A chill local atmosphere with ample opportunity for adventure! Past Review
By A student (Biomedical Sciences, General., University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse) - abroad from 01/28/2012 to 05/30/2012 with
University of Aberdeen: Aberdeen - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned so much about myself and where I want to go with my life. It was completely worth the tears, sweat, and money, for the all the smiles, laughs, and happiness that came out of it!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes are not as initially time consuming as they are at my home university. You are not expected to do much work outside of class except to prepare for the final (which are all written) and any papers required. Professors are very hands-off and you are expected to figure out much of the academic system yourself. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
As international students we had one informational meeting the day before classes began and that was the extent of help we got throughout the semester. The program did little to nothing to host events for us or help us get accommodated to our city and new lifestyle. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
For what we paid our housing was fine. Nothing extravagant, but it got the job done. It was slightly far from campus, but on a nice day it was a beautiful walk. My only complain was trying to share a mini-fridge between 6 people. |
| * Food: |
Since I was able to purchase my own food, I thought it was quite delicious. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My own travel plans made it difficult to become integrated into local culture. I was gone almost every weekend traveling so I didn't feel like a real part of the city. Locals were nice and extremely helpful though! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Aberdeen was well lit and I never had any issues getting around or feeling unsafe. Like any city I always walked with a friend, but never felt in any danger. It was strongly advised not to walk through Seaton Park at night (as it is pitch black and has been known to attract muggers), however, a few times some friends and I went through and had no issues. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
It was pretty difficult to live on a tight budget in Aberdeen, but that was mostly due to the poor exchange rate between the dollar and the GBP. Public transportation is not provided at a cheaper rate (nonetheless free) for students so paying for a bus pass got pricey and the city center is almost an hour's walk from on campus housing. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| 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? | Walk as much as possible instead of taking taxis or the bus. Watch how much you go out and party because drinking can suck up your budget. Think logically about how much food you are going to consume in a week and don't overbuy. Be smart and think twice about little things because those can really add up. |
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?
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? | I wish I had known how poor the exchange rate was and the difficultly involved with trying to travel outside of Aberdeen. I would have chosen a place which was more centrally located and supported my goal of doing much traveling. |
