did you use? (rough price, advantages, disadvantages, is it necessary to arrange insurance at the university other than your home (Czech) insurance?):
standard travel insurance (Kooperativa - necessary to travel to CZ once in 45 days)

Did you have any experience with medical treatment abroad?:
no

Did you work during your studies?:
no

What are the conditions for working for MU students?:
does depend, which kind of job - rather lower qualification

Tips for free-time activities:
sports (KCL: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/sport) museums (free!), theatre (several apps/websites with discounted tickets - google)

Financial support and expenses
Total grant from Centre for International Cooperation:
96000 CZK

Monthly grant in CZK:
16000 CZK

Number of supported months:
6

Total number of months:
6

What other sources did you make use of to finance your placement?:
my own savings/family support

If you received another grant, state which and how much in CZK:

 
Total fees associated with enrolment at the university:
500 GBP

a/ amount of enrolment fee:
0 GBP

b/ amount of tuition fees:
500 GBP

c/ amount of other fees (which):
0 GBP

 
What was your average monthly expenditure?:
1500 GBP

a/ of which for accommodation:
800 GBP

b/ of which for catering:
400 GBP

c/ travel and recreation:
300 GBP

Any comments to the average monthly expenditure:
London tends to be a really expensive city but is definitely worth living in. You can save money by living on the campus dormitories.

Recognition of foreign studies at the home faculty
How many credits did you gain during your studies (in the system of the foreign school)?:
40

How many ECTS credits were recognised at MU?:
40

Did you know in advance which of your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
yes

What problems did you have with recognition?:
no

Overall assessment
Assessment of personal benefit (1 = excellent):
1

Assessment of academic benefit (1 = excellent):
1

Evaluate the information and support provided by the foreign school (1 = excellent):
2

Did you encounter any serious problems during your stay:
no

What would you recommend to take with you:
eur-uk plug adaptor, umbrella, sunglasses a pudinkový prášek ;)

What most surprised you at the partner university in a positive way:
professionality of the staff, the collegiality of teachers/researchers and an overall high-level of schooling

What most surprised you at the partner university in a negative way:
bureaucracy (it took a long time to get signed the acceptance letters, registration runs only on certain times)

Further comments: