Great personal growth, that I would not recommend anyone else to sign up for Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/11/2016 to 06/10/2016 with
University College London (UCL): London - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned a lot about independence, and working without being pushed. I also was put into an environment where I was able to deal with issues on a macro, advanced level - in contrast to how information is typically spoon-fed at Middlebury - which I think was immensely valuable. I made good friends in another country that I plan on moving back to, established a local network, and got a respected name on my resume which is already paying dividends. I also got to delve into new topics I wanted to learn about deeply, and learned more than I think I ever would have otherwise. Additionally, I learned how to live a balanced life, not driven by 80+/hour weeks that have been a staple for me at Middlebury, before Middlebury, and likely will be a staple for me after Middlebury - which on its own is an experience worth having.
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. |
The professors and teaching quality were spectacular. However, there was absolutely no support - including no support with regard to different citation standards from Middlebury, which led to significant grade hits. Registration was also very difficult - I was forced to take second year courses, graded much more harshly, when I should have been taking only first year courses given how different the environment was - it made adaptation to the new system MUCH more difficult. Day-to-day rigor was far lower than at Middlebury, which was nice, but the work there was, was much more difficult as well. While it was a great academic challenge and learning/growing experience, the cost in terms of the GPA hit it has led to it is incredibly disheartening, and leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth with regard to how Middlebury handles their study abroad students relative to every other school (friends I made from Yale, Cornell, University of Florida, Tufts, and others were on a different system - pass/fail for credit - which I envied). |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Not good. No special attention paid to abroad students other than a generic "welcome" lecture the week before classes. Registration did not work as well as hoped, and basic things like UCL citation standards, who to go to for help/tutoring, how to navigate the library system, etc, simply did not exist. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The dorm itself was quite nice. However, it was fairly remote, and in retrospect, I regret choosing building quality over proximity to campus. More significantly, I was just stuck into a random suite of people. I was lucky enough to become close friends with one suite mate, and stay friendly with 3 others, but 2 of my suite mates were a significant detriment to my experience, resulting in me moving out of housing 3 months early just to avoid them. They would go out on weeknights and weekends, come in and make noise at 4-5am with their friends, and wake everyone up. I am a pretty easygoing person, and like going out, so, while I was a bit irked at that part, I could deal. The issue became the fact that whenever anyone ELSE made any noise whatsoever, they would freak out. I honored self-administered quiet hours of 11pm-11am, but would still get constant complaints - to the point of multiple security guards being called to my room - for making phone calls at reasonable hours. Once security actually figured out what was going on, when they were called for a noise complaint against me at 3pm on a Friday while I was on a phone interview, they stopped responding to calls from my suite mates. However, the tension from the situation was a serious detriment to the experience. And while the fault is primarily that of my suite mates for their astounding lack of understanding, the building itself was partly to blame - the doors were impossible to close quietly due to their latches, and the walls were thin enough that I could hear my neighbors receive text messages. |
| * Food: |
N/A. No food provided. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
In general students were very welcoming. I was already used to the culture having grown up there, and felt like I fit in pretty well. However, coming in partway through the year is always a challenge when it comes to integrating into groups. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A |
| * Safety: |
Safety was never of any concern whatsoever. Perfectly safe area(s), with ample security staff on hand. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
It ruined my GPA. There was no Middlebury support or network, unlike other schools like St. Andrews, or local support or network at programs such as Oxford. |
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) |
I came in with plenty of money, and didn't have to worry about budgeting - I generally spent what I wanted. 1 star because I spent ~$250+ a week. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $250 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | N/A |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | How much it was going to ruin my GPA, and how little support I would receive from Middlebury. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Moral Philosophy |
| Course Department: | Philosophy |
| Instructor: | Mark Kalderon |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The course itself was very challenging - which in itself is good. However, it is the job of the professor, in my opinion, to explain readings and make them more accessible to the class - especially difficult readings such as those from Hume and Kant that the class was focused on. Professor Kalderon more often than not, left both me and my friends in the class more confused then we were coming in. His explanations were written in the similar or more complex prose/verse as the authors' prose, and were equally if not more difficult to comprehend. The pace of lectures was also, frankly, a joke. Professor Kalderon would sometimes spend what felt like mere seconds on one of the more complex topics before moving on, and could drone on for 40 minutes on some of the simpler topics, needlessly hammering them down. Only once throughout the entire term did he respond to a student request to move back a slide / continue explaining, and he actively ignored raised hands and attempts to interrupt. His lectures were heavily, and poorly, scripted, and it was fairly obvious that he was writing a full 1-hour script and attempting to memorize/regurgitate it word-for-word. To top it off, Kalderon is a poor public speaker - more than half of what comes out of his mouth is "um". It literally became a game in the class to count the number of "um"s. One class session, he spat out more than 10 in a row, and over 100 in a 2-minute period. It made lectures unbearable, which likely explains why by the last few lectures, less than 25% of the class bothered to attend at all. I have no doubt that Professor Kalderon is very smart, and know that his research and writings are top quality. However, he should not be allowed to lecture anyone paying tuition for an education - particularly first year students who are first being introduced to the subject. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I did. It was not automatic. I had to chase down the right authorities / show up to my home department office and ask for guidance. To other students, I suggest maintaining a dialogue with your tutor. To UCL, I suggest getting organized and keeping track of your students / sending transcripts accordingly, and not blocking their logins the day term finishes/before grades come out... |
