Arcadia England

We are delighted that your son or daughter has chosen to spend their first semester of college studying abroad with us in London!

Arcadia has been facilitating first year programming for more than ten years and study abroad since 1948. During this time we have seen hundreds of first year students come through our doors at the Arcadia London Center and embark on the same exciting journey that your son or daughter is about to undertake.

From our experience we know that they have an incredible adventure ahead of them. But we also do not underestimate the challenges that they will face during this period of transition. Outlined below is just some of the support students can expect from us throughout out their semester abroad.

Pre-departure

Students are provided with comprehensive guidance prior to arrival by our experienced staff in the US to prepare them practically and emotionally for their time studying abroad. With everything from packing and cell phones, to visas and money to British culture and geography.

The first week & Orientation

As part of the seamless transition, staff in London will meet students at the airport on arrival, which kick-starts their week long orientation, designed to set students up with all the practical information they are going to need to know about living independently and keeping safe during their semester abroad. This week is balanced with information sessions, free time to explore their new home and social activities so they can get to know their fellow first years.

Health & Safety

Throughout the semester we are committed to ensuring the safety of all our students, with experienced health and safety staff based both in London & Glenside. Should an emergency arise, students have access to in country staff 24/7 on our emergency freephone telephone number. All students receive HTH Health Insurance and we have regularly used doctors surgeries and counselling practitioners that students can easily access when needed.

Housing

Our centrally located housing includes a live-in member of Arcadia staff. Learning to live and work with others is a vital life skill. Our Resident Life Assistants provide opportunities and learning environments conducive to study and learning, whether that be inside the classroom or outside. In Arcadia residences, students will have the opportunity to learn to live as part of the Arcadia community and find out what that means, become part of the local community where they live - engaging with the environment and the local population and become part of the local academic community. Residential Life events are subsidized by Arcadia and usually include activities intended either to build community or experience iconic London venues such as markets or landmarks.

Academic Support

Academic support is available to all students from our faculty through the Academic Studio, where students can receive individual academic support. Sessions on ‘Time Management’ and ‘Preparing for Finals’ will also run during the semester to help students keep on track.

Events & Community Engagement

There will be plenty of opportunities outside of the classroom for students to get involved with. Ranging from subsidized events, to our free faculty led tours and Talk of The Town discussion series with prominent local figures.

Engaging with the local community is an important and often challenging aspect of studying abroad. For this reason we coordinate a number of one off and regular volunteering opportunities throughout the semester for students to sign up to. We also provide students the opportunity to take part in a UK homestay with HOST UK & will have membership to Student Central where they can join local student clubs & societies and have the opportunity to meet local students.

During the semester you can keep up to date with what is going on at the Arcadia London Center by following us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and checking in on the blog. These will all be regularly updated with photos and stories of student’s experiences in London.

We are very much looking forward to meeting our First Year students in the Fall and trust they are also starting to count down to their study abroad adventure. In the meantime if you haven’t already, take a look at our page on Parents Rights & Responsibilities and if you have any further questions don’t hesitate to contact your student's’ program manager.