Phenomenal Past Review
By A student (Providence College) - abroad from 10/01/2011 to 06/15/2012 with
Blackfriars, University of Oxford - Visiting Students Program
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience abroad. First of all, there was the fact that I experienced an entirely new educational system that required one on one interaction with my tutors and intense essay writing, which really improved my writing skills. The program is completely manageable as long as you are not looking for a "typical" study abroad program that often does not require much work. You do work hard here during term (it is a trimester system), but during the breaks between terms there are 6 week intervals that can be utilized to tour Europe. Through this experience I have been able to experience a vast array of cultures. This year has been completely worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Studying at Blackfrairs really provides a great educational experience because it is so different from the American education system. You take 2 tutorials a term and meet with your tutor (professor) once a week for an hour to discuss the topic/essay that you were assigned for the week. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Blackfriars provides you with a house to live in with mostly other visiting students that is located near to Oxford center, which makes getting to most places very convenient. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I came for the academic year and qualified for free health care under the UK system. |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
It really helps that at the beginning of the academic year Blackfriars required a payment that they gave back to you each month as a stipend to ensure that we would have money each month. The downside is that the exchange rate from the US dollar to the British pound is terrible and you spend more money then you realize, but it's not that difficult to budget and have enough money. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 20 pounds on average |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I actually knew this, but a lot of people in my program did not: in regard to housing, a single room is more expensive than a double room where you have a roommate. |
