Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Study Abroad with a Purpose and Legacy Past Review

By (Economics., University of Arkansas - Fayetteville) - abroad from 06/12/2012 to 08/06/2012 with

Oxford Study Abroad Programme (OSAP): Oxford - Study Abroad at Oxford University

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I have no reservations about recommending the Oxford program. The tutorial system is unique to Oxford and Cambridge. It's one-on-one with an expert in your field, and completely tailored to your interests. I'm an undergraduate economics student who is interested in law school, so I met with a law fellow who introduced me to English Common Law and UK Constitutional Law. We covered hundreds of pages of court cases and journal articles, and I wrote five essays and discussed them with the tutor. It could not have been more relevant to my law school aspirations. The program itself immersed you in Oxford culture. I met several locals, and ended up having dinner in four different family's homes around Oxford. You can go to the pub where CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien met every week for a decade, study in the library that was used to film Hogwarts in Harry Potter, or take a quick bus to London to see anything in one of the world's greatest city's. It's a perfectly balanced study abroad experience, that actually offers both rigorous study and an inimitable experience.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: University of Oxford - New College
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.

I get the impression that my program was more rigorous than the average study abroad program. We covered a few hundred pages of court cases and journal articles a week, and by the time it was over I had written and defended five essays.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

It was pretty well-tuned and organized. A little bit laid back, which is great, except things move slowly.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

It wasn't nice, but it was sufficient, and had a decent location. We had a lot of technical difficulties that were slow in being addressed.

* Food:

There were lots of options, but just in general, British food is more expensive and lower quality than American.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Because I went during the summer instead of the school year, I didn't get the full social experience with other regular British students. However, I did make some good local friends, and eventually went to four different British homes for dinner. That may have been the most rewarding social part of my experience, it was fantastic to develop those relationships I never would have otherwise.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I tried to not leave a rating for this, because I never used it, so it's not applicable.

* Safety:

It's a charming town, I never felt like I was in danger.

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

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)

We should expect high costs of living in a country with the strongest currency in the world. Every time you went out for dinner and the menu says "£9.99," you pay $16. Every grocery store jar of peanut butter that is £3 costs you $5. That's painful. Of course, it's worth it—England's incredible. But it is expensive.

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I spent about $150 per week, but that was with a good bit of travel back and forth to London, and trying most of the food establishments in town. I could have made it on $100/week by penny-pinching.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Of course, if you have a nice kitchen (I didn't) food prep at home is the best money saver. But, local restaurants and pubs are some of the best atmosphere for the city, so it's a tradeoff. If you use the bus a lot, you can buy long-term bus passes, and visiting the pound store first (like a Dollar Tree) can help shopping costs.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
* 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?
  • Location: Oxford is an incredible city with proximity to London
  • One-on-one tutorial system: highly personalized and rigorous
  • British culture and season (there during London Olympics & Queen's Diamond Jubilee)
* What could be improved?
  • Housing
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I think I was pretty well equipped. It's hard to over-emphasize what a surreal place Oxford truly is. Nearly a thousand years have shaped the legacy of the University, and there's an endless supply of history to the buildings and colleges. I wish I had utilized the time in Europe even more. I spent a weekend each in Edinburgh and Milan (EasyJet or RyanAir flights are cheap within the continent), but I should have made time to see Ireland and France.