An unbeatable academic experience! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I decided to study abroad at Oxford purely for academic reasons - it's expensive to study abroad, and I wanted to ensure that wherever I went, the education would be equal to or better in some way than I have experienced before. Oxford gave me exactly this! Specifically for the humanities (I studied philosophy), Oxford's tutorial system forced me to become a better, more concise writer. I wrote at least 1-2 essays every 7 days, and now I feel much more confident being able to write a well-constructed argument under time pressure - a useful skill. More importantly, tutorials (i.e. 1-1 meetings with professors in lieu of traditional class time) made me much more confident being able to orally debate and defend my ideas in an articulate way. The opportunity to work an hour each week with an extremely accomplished tutor, and learn from him or her, is simply not something that traditional universities offer and I received so much personalized learning attention. Most of my tutors were fantastic and engaging. I actually found that while my work was just as intellectually stimulating at Oxford as it is at Vassar, my workload was certainly lighter. This is probably because I took only 2 tutorials per term, whereas at Vassar I take four courses at a time. Similarly, I had far less lecture time at Oxford. Some students found the workload to be heavier at Oxford, though, so every student's experience is different! Writing 12 essays in a term can get very exhausting and tedious, but I was proud of myself for it in the end. Another thing to mention is that Oxford's Bodleian Library System is incredible - I was able to find multiple copies of any book I ever needed, and it was refreshing not to have to purchase so many expensive books. I will say, however, that this system can be quite isolating due to its independent structure - I spent a lot of my days alone in the library reading or writing. I was used to making a lot of friends in small classes, and this just isn't how Oxford students make friends. So, if you are not very independently motivated and well-organized, or if you prefer to study in groups, this probably isn't the program for you. Additionally, I believe that the tutorial system works better for humanities and social sciences than STEM, but this is just from talking to friends who took STEM tutorials. For me, I need more consistent instruction and lecture, and office hour time with professors in STEM courses, than is typically provided by Oxford. But overall, this is an extremely remarkable and unique academic program that I would recommend to any student who is up for a rewarding challenge.

On-site administration of your program

Our site supervisor, Andrew Williams, was the absolute best! He visited all the IFSA-Oxford students at least once per week during term to take us out for ice cream or lunch, and made really great conversation and clearly cared about us as a group. IFSA also set up individual meetings with us once per term to talk about our learning plans and goals, and it was nice to have these check-ins. IFSA facilitated a 4-day orientation in London for us, and this was such a fun bonding experience! We also went on a trip to the Lake District with other England IFSA study abroad students, which was lovely. Overall, IFSA staff is well-organized and thoughtful. Apart from IFSA, Oxford University support staff for visiting students were pretty helpful, but could have done more to help us integrate into the student body. We had a few initial meals together as visiting students at the college, but the college did not do enough to help introduce us to full-time Oxford students. This was especially hard for students like myself who only studied abroad for half of the year - students had already made friends and many of us were not sure where to begin in terms of our social lives while abroad. However, academically Oxford staff really made an effort to help us have a personalized educational experience and offer us the tutorials that we requested, and this was greatly appreciated.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My dorm room (a single) was very nice and large and had its own bathroom. It was also located right across from the kitchen. Towels and linens are provided for visiting students.

I would recommend doing most of your own cooking while on this program - kitchens at Worcester are nice communal/social spaces and are well-equipped (just bring some of your own cooking supplies - some students seemed to be hesitant to share theirs). The Worcester dining hall is beautiful, but there are few options, especially for those with dietary restrictions. Meals range from 3-5 pounds per meal which is quite affordable, but more expensive than cooking for yourself. Dining hours are very limited. I would, however, recommend Formal Hall - this is a nice 3-course dinner for less than 6 pounds and is an Oxford tradition that you do not want to miss!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Social life at Oxford was hard to navigate, and this was surprising! I figured that it would be easier to make friends without a language barrier, and because England is similar to the US culturally, but this assumption was proven wrong. English students tend to be more reserved and less open/outgoing than US students, so it takes a while to get to know them - this can be frustrating but is something to be aware of and be patient with. This may just apply to Oxford, but there is a very strong sense of elitism that I felt, and often resentment and unfriendliness towards visiting students. There are definitely many wealthy, upper class students here and poor POC/working class representation, which I found frustrating and surprising considering the age and size of the university. My best advice for making friends is to go way out of your comfort zone - be more outgoing than you are used to, immerse yourself in student societies or sports, and go to every social activity that you are invited to in the first few weeks (it can be too easy to get caught up in academics and forget to plan to socialize). It's good to remember that full-time students already have friends, so it's up to you to take initiative and integrate into their social groups. Oxford is not like traditional study-abroad experiences in the sense that you are very much like an average student there, and you do not do everything with a core group of study abroad students as you may in a more traditional program.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I got sick one time while abroad, and the nurse at Worcester was helpful in diagnosing me and recommending over-the-counter medication. However, I did have some friends who needed more involved medical care, and found local providers and the NHS to be more difficult to navigate than IFSA advertised. I would have appreciated clearer instructions on how to set up doctor's visits as an abroad, international student from my program.

Oxford feels very safe, and all colleges require key-card access to enter at late hours in the day.

I went abroad to vastly improve my philosophy education, and this is exactly what I got at Oxford. This program is perfect for anyone who is really passionate about their subject and wants to be challenged while abroad.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Oxford, and England in general, is QUITE expensive, especially with the current dollar-pound conversion rate. There are many cultural experiences at the university that are not included in your study abroad fees, including balls and formals, food stipends, club entry fees, student theatre, and society membership fees. I would recommend saving about $75 per week to spend (this is still a pretty tight but manageable budget). There were a lot of initial fees that I did not expect but that were necessary to make my living situation and experience more comfortable and well-rounded. I would recommend budgeting a bit more especially if you want to travel, as many students choose to during term break (5 weeks)

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• Dorm

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• Local Students

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• Local Students

• Tutorial System
• Tradition of the university
• Access to resources

• Social integration for visiting students
• Diversity of student body
• Access to / advertising about student societies

The Academic or Linguist