Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

A challenging and rewarding academic experience. February 02, 2023

By (Humanities, Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/31/2022 to 12/08/2022 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury – CMRS Oxford Humanities Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I grew as an independent person, and became much more confident in myself.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Great professors, loved tutorials.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Helpful and friendly staff, felt at home immediately.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Good location, big kitchen for cooking meals, library on site.

* Food:

Cooking for yourself is good, food accommodations at Keble were serviceable.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Possible to integrate with Oxford students, but requires effort.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

No problem accessing a GP.

* Safety:

Never felt unsafe.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Great classes and support. Field trips.

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)

Oxford is an expensive city.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Unsure.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Shop for yourself, do not spend a lot of money going out. Plan travel in advance.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • Professors
  • Friendships
  • The libraries
* What could be improved?
  • Another term
  • More integration with Oxford students
  • Time to travel
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That it would require a strong effort to make friends locally.

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 Linguist
You 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:

Greek History
Course Department:
Instructor: Steve Kershaw
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Challenging, great material, great discussions. Enlightening.
Credit Transfer Issues: None
Course Name/Rating:

Art of the Garden
Course Department:
Instructor: Megan Aldrich
Instruction Language:
Comments: Garden visits and research on the history of landscape design was fantastic.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Research Course
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: A challenging project, first time doing significant research. Support was available.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Shakepeare
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: The professor was not as serious as I had hoped. Discussions were unstructured.
Credit Transfer Issues: