Oxford pushed me to my limits, but the reward made the challenges worthwhile August 09, 2024

By A student (History, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/03/2024 to 04/13/2024 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury – CMRS Oxford Humanities Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

My experience abroad was unlike that of my friends. I did not get to travel every weekend. I did not get to explore the city as much as I would have liked. I did not get to socialize that often throughout the week. However, I am a much better writer, reader, problem-solver, and overall student. While it was hard, I knew that it would be, so I do not begrudge Oxford for that.

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.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* 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 Oxford was most definitely my most difficult academic endeavor. It pushed me to my limits and forced me to be a better student. In that sense, nothing will ever be that hard again, which is a benefit for those hoping to enter the academic space in the future. If you are considering attending, you must accept the fact that you will not have a good experience unless you are honest with yourself about your willingness to face self-direction and self-discipline head on. Otherwise, you will struggle.

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?	$100
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	-Sign up for a Tesco Clubcard for deals -Budget in a spreadsheet -Cook the majority of your meals (which is a struggle considering the size of the kitchen), but if you want to eat out, go to the Covered Market or Gloucester Gree outdoor market

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans
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?	Location Courses Relationships
* What could be improved?	Communal spaces Communication from Middlebury pre-arriva; Clarified expectations for tutors
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I was aware of the variation among tutors. Some are more forgiving, while others are objectively much more difficult to please. I also wish that I had of branched out more in terms of material, as four history courses was difficult in terms of work load.

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:	British Politics since 1945
Course Department:	Political Science
Instructor:	Dr. Tudor Jones
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Dr. Jones' course/general instruction was invaluable; I have never met an academic so well-versed in what they do. His feedback was both fair and constructive. My only qualm was that we often ran over our allotted one hour, which made scheduling other activities/course work difficult at tims.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Despite the course being listed within the political science department, my tutor and I both agreed that it should also be considered a history course. The majority of British Politics Since 1945 was focused on establishing cogent timelines/looking at the historical resonance of particular moments within British history that goes beyond "political science" Going forward, both Middlebury and the Tutors must be on the same page regarding what constitutes particular credits, as Dr. Jones was shocked that his course was considered political science and not history.

Course Name/Rating:	Independent Research Paper
Course Department:	History
Instructor:	Dr. Glyn Redworth
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Dr. Redworth was an incredible asset throughout my research period. Despite not being particularly versed in my area of research, his general expertise is why I performed particularly well during this stressful research period. He was quick to provide additional resources and was incredibly supportive of my ideas. The only negative I can think of, which is not directly related to Dr. Redworth, is that due to the incredibly short research period, I did not get to consult with him as much as I would have liked-- therefore, inhibiting the quality of my research.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Considering that the CMRS program is heavily aimed toward history majors, Middlebury should clarify that this course counts as the 600. Due to this oversight, I received limited credit for this course despite the short time frame that I had to produce a 35-page research paper. If I had of known that this course counts as the 600, I would not have taken it the semester before attending CMRS.

Course Name/Rating:	Art & Censorship
Course Department:	Art History
Instructor:	Dr. Marie-Louise Lilywhite
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Dr. Lilywhite is incredibly well-versed in this area of study. I generally enjoyed the class and the materials. I will say that I wish we had a larger conversation surrounding the class's crux-- art and censorship. Otherwise, I think that we had interesting conversations as a group, and I am glad that I took this as my first art history course.
Credit Transfer Issues:	N/A

Course Name/Rating:	Gender & History
Course Department:	History
Instructor:	Dr. Miles Pattenden
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	First and foremost, Dr. Patteden is undoubtedly a talented academic who is an expert in his field. However, I struggled in this course; not because of the material, but because of how the course was run. Not only did we have to reschedule half of my sessions, but Dr. Pattenden was not well-versed in effectively any of the assigned materials. Therefore, it often felt that our tutorials revolved around non-direct conversations that did not address the crux of the assigned questions. I also believe that the assigned reading lists were objectively too long, and without clear instructions on what to read, I found that I scrambled to read 7-9 books a week-- many of which were utterly irrelevant to our conversations. Despite the interesting subject material, I often felt anxious attending tutorials for the aforementioned reasons, and unfortunately would not retake this course.
Credit Transfer Issues:	N/A