Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Excellent academics, poor social life Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/09/2014 to 04/22/2014 with

Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies - Oxford

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Absolutely. You don't go to Oxford to fool around or make lots of friends. You go to study. There is nowhere better in the world to do that than Oxford.

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.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Probably around 160-200 dollars
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Buy in bulk with friends and stay away from restaurants, most of which aren't that good anyway.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • Library
  • Tutorials
  • Oxford
* What could be improved?
  • Better travel/living advice
  • Inter-program social life
  • Integration with UK students
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? It was pretty much exactly as expected. I guess it would've been nice to know about the National Rail deals and other various money-saving tips but, honestly, it's part of the learning experience to go over-budget sometimes.

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 Linguist
You 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!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Humanism
Course Department:
Instructor: Crowe
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Dr. Crowe is extremely well-read, seemingly able to discuss anything in depth. Listening to him lecture is a pleasure, so much so that we often preferred not to speak very much ourselves. That said, when students do speak, Dr. Crowe listens attentively. The readings are generally great fun, and Dr. Crowe works very closely with his students as they prepare their research papers. He is, as they say, a gentleman and a scholar. The sort of Oxford tutor you imagine having, and are immensely glad you encountered.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Integral
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: The field trips and lectures were mostly rather ridiculous and tedious, with uncertain relationship to each other and unclear focus. The research work, however, was fun and stimulating.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Goethe-Kafka-Mann
Course Department:
Instructor: Neilly/Phelan
Instruction Language:
Comments: One of the brilliant things about CMRS is their willingness to organize specialized tutorials. I wanted to read German literature, and CMRS worked with the German department at Oxford to find tutors who would read the books with me. The tutors they found, Drs. Neilly and Phelan, were both serious and engaging. They were enthusiastic to work with me, and helped push my writing to another level.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

19th Century British Fiction
Course Department:
Instructor: Lurcock
Instruction Language:
Comments: Dr. Lurcock is a wonderful man who cares about teaching as much as anyone. He is flexible with his students, but demands careful reading and good writing. It can be difficult to know what he wants sometimes, but such is the nature of the tutorial.
Credit Transfer Issues: