Well worth the wait! Past Review
By Crystal H (Special Education, Columbia College, Missouri) - abroad from 07/02/2015 to 07/24/2015 with
Missouri Study Abroad Intercollegiate Consortium / MOSAIC: Summer Study Abroad
I cannot express how much I learned from my experience. It was so worthwhile, even though I was super homesick toward the end. I think my biggest take away from my experience is to actually experience life, don't live life behind a camera lens. Get out, do things, experience what a country has to offer. Write things down, it will be amazing to revisit your feelings when you read what you wrote, as opposed to looking at pictures of some place you visited.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
As the school year was winding down in England, we were unable to attend many schools to see how the school system works. However, our instructor had us visit museums and explore ways that students could enrich their education. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The flat was okay. However, it had not been properly cleaned before we got there. My flatmates and I asked multiple times over the 3 weeks to have it cleaned, but it didn't happen. I was allowed to stay in the flat a few extra days after everyone left and that was when it was cleaned. I really appreciated the ability to stay in the flat past the ending of the program, it was much cheaper than staying in London and I was already familiar with how to get around. |
| * Food: |
Eat the strawberries in England. They are amazing. Fish and chips are also very good. The hamburger I had while in England was also very lean. I didn't eat a lot of traditional British food because I was pregnant at the time and didn't want to risk becoming sick or wasting my money. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Oxford, during the summer, is a very tourist heavy place. I was simply a tourist like so many others. The locals didn't seem to get too upset with us, which was nice. By the time my visit was over I actually had a tourist ask me directions! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't see any health care issues while abroad. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in Oxford. London was a bit dicey at times, but I feel that my safety was never really in jeopardy. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
I researched the exchange rate before leaving and searched for inexpensive gifts while abroad. Food was priced pretty reasonably. I did not realize that in England they do not add tax on top of the price listed. The price listed is what you pay, which was nice for my American brain to cope with. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I honestly don't remember |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Shop at the market and eat as much as you can at your flat. Take snacks with you that will help prevent you from buying over-priced snacks while in tourist areas. Check out little hole in the wall restaurants, they have some pretty good deals. If you buy bottled water, get one of the giant bottles and refill a smaller bottle. Shop around when it comes to souvenirs. You can always go back into a shop and purchase something, you may not be able to return it later though. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I would have known that my cell phone wouldn't work outside the US. I had to buy a phone while there, which is money that could have gone for something else. Other than that, I felt prepared. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Educational Policy |
| Course Department: | Education |
| Instructor: | Curtis Mason |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | I really liked the free form of the class. Our instructor allowed us time to experience the culture of England, but also asked us to apply things we saw to our ideas about education in general. He provided us with some articles to read before traveling and while abroad we visited a couple of schools and also museums to get a broad sense of the education system in England compared to America. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
