I would do it again! Past Review
By A student (English and American Literatures, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/05/2012 to 04/14/2012 with
Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies - Oxford
I learned to be more confident in my overall academic abilities, in addition to venture out of my level of comfort a bit more. Yes, I think going abroad to Oxford was indeed worthwhile and I would definitely do it again.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Overall, I found CMRS to be an outstanding educational experience. However, I was not the biggest fan of the Seminar course, I expected it to be better. It was fairly boring and the large research paper felt unnecessary in the end. I would have rather done an independent project on Shakespeare in lieu of the seminar. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The CMRS Staff/Administration is so caring, friendly and all around lovely! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my room at CMRS, I am glad we all had singles. If I had my room as a double, my experience would have been interesting to say the least. |
| * Food: |
The food at Keble College was interesting. That being said, I only had it once. The rest of the time, I literally cooked all of my other meals besides when I had "take-away". |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I had to fight very hard to meet British people on my own. None of my classes were with British people and the Keble College kids didnt really care about getting to know us. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I got sick, once during the program and it was fine. I went to the pharmacy and got some medication and it was not too bad. I just wish there was a health center. |
| * Safety: |
My wallet was stolen while I was abroad, either in the Oxford Central Library or on the way to my room from the library. I should have been paying more attention. The one day I let my guard down and texted while walking back to St.Michael's Hall, my wallet was pick-pocketed. However, I went to the police station and they were extremely friendly and so helpful! They followed all leads and did everything they could to make me happy. |
| 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) |
I spent most of my money on food, but most of my other funds was spent on traveling AFTER my program. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 60-80 USD |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | SAVE! SAVE! SAVE! Try saving the minute you know where you will be studying abroad. Sacrifice at home, so that you can enjoy while abroad. |
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? | To save up even more money than I had. In addition, to enjoy being in England more even if it is rough at first. |
