best year of my life! challenging but worth it Past Review
By Kiley S (Barnard College) - abroad from 10/01/2012 to 06/14/2013 with
Pembroke College, University of Oxford - Visiting Students Program
worthwhile! what i learned is a bit ambiguous and hard to explain, but I definitely benefitted and grew.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
really hard, academically, but you get used to it and it becomes the norm. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
good! college staff always open to talk if you reach out to them |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
great -- had a single the size of the double I live in at Barnard |
| * Food: |
it's British food! enough said. but really, there is plenty of food just not very good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
lived in same housing as freshman at oxford, so got to know them and do what they did! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
not very easy! the pound is very expensive, as is the city of oxford. save up a lot before going to oxford. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | probably about 50-70 pounds, about 80-110 dollars |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | follow typical money saving rules! make coffee in your room, don't go out for food all the time, try to bring the minimum amount of cash out at night so you dont spend too much at clubs. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? |
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? | that you really do have to write two 2,000-word essays a week, that is not a joke |
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 LinguistYou 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! |
