An intensive academic experience, short enough that you want to go back Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/30/2017 to 12/09/2017 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury – CMRS Oxford Humanities Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Time management is important and you should plan out / set goals for what you hope to accomplish from the beginning.

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.

Oxford tutorial system is highly intensive, particularly transitioning from a U.S. liberal arts college.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

Could choose to cook on your own or go to the dining hall of Keble college (quite nice!)

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Living off Keble college made it slightly more difficult to integrate with Keble College / Oxford students. We didn't have the same status as other visiting students either e.g. weren't assigned college parents who might have been able to guide us through the Oxford experience.

* 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? No

I would have enrolled as a visiting student directly (if possible) and stayed for a year. 1 term was too short - by the time you had adjusted to the workload, the program was already ending.

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? 40-60 pounds
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Create a budget in the beginning - allocate a certain amount for each week

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Other
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Academic challenge
  • Oxford's resources
* What could be improved?
  • Integration with Keble College
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? How far we would be from our associate college.

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Cathedrals, Churches, Cloisters

Course Department: Art History
Instructor: Bernard Gowers
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Bernard is a lovely seminar instructor who was always approachable, and welcomed questions. Given that my seminar only had 2 people, there was more opportunity to engage in discussion although this was at first daunting.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Art of the Garden

Course Department: Art History
Instructor: Oliver Cox
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Very challenging course, particularly because it's a niche topic. Tutor have fairy strict but also standard expectations for each essay (e.g. how it should be structured). Would be nice to get feedback throughout the tutorial as an indication of how you're doing. Final grade came as quite a surprise.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Development Economics

Course Department: Economics
Instructor: Donna Harris
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Essay prompts were broad enough to allow us to take arguments in own direction. I enjoyed that tutorial sessions felt more like discussions than examining our essay in detail. I felt I could ask questions about what I didn't understand in readings and discuss points that were not explored in my essay.
Credit Transfer Issues: