Outstanding program with graduate-level academics in a remarkable city Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Quickly learned to increase my academic output and write efficiently and effectively. Close reading skills, ground-up analysis, specificity in argument, supportive study habits, daily planning and scheduling, how to look like you're an adult. I picked up all of these things within the first couple weeks because the pace of the course is fast and furious, but in a very motivating way. Beyond those academic skills, the material I was reading was deeply fascinating, and my teachers/tutors were excellent resources along the way!

On-site administration of your program

I know this is a somewhat personal, biased and narrow-lensed judgment, but in contrast to my experience with the administration at Middlebury, the wonderful group of people here at CMRS made me feel right at home from the very first week of orientation, and through to the very end. The administration is well-built team of inspiring individuals who are caring, supportive, humorous, incredibly knowledgable, and clearly passionate about what they do. Bernard, Emma, Paul, Fiona, and Camilla (and the Junior Deans, the cleaners, everyone) made us all feel like we were a part of a community, and encouraged us to make the most of our time here. In particular, Bernard, Emma and Paul all looked out for us, made sure we were doing well, and engaged with us in very genuine ways (stopping for a conversation in the hallway, or in the street, asking us about our families, our home, taking us out to tea...). Their jokes were usually pretty average, but their lightheartedness put me right at ease, and made the rigorous academic life here feel entirely manageable. We were treated like responsible adults, but given enough attention and affection to feel like we always had someone around when we needed it. My experience abroad would be lacking so much without them.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Most students are housed in double rooms, and some of the older rooms are a bit dated (though being refurbished soon?), but the central location is unbeatable. It was so important for me to live outside Keble College, as I felt like I had a home community, in addition to all the other places I spent my time. I would recommend, though, that you not spend too much time in the building, because it is easy to get stuck into the cycle of working where you live, and eating only in the building, and then you never go outside. Just work somewhere else, it's essential.

I made most of my meals in the kitchen, and ate out or dined at Keble about 25% of the time. I love cooking, though, so the ability to do that in a real kitchen was really valuable to me. (Lots of baking, too!) You just have to factor it into your daily schedule that you won't be in a dining hall all the time, and that you'll have to spend a couple hours a day shopping, prepping, cooking, eating and cleaning. It's just how life works; good to get used to it now.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I know this might be quite different from other students, but I definitely made the absolute most of my time here, and because of all the things I did, I felt very connected with both the City of Oxford and Oxford University communities. It is only what you make of it, and I do recognize that I put a ton of effort into finding friends, joining societies, trying new things and going on adventures to new places. It took time, energy, and sometimes money, but that's the experience you're after! It's so valuable! Just try to balance your academic life with your social life, don't worry so much, and you'll be fine.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have any issues the whole time, so this question isn't super applicable, but I do know that other people were treated well. The only reason I put 4 stars is because Boot's (the mainstream British pharmacy) is a terrifying warehouse of drugs with far too many fluorescent lights and I never like having to go in there... Cashiers dressed up in bleach-white doctor's coats like they're mad scientists...

Oxford's pretty safe. The location of the CMRS building is kind of in a back alley, so it's not ideal if you're very concerned about safety, but the biggest "threat" are the teenagers that hang out on the corner of the Coventry building. They're pretty nice, usually play loud music with excessive profanities, and smoke a good deal of cannabis, but I typically try to say hi to one of them whenever I walk past.

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

Oxford/England is a fairly expensive place to live, but buying your own food, you can get the costs down quite a bit. Even eating out, it's not the end of the world. You just need to budget your expenses.

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• Dorm
• Apartment

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• Americans
• International Students

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• Americans
• International Students

• Sense of community at CMRS and in Oxford
• Academic structure demands self-accountability and motivation
• Such a vibrant, dense city with incredible minds all around

• It is fast and furious, and the break between the research paper and the tutorials did feel a bit short
• I recognize that students would be much more inclined to dine at Keble if they had more than £30 to spend, because if you didn't want to spend extra, you'd have to ration it out. I just spent the extra money, like I'd have to anyway if I weren't ever given the original £30
• Some of the rooms are a little uncomfortable for some people, but I believe they are in the process of renovating the building