Honors in London

London Honors students spend the second semester of their first year of college in London, flying over in mid-to-late January and wrapping up in late April. The spring semester in London is a little shorter than the spring semester in Houghton, because students do not take as many breaks. Instead, students have extra time at the end of the semester, and many students choose to travel around Europe with friends or family after the conclusion of the program.

You'll get to know your roommates, go to games and concerts, go to class etc. Like your classmates, London Honors students take a standard slate of first-semester courses like a Bible survey, and one or more courses in a possible major. London Honors students also take a Pro-Seminar, which is a course that sets the context for the things you will studying in the spring. This also gives you the opportunity to get to know the group you will be with in the spring.

You'll fly as a group from a major northeastern airport like Toronto Pearson, Newark, or JFK. The professors leave a week or two earlier to prepare for your arrival. The program assistant—an upperclassman, who is a veteran of the program travels with you and assists the group through customs. The professors meet you in London and together you take your first ride on the London Tube to the Highbury Centre.

You will stay at The Highbury Centre, a Christian guesthouse in a quiet neighborhood, one stop north of the biggest interchange in the whole London Underground system, Kings Cross. The location is a perfect balance between not being in the middle of everything, but having each access to everything. The rooms are small but comfortable, and there are several large lounges and a rose garden in back, for you to socialize and do your work.

The London Honors program is a heavily subsidized experience—you will not find a more economical semester abroad. The main cost, beyond regular tuition and fees, is a $1,500 per student program fee (just for the first year). This covers your airfare and unlimited transit pass. Beyond that, the Highbury Centre provides breakfasts and dinners, but you will be on your own for lunches (an expense of approximately $25-30 per week). As mentioned above, you will be required to attend several concerts and plays. Taking advantage of free performances and student discounts, this does not have to cost more than a couple of hundred dollars. Other than that, for the same price you pay for a regular semester on campus, everything is included.

Houghton considers this an investment in a group of students who go on, year after year, to become campus leaders.