Tough transition; rich, fulfilling, fun experience after that Past Review
By A student (Philosophy., William Jewell College) - abroad from 09/28/2011 to 06/16/2012 with
Regent's Park College, University of Oxford - Visiting Student Program
I can do philosophy independently and at a high level. I can make it through a huge amount of personal stress with help from others and making tough decisions for myself. Brits are delightful.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
the tutors at Regent's and beyond were by and large excellent. Regent's was very responsive to my needs when I told them that I needed a different tutor for the next term because the one I had wasn't working out. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
|
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Regent's should definitely let the boys stay at the flat, too. It's a great place to be: far enough from college for space, but not 2+ miles away. |
| * Food: |
Regent's has an excellent dining service, and it is an ESSENTIAL part of the experience and social life at Regent's. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
You need to be a little intentional to get involved with activities and a church or whatever, but if you make those steps and don't always just sit with the visiting American students, you will integrate quickly. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
LOCK UP YOUR BIKE. Always. Other than that, there are no safety concerns, really. |
| 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) |
England is expensive. You really have to be careful about eating out or going out at all. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $5000 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | buy your food at Tesco, don't go out to eat very often. drink at the JCR bar, not at pubs. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | It will be a really hard transition. Give yourself some grace to "do it wrong" and don't worry that you're going to "ruin your study abroad experience" by feeling overwhelmed at first. |
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! |
