Simply amazing and fully adventurous! September 07, 2023

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

My academic experience was intense in both work and learning. I enjoyed the effort put into the tutorials by each professor for each student. I enjoyed having a conversation with the professor on topic and being able to stop and ask questions or dive deeper into the topic or argument we were on for that week. The intensity of the academic level comes in the expectation for students; to put in the hours of study and readings. Though a bit fast paced at first (when I was not used to the system), once I got to see how many resources and help there is (I.e. libraries, supervisors, Junior deans, etc) and got the hang of the system, I truly enjoyed the academic challenges because I knew that I was being equipped with something that would serve me well in my school institution.

On-site administration of your program

Truly, the best administration team and best administered program I have ever been on. The team gave us their time and opened their doors for us to come when needed while also doing regular small check ins to see how we were doing. Something I loved and would look forward to every week was “Tea with the principal” where the principal of the program would take the first 4 students that arrived at the front of the library at 11 am for some tea and scones or cake! He would spend time with us and answer any questions, curiosities, or concerns we had about living in a new country and the program itself. I got to taste many good treats and have a good time on Tuesday mornings because of this good administration and time dedicated to the students.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was very satisfied with the location, right in the center of the city! It made me feel like I was part of Oxford. Every time I had to cross a mall, or a street packed with people I felt like I was part of their everyday life and not a foreigner. I got to see and hear people up close that made each day more real as to where I was studying. The organization of how we were supposed to live was great. I think the room assignments and the roommate assignments were cautiously and very well done, and I’m grateful for that because I never had an issue with my roommate or living situation. If anything happened, the administrators would take care of it right away.

Certainly food in the UK could be better. However, international food in the UK is amazing! I got to visit several times a little Chinese restaurant called Fusion House and I still dream about the aubergine in sweet soy sauce with sesame seeds. I never thought I would like that vegetable so much! It my first time trying something like that and I really enjoyed it. The traditional foods and desserts of the UK, such as scones, shepherd’s pies, etc were great! I liked that I was able to explore their cuisine for a short period of time, and that the most famous dishes were good for the most part.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I would say good! I got into a local church and attended a student Bible study every week. I liked the welcoming and close environment the students created. We had dinner together first on round tables, then went on to learn and study the word of God together. I went to visit restaurants, places, museums with people from church because we clicked and had that adventurous side on each of us. I also really liked spotting the differences between my hometown and where I studied, it was a lot of fun and it allowed me to embrace the new things rather than miss the ones back home. I put 3 stars and a half because my time was short there and more time would have allowed me to experience more, but I’m grateful for what I had and what I got to see in that short period of time.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not have any health issues other than adjusting to the rhythm and clearing up my sleep schedule, in what everyone was very understanding of.

I think Oxford was a pretty safe city. I would still recommend not walking alone at night or too late since we were at the city center and could become dangerous when least expected. Thankfully no incidents nearby happened at my stay there.

Now that I know how the program works and how the academic system runs, I think I would be more prepared and do much better academically speaking. I would also be able to see the people I met again in person and go eat the foods and teas I really enjoyed there.

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

At first it was complicated because I did not know the prices of what I would need, but once I organized myself and knew what was available to me, I was able to keep a budget without having to restrict myself to staying in always.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

The program itself was all in English, but I did have a Spanish class and got to do readings in Spanish. However, all the work had to be written in English, so I would say not so encouraged but not extremely restricted either.

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• Other

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• Americans

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• Americans

• Organization
• Location
• Help and resources for the student

• Student Involvement
• More embedded field trips
• A tour around Oxford