Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

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Transportation

Do I have to take the AIFS flight?
No. However, bear in mind that if you take the AIFS transportation package, you are provided with round trip airport transfers as well as the flight. You will be met at the airport on arrival and taken to your residence. At the end of the program you will be picked up from your residence and taken to the airport.

Can I make changes to my AIFS flight request after I have sent in my application?
Possibly, but a penalty applies. Once your application is received, AIFS will book and confirm your flight. It may be possible to make changes after your application has been accepted, but before the ticket has been issued, but a $50 change fee will be levied for each change. It is not possible to change the outward portion of your ticket after it has been issued by the airline.

Can I change my return flight once I am in London?
Maybe. For a fee and subject to airline approval and availability, you may try to change your return flight. You must take your ticket directly to the airline’s ticketing office. Only date changes are allowed. There can be no changes to the routing, and there will be an airline-imposed fee which could be as high as $250. If you have a connecting flight in the US, you must check whether you are able to change that, as some cannot be changed.

Housing

Where will I live?
Students are offered the option of living in a shared homestay or, for a supplement, in a shared studio/apartment.

Students selecting the homestay option will live in a residential area of London north of the AIFS study center. Typical areas are Muswell Hill, Highgate, Camden and Archway. All homestays are within 40-minute commuting distance of the study center.

Students selecting the apartment option will also live within 40 minutes commuting distance of the study center. Most AIFS apartment buildings are in the Kensington area, although some are in other neighborhoods such as Knightsbridge, Bayswater or Marble Arch.

How many people are there per room?
In homestays there are typically two people per room. Some single rooms may be available for a supplement. In the apartments, the bedrooms are mostly doubles and triples. In large apartments, there may be two or three bedrooms with a communal kitchen and bathroom(s).

Can I have a single room?
In the apartments, a very limited number of single rooms are sometimes available for a supplemental fee. On a space-available basis, a student may obtain a single room in a homestay by paying a supplement. Students should contact the AIFS Connecticut office with individual requests (ssecki@aifs.com). Single rooms are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Can I move into my accommodation before the program starts if I am arriving in London early?
No. Unfortunately, the housing is reserved for the exact dates of the program only. However, AIFS staff in London can recommend reasonably priced hotels.

Can I cook?
Yes. In fact for budgetary reasons students are encouraged to prepare their own meals. All homestay students have access to the kitchen in the home. You will be allocated space in the refrigerator and cupboards to store your food and will be able to use the kitchen to prepare meals. There are well-equipped kitchens in all the apartments with enough kitchen utensils for all the occupants to prepare and eat meals at home.

If I choose the homestay option, who will be my host?
Homestay hosts vary. Many tend to be single people or married couples whose children have grown and left home. Others are young couples either with or without children. All of them are carefully selected to provide a comfortable and welcoming environment for you. On the AIFS program application form, you have the opportunity to express your preferences. If you prefer to live in a home with children for example, you can indicate this on the application form and we will try to accommodate your wishes.

Can I choose my roommate?
Yes. Simply write the name of the person on your AIFS program application form and make sure that your friend does the same.

How do you allocate roommates?
Roommates are selected based on the information given on the AIFS forms filled in by every student. First, we look to see if a student has requested a particular roommate and if they have we house them with that person. We then put students with similar routines together, i.e. those who get up early or go to bed late. We are careful not to room smokers with nonsmokers. Finally, we look at the interests people mention on the application and try to match them with those who share them.

When will I find out who my roommate is?
For those selecting the apartment option, housing assignments are given upon arrival in London. However, if you have requested a specific roommate we will be able to confirm in advance that you have been paired with that person. Those selecting the homestay option will receive details about their host family in the mail approximately two weeks before departure. This is to allow homestay students to write an introductory letter to their hosts in advance.

Are the apartments/homestays co-ed?
No. Individual apartments will be either all male or all female. If you have a friend of the opposite sex that you want to live near, indicate this on the AIFS program application form and you will be housed in the same building, possibly in adjacent apartments. Similarly, if you select the homestay option, you will be placed in a nearby home.

Is there a curfew?
No. All students, in homestays and apartments, have their own key and are free to come and go as they please.

Can I have overnight guests?
No. For security and insurance reasons, only authorized occupant(s) are allowed to sleep in the residences.

Is bed linen provided?
Yes. In both apartments and homestays, linen is provided and is changed once a week.

Are towels provided?
No.

Are there laundry facilities in the residences?
No, but there are laundromats close to residences.

Will I have a telephone in my room?
No, but there are public telephones close to all residences. You can arrange to receive incoming calls during office hours (9a.m. - 12.30 p.m. and 1.30 - 5.30 p.m. London time Monday to Friday) at the AIFS study center. The staff there will also take messages for you, and there is an answering machine for messages left when the study center is closed. Messages will be transcribed and placed in your mailbox. There is also an emergency number (020 7603 1747) where friends/family can reach an AIFS staff member if they need to contact you in an emergency situation.

Will I be able to use my electrical appliances e.g. hairdryer in London?
Only with an adapter and transformer. Appliances designed to operate on U.S. electricity (110/120 volts) will not operate in London unless they are fitted with a dual voltage switch or used with a transformer. Also, the electrical sockets are different in the UK so you will need an adapter to plug in the appliance. If you are unsure how to convert equipment, ask an AIFS staff member before using it. It may be better to purchase an inexpensive hairdryer/travel iron of the correct voltage and plug once you have arrived in London instead of bringing them with you. You can buy an inexpensive hairdryer for around $20 and a travel iron for around $25.

Can I choose to make my own living arrangements instead of living in AIFS housing?
This is only possible if you have relatives in central London. There is a reduced fee for arranging your own housing, but the money saved will not be adequate to pay for housing you would find on your own in the short-term rental market. If you choose this option, you must provide details of your relatives to the program coordinator at your school. You must also notify AIFS on your application that you do not require housing and provide a contact address in London to enable us to reach you in an emergency.

Can I change my housing option after I have sent my application form to AIFS?
No. Once you have selected to live in either a homestay or an apartment, this is the housing AIFS reserves for you. We have to book housing far in advance, and it is not possible to make changes after applications have been accepted.

Money

How much money will I need?
This depends on individual tastes. However, AIFS recommends that students budget $550 - $700 per month for day-to-day needs. This allows for theater and excursions, but not extensive overseas travel or expensive purchases.

In what form should I bring money?
Travelers checks, credit cards and ATM cards are the safest and simplest ways to carry money. If you do not already have a credit card we recommend that you get one. Probably most efficient is to use cash dispensing machines. American Plus, Cirrus and Star can be accessed from cash dispensers at several of the high street banks in Britain, allowing cash to be withdrawn from a U.S. bank account if you have a card linked to one of these systems. You should check with your local bank for ATM capabilities in Europe and make sure you get a four-digit PIN number before leaving the U.S.

If you run out of money while you are in London, the AIFS staff can give you detailed information about how to have money sent quickly from the U.S. Money orders can take up to six weeks to cash, but Western Union offers a service called Willcall that will transfer money from the U.S. to England in less than half an hour. Although there is a transaction charge, this is a useful service if you need money quickly. You can get details on this service from Western Union at 800-325-6000.

General

Do I need a visa?
If you are a U.S. citizen, you do not need a visa to study in Great Britain. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you should check with the British Embassy in the U.S. to see if you require a visa to visit Britain. All students should check to see if they need visas for any countries they may want to visit during independent travel. U.S. citizens do not currently (as of November 2004) need a visa for any of the countries visited on the optional orientation tour of Europe.

What should I take with me?
Not too much! London is a crowded city, and closet space in the residences is limited. Every term students find that they bring clothing that they never wear and toiletries etc that they could easily have bought in London. If you are on medication you should bring enough to last you for the program as well as a prescription in case you lose any. You will also need to bring towels although as they are bulky items, many students prefer to bring only one and buy additional inexpensive ones from a market in London. The weather in London is unpredictable so you should bring some warm clothing. It is best to bring clothes that you can layer so that they are appropriate for all weathers. You should also bring a raincoat and possibly an umbrella. You will probably do a lot more walking than you are used to so you should bring comfortable shoes. You will not need much dressy clothing—even at the theater, most Londoners dress casually. More detailed information about what to bring will be provided at the predeparture orientation meetings which we strongly advise you to attend.

What is the cultural program?
This includes day trips accompanied by a professional guide to Cambridge, Greenwich, Stonehenge/Salisbury and Stratford-Upon-Avon, five theater visits and three guided walking tours such as Shakespeare’s London, a West End theater walk and historic Bloomsbury.

Are meals provided?
Students living in homestays are provided breakfast Monday through Friday. Students in apartments do not receive any meals.

What is my mailing address?
As housing allocations are often not available until you arrive in London, use the AIFS student center's address:

AIFS
Dilke House
Malet Street
London WC1E 7JN
England

There are alphabetical mailboxes in the study center where mail and messages from the AIFS staff, other students or faculty are left for you.

If after you have arrived in London, you wish to have mail sent to you at your home you can do so. However, most students find it more convenient to receive mail at the study center. The staff are able to sign for registered mail and we can accept packages which are too large to go through your residence mailbox. Also, if mail arrives at the study center for you after the program ends, we are able to forward it to you.

