Oxford: I felt dumber than I usually do for 9 months Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Humanities courses I took were interesting, but I was not in an academic position (too few classes; far behind Oxford student standards) to take full advantage of science study at Oxford. Because I was so far behind the "usual" Oxford student in organic chemistry, I was unable to take any real benefit from lectures, labs, and other resources that would have been useful had I had more background knowledge. Instead, I had to attempt to learn organic chemistry on a more individual level, which proved to be very difficult and was frustrating for both me and my tutor. I would not have come to Oxford had I known how far behind and how little I would actually be able to experience science education here.

On-site administration of your program

Both Nicholas and Susan were very helpful and I think it's a horrible loss to not have Nicholas on the program next year.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing was fine.

Food was fine.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

That was definitely one of the most frustrating things about this program. I found that the fact there are 30 "Sarah Lawrence" students makes it very easy to become isolated as a group, and to lose any sense of identity in the community one might have separate from the fact they are an American from Sarah Lawrence. When I tried to integrate into college life, I found my identity as a "Sarah Lawrence Student" to be a kind of social barrier to making friendships with Wadham students. Over time I think I broke away from that label, but it was difficult and very uncomfortable to work though it. If I were to give advice to prospective students, I would tell them not to choose this program if they aren't willing to put in a lot of extra effort to integrate into the local student body.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

healthcare was great; I had a few bacterial infections that were easily and quickly taken care of, and the program parameters for working with the healthcare system were more than adequate.

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

I'd say very easily. I'm very glad we had kitchens and were able to make our own choices for food.

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans

• Meeting with tutors
• Access to SOLO and Oxford's libraries
• opportunities to join Oxford clubs/societies

• Helping students integrate
• Housing location
• the structure of science tutorials

The Avid Adventurer