Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Miss Anne's Already, Will Look Back Fondly Past Review

By (Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/21/2021 to 06/18/2021 with

St Anne's College, University of Oxford - Visiting Students Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I loved the independence of my time abroad and also appreciated the ability to really study texts in a rigorous manner. More than anything I loved being able to go on walks. Port Meadow is a favorite. I would also take advantage of the university-wide libraries.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I truly loved the educational experience I was able to get at St Anne's. As an English major I felt that I was able to both read more in-depth of older works that I had not explored as deeply but also probe into more contemporary and theoretical works. My tutorial discussions were endlessly fascinating and I also appreciated being invited to some seminar sessions in Hilary.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing was terrific.

* Food:

The St. Anne's dining hall is truly spectacular. Loved all my quarantine meals and continued going as well after quarantine. Reasonably priced and also just delicious with good variety. The pub chips were so good.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Lockdown definitely made it harder to integrate, but I was lucky to make some great friends who helped me acclimate. Also I joined a student publication in Trinity and meeting those people was really beneficial towards integrating me to local culture and just also getting to know more people outside of college. Joining Oxford-wide Facebook groups was also helpful.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Luckily didn't run into any health issues, but also did not get COVID the entire time I was there and the LFD tests made available in Trinity were really great.

* Safety:

Just because I am generally anxious about safety I tried not to ever put myself in a situation that would require me to be walking alone at night. Definitely felt very safe within St Anne's and mostly walking around alone during the day around Oxford.

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

St Anne's has a wonderful culture and I appreciated the modern aspects of both the college campus and the curriculum.

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)

I had savings in place for this time abroad, but still found Oxford the town in general to be pretty expensive. I budgeted by cooking most of my meals and I think the lockdown and places not being open also helped me stay on budget.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $50

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • International Students
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?
  • General environment/city
  • St Anne's culture
  • Access to resources and libraries
* What could be improved?
  • Communication about scheduling so less last-minute plans being made
  • I was lucky to be housed with second and third years once I had a household but I think generally it is more suitable to be housed with older students than first years
  • Orientation/navigation for students arriving in spring rather than fall - I had to ask around and explore in order to figure out basics like trash day, where the laundry room was, etc.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? One of the best parts of my experience was being a part of a university publication. In my first term, when most events were virtual, I was also able to meet people through attending events. I think overall I wish I knew sooner how much I could learn through being a part of university groups on Facebook.

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 Linguist
You 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!