A fun and relaxing semester May 27, 2025
By A student (Psychology, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/27/2025 to 05/16/2025 with
Arcadia: St. Andrews - University of St Andrews
I learned that classes in the UK are really structured by year. By taking lower level courses, the content was fairly easy to comprehend. I spent more time physically in class during the week than working on papers most of the time. I am glad I was able to take different courses I would not have taken at Brandeis, but I did feel left wanting.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I took first year courses (except for my french course) and found them fairly easy |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
|
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Since I have specific accommodations, I was placed in a new building further from town, which was physically a bit difficult at first, but I got used to the walk and used the bus system when I got tired. |
| * Food: |
I had a self-catered plan, so I cooked for myself and ate/ordered food from town. The main downside was sharing a kitchen with people who didn't clean up most of the time, so there were always dirty dishes and plates of food sitting out, but I enjoyed creating my own meals, especially since I have a gluten intolerance. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
|
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not have any experiences with health care while abroad. |
| * Safety: |
I found the town fairly safe and welcoming, although walking in groups in the evening after events is encouraged by a lot of students I talked to. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
While I had fun and took new classes, I was not academically challenged. It was nice to get a break from Brandeis' more rigorous environment, but I had a lot of free time on my hands, especially during the school week. |
Finances
|
* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
As mentioned earlier, I was self-catered, so I had to buy groceries for myself, but they were not that expensive. Getting coffee and lunch ate more at my weekly budget. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 70-80 pounds (I bought lunch in town every day) |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Again, how easy the introductory courses are. I would have maybe requested credits to complete a personal research project of some sort to keep myself engaged in something throughout the program. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
