Canterbury Christ Chruch - A vacation not an education Past Review
By Edward P (Politics, Illinois State University) for
Canterbury Christ Church University: Canterbury - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
What I took from the experience was that England and the US are extremely similar and that they worry and struggle with the same things we do.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The education at Christ Church was as the description above said "a joke". While some of the professors were very engaged both in and out of the classroom, there was little expected of the student in any regards. Student were not pushed to engage in any form of class work besides a few papers or presentations scattered over the entire semester. Little was expected in the classroom as well, as many students failed to complete outside classwork needed to participate in class, with no consequence. Deadlines were malleable and any attempt at receiving help from departments was pointless. They couldn't offer correct classroom numbers or times. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administrations lack of ability to get anything done was off the charts. Using myself as an example: After choosing classes (none of which that were supposedly the ones being offered before I chose to attend) they assigned classrooms, times, and professor's names. However they didn't get a single one right for any of the 4 classes that I took. After asking them for help again, because I could not locate my classes (not even the buildings were right) they sent me an email with corrections that were not correct. They had constant problems with their website and it always took forever to get them fixed. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The location and safety were great. It was a 15 minute walk to campus and anywhere from 10-30 minute walk to nightlife. Bedding and cook wear was provided but insufficient. Some of the cook wear was broken before the box was even opened, and pots and pans wore out after a few uses and material would flake off. Bedding was limited and most people had to just buy new bedding, sheets, comforter, etc |
| * Food: |
Had the best food in small pubs and oriental restaurants. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
As a soccer(football fan) attending 4 Arsenal games was amazing. I got tickets to a game shortly after we arrived and we were all 6 rows off the field for 40pounds! The atmosphere puts to shame the nba/mlb/nfl. Went to 7 games at 4 different stadiums, absolutely incredible. The schools assigned field trips were alright, ranging from awful to awesome. Touring the city of Bath was amazing. I also played on the Universities Basketball team which turned out to be a great way to see more of England and there is a trip/tour of Spain that the teams go on to play and vacation. My best advice is to just get involved as much as you can because you have TONS of free time. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Canterbury is the safest city in England - Literally. Lowest crime etc. Very safe environment. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Varied all the time based on travel and what was going on that week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Everything and I mean EVERYTHING is more expensive in England. You spend TONS of money when your out whether you are trying to or not. Make sure to bring things like deodorant and contact solution because they are super expensive there. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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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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? | Take classes that you would rather not take at your home college because they are ALL easier than in the US. I took everything from Physics to Modern Britain and they were all a joke. Canterbury is amazing but if your going for the education, choose somewhere else. |
