Durham is a Great University! Past Review
By setobes (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Tulane University) for
Durham University: Durham - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
It was definitely worthwhile. I learned how to be more independent and adventurous, as well as studying at a great university. By the time I left I felt completely English and not like an American at all. In the future, I definitely want to try and move back to the UK.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Full-Year 2008 |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Durham has one of the best English departments in the UK, so although it was very difficult I definitely learned a lot. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Living in a dorm with other British students really helped me to feel part of the community. The college administrators were also very helpful and supportive. College was safe and close to everything I needed to go to. |
| * Food: |
College food tasted pretty poor, but it was the best option available. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Durham is a small town, so the university community is very involved and fun. The cathedral is beautiful. The International Students Association also organized a trip to Edinburgh at Christmastime which was very fun. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
Durham is very safe. The only problem is that the locals don't like the students, so if you're walking alone at night you might get harassed, but probably not much more than that. The university provided all international students with NHS cards, so I had access to healthcare that way, which was much easier than using my own insurance from the U.S. If you needed to go to the health center, a college administrator or older student was always willing to drive you or pay for a taxi. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
|
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? | Food and other basic necessities were very expensive, which is why eating in the college canteen was such a good idea. A typical restaurant meal cost about 10 pounds (or approx $15.00), and I usually paid about $7 for a bottle of shampoo or body wash. Trains and the metro, on the other hand, could be pretty cheap. I purchased a Young Person's Railcard at the beginning of the year for about $40, which gives you 1/3 off all rail tickets, so I could go to Newcastle and back for $5, to Manchester for $30, and to London for about $40. In London, using an Oyster card also made the Tube much cheaper. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't go crazy and shop too much. I ended up spending hundreds of dollars mailing stuff home at the end of the year. Going out is cheaper in Durham than in most places in the UK, but everything it still a lot more expensive than in the US so just always keep that in mind. I also ended up spending a lot of money on winter clothes, because I'd never lived anyplace so cold before. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Didn't improve language skills, because it is an anglophone country. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Remember that although Durham is called a city, it's really just a small town! That was a shock to me. But if you want to study with some of the best students in the UK at a highly ranked university (but, like lots of the British students at Durham, couldn't get into Oxford or Cambridge) then Durham is a great place for you. |
