The Oxford Experience August 26, 2021

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

One-on-one tutorials were extremely valuable! Coming from the American system, this was very foreign to me but it proved to be incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. I was forced to dig into materials and issues in a way that I never had done before.

On-site administration of your program

OSAP- being the private company that partners with Oxford colleges- has poor leadership. They were very disorganized and every student in the program felt contempt towards them. For example, on many different occasions, they would forget to pay our power and utility bills and everything would shut off. We also experienced a robbery in our house and they wouldn't change our locks or add security cameras. Yet, the relationship they were able to build with Oxford colleges is irreplaceable. I would definitely recommend OSAP because of it being one of the best ways to study at top Oxford colleges, however, I was disappointed with my experiences with OSAP.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

It was nice to live with other students studying abroad but the living arrangements were quite poor.

Dining halls were mostly closed due to COVID-19, however the few times I was able to go to formal dining halls, the food was amazing.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

OSAP was not as integrated into true college life in the way I was hoping. However, I was able to make friends in the colleges and do it myself. It took more work to make friends outside of the program.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Extremely accessible! Amazing experience with the nurses and hospitals nearby. Couldn't be better.

We had a break-in when no one was home and there were a few shootings in the neighborhood that I was living in, but apparently, that was rare. I never felt unsafe but there were a few strange encounters.

From what I know, OSAP is the only way to study abroad at top Oxford colleges (New, Magdalen). Because of that, I would use OSAP again. However, they are extremely disorganized and are not the best organization.

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

Dining halls were closed due to COVID for the majority of my time, so I had to cook three meals a day for myself, which was expensive. However, many things were closed (restaurants, pubs, museums, shops) so I wasn't spending the money that I would have. COVID made for a different experience, so I'm not sure that I have a helpful answer for more normal times.

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• Other

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• Americans

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• Other

• Beautiful city
• incredible academics
• lots of young people

• OSAP's role
• COVID made things difficult