How should people contact me?
You can receive mail as indicated above and also faxes free of charge at the AIFS study center. To send a fax from the US, your friends/family should dial 011-44-20-7637-1325. You can also send faxes to the U.S. from the study center at a cost of £1.30 per page. In addition, you can arrange to receive telephone calls at the study center. If you tell the staff when you are expecting a call, they will keep a line free for you. When the call comes in, the call is transferred to a telephone in a quiet area where you can talk.

If a call comes in for you when you are not in the center, the staff will take a message and put it in your mailbox. If the call comes in outside our opening hours (9 a.m.-12.30 p.m. and 1.30-5.30 p.m. London time Monday to Friday),an answering machine rec ords messages. Each morning messages are transcribed and placed in mailboxes. The telephone number at the study center is 020-7636-0761. To call from the U.S., dial 011-44-20-7636-0761. In an emergency, friends or relatives can reach you on the AIFS emergency number. This line has a message machine checked at regular intervals by AIFS staff who will contact you with urgent messages. When you are on the program you can also use this number to reach AIFS staff in an emergency. The emergency number is 020-7603-1747. To call from U.S., dial 011-44-20-7603-1747.

You will also be able to access your e-mail account in the student computer lab (see below).

How will I travel around London?
London has an extensive bus and underground (tube) network which makes traveling easy. You will be given a tube map when you arrive in London and information about the best bus and tube routes from your residence to class. When you arrive in London the AIFS staff will give you a travel pass which allows unlimited travel on the tube and buses in central London for the duration of the program. To purchase this pass, a photograph is needed. It is essential that you send recent passport-type pictures with your application. If your photos are not received in advance, it is not possible to purchase the pass, so it will not be ready for you when you arrive in London.

Will I have access to a computer/e-mail?
There is a small computer lab in the AIFS study center for e-mail/internet access (not typing papers—faculty usually accept han written work). There are also several cybercafes in the area costing approximately £2.50 per 30 minutes. Further details will be provided on arrival in London. Note that students taking distance learning courses will have access to the internet at a designated computer at the study center.

Can I buy textbooks and course related materials in London?
You can buy paper, files and so on in London, but we advise you to purchase your textbooks in the U.S.. Although London has an array of bookshops (there is a five-story bookshop next to the study center), your instructors may want you to study an edition not available in Britain. It is also likely that the books you need will be cheaper at your campus bookstore and offered for buy-back when you return. If you are taking a photography class, all types of film are available in London, although slightly more expensive than in the U.S.

What happens if I get sick while I am in London?
If you need to see a doctor, you should contact the AIFS staff who will make an appointment for you. We work with a team of doctors whose offices are close to student housing. All students have AIFS medical insurance valid for the duration of the program. You should carefully read the insurance information sent to you after your application is accepted for conditions not covered. The main exclusions to the policy are preexisting conditions, self-inflicted injuries, pregnancy testing, abortion or related complications and mental or nervous disorders. This is not an exhaustive list so read insurance information carefully. There is a $50 deductible per accident/illness. When you arrive in London, you will be given details of the insurance policy procedures.

What sports facilities are available?
The best sports facilities to use are those at the University of London Union directly across the street from the study center. All students have membership of the Union for the duration of the program and allowing access to the low-cost sports facilities. Although a charge is made each time you use these facilities (the same charge that the University of London students pay), they are subsidized by the Union and therefore cheaper than anywhere else. In the Union building there is a swimming pool, squash court, badminton court and a gym for basketball, volleyball and gymnastics. There is also a well-equipped fitness room with Schnell training equipment and separate free weights area. To use the fitness room you need to purchase a gym membership card.

Will I meet British students?
Yes, if you want to. Although you will be in class with fellow Americans, most classes are held in the University of London Union. This building is used extensively by students of all nationalities attending the University of London. You will be a member of the Union for the duration of the program and can join clubs and societies students organize—sports clubs, religious groups, political societies, music groups. Joining one of these is a great way to meet British students with similar interests, but if you make the effort you can also meet people in the coffee bars between class.

Choosing a homestay is perhaps the best way to meet local people. Living in a London home will give you a real insight into how people live in Britain and most students get to know their hosts very well. Volunteer work is also a good way to meet people. The AIFS staff can arrange this for you once you are in London.

Can I contact the London Student Services staff for information before I leave for London?
Yes. Your information packets provide details of how to contact the AIFS office in the U.S. at 800-727-2437 ext.5090. The staff there will be able to answer questions on deadline dates, flights, billing or whatever questions you have. For questions about London, e-mail the student services staff (studentinfo@aifs.com).