Challenging program, independent learning Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 10/08/2017 to 06/16/2018 with
Lincoln College, University of Oxford - Visiting Students Program
This was a very valuable experience. My classes were challenging and interesting, and my writing skills improved considerably. I enjoyed the opportunity to explore Oxford as well as travel elsewhere in England and in Europe.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The academic quality was excellent. Courses were interesting and challenging. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program for visiting students was somewhat disorganized, and information on it was difficult to find. This made preparation for study abroad stressful. However, everyone whom I contacted was very helpful, and things were sorted out quickly once I arrived. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My room in college was basic but pleasant, with an en-suite bathroom. |
| * Food: |
The food in hall was mediocre. I rarely ate in hall. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Overall, I felt quite safe while in Oxford. However, a small percentage of the homeless population was very aggressive in asking for money, including approaching me at an ATM and following me. Additionally, I was once sexually harassed by a homeless man. These were very isolated incidents, though, and while I was uncomfortable, I never felt that I was in danger. |
| 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) |
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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? | 0 |
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? | 2 classes per term. Don't bother going to lectures (no one else does, either). Depending on subject (mine was PPE), allow about a day and a half for reading and then a day and a half for essay writing for each tutorial. |
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 LinguistYou 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: |
Labor Economics |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | |
| Comments: | The labor economics course was very basic. I was assigned 4 essays over 8 tutorials, and each essay only required a superficial synthesis of the literature, with little or no application of concepts. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
International Relations in the Era of the Cold War |
| Course Department: | Politics and International Relations |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | |
| Comments: | This course was an excellent follow-up to a previous class on the Cold War from the perspective of American foreign policy. It was time-consuming, with approximately 300 pages of reading each week, but well worth the time. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Politics in Russia and the Former Soviet Union |
| Course Department: | Politics and International Relations |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | |
| Comments: | This class complemented a course on the Cold War very well, beginning with perestroika before moving on to the post-Soviet period. Approximately 300-400 pages of reading each week, depending on essay topic selection. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Introduction to Formal Logic |
| Course Department: | Philosophy |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | |
| Comments: | The Intro Logic course was interesting and challenging without being overwhelming. Problem sheets were assigned each week. I found the course helpful in preparing for the LSAT. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Q-Step2 |
| Course Department: | Economics |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | |
| Comments: | This statistical analysis course (R) was somewhat helpful, but very basic. Having a good understanding of statistics and limited exposure to STATA, I chose Q-Step 2 instead of the Intro course, but still found that the course moved very slowly. However, learning R was helpful. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Comparative Government |
| Course Department: | Politics and IR |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | |
| Comments: | The CG course was a challenging and interesting follow-up to introductory CG courses I had already taken. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
