A chance to learn and grow in a new place Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes were not too difficult. Most weeks the only homework was reading, with a few short writing assignments here and there. The grades in two of my three classes were totally based on one essay at the end. These same two classes had a lecture and then several hours of smaller discussion sections, a format that I did not really like. The lectures could be a little dull sometimes and the discussions could be a little long. But overall I learned more about literature/authors from the courses, which was the goal. My professors were incredibly knowledgeable, insightful, and intelligent. I was lucky to learn from them, and by the end I wished I had taken advantage of more of their office hours to speak with them one-on-one. When I was struggling to define my thesis for my final essays, they all gave lots of advice and book recommendations. Art in Venice was the best class I took because it was so unique. My other courses were ones I could have taken anywhere. My advice would be to take courses with topics that are unique to England, Europe, or UEA (known for its creative writing, so I regret not taking a cw course).

On-site administration of your program

I never had any issues I needed administrative help with. The orientation, move-in, and move-out process was pretty seamless as they do this with many students every semester. The study abroad office sometimes took a while to reply to emails. They hosted orientation events, where I met most of my friends, though sometimes the event was just "free pizza" or "a free drink" and they didn't have anything for you to do once you were there. They assign you to an adviser--I only met with her once, but they are there if you need anything.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was in a single room in Wolfson Close. I didn't expect anything fancy, and it was nice enough. There was no waste basket in my room, only a recycling bin that was emptied every Monday/Wednesday/Friday. So any garbage had to be brought downstairs to the kitchen. The bathroom (two stalls, two showers) was shared by the whole flat, which consisted of eight people, guys and girls. The kitchen was cleaned twice a week by university staff but could get pretty gross over the weekend, especially when everyone tended to leave their dishes in the sink. We had to provide our own dish soap as well as soap for the bathroom. There was no oven in the kitchen, only a stove and a microwave. I think one of the newer dorms had ovens, but most did not. The university provides toilet paper, but over the weekend it would often run out because they wouldn't give us enough. That was my biggest pet peeve.

You cook for yourself. There's a shop on campus, which is nice if you need something quick, but it is expensive and has limited hours. There's a Tesco Express and Co-Op within walking distance, a larger Waitrose (more expensive but nice) a little farther but still walking distance, and Aldi, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, etc if you want to walk a lot or take a bus/cab.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I was in a flat with British students. My art class also took a week-long trip to Venice where I got to know the other students in my class really well. I think the class was the biggest reason I felt culturally integrated. You can definitely make friends in your classes and flats. There are also many local churches where you can get to know people from Norwich, and once I visited a swing dance club in town. Everyone was very welcoming. I mostly hung out and traveled with other study abroad students, but I still felt at home on campus, in the city of Norwich, and in England in general.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never had a health issue, but I think it is easy to go to the clinic on campus and get help.

Norwich is super safe. I walked home alone from the city at night a few times, and it was fine. There were two terrorist attacks in England while I was there and one (London Bridge) right after I left. I had been at London Bridge and Borough Market just a week and a half before the attack. That was scary. There are lots of policemen around now, in train stations and other large central locations. I was impressed by the way that England united in the face of the attacks. There are always risks in traveling, but I did my best to be watchful and careful and choose hope rather than fear.

That's a hard question. I would choose UEA again because I made amazing friends there, but on the other hand Norwich is pretty small and inconvenient to travel from. I would have preferred to be somewhere more central like London or larger/more beautiful like Edinburgh or Cardiff. UEA is a decent school. The classes are not mindblowingly amazing, but they are pretty good. I got the impression from most of my friends that they liked their professors, and I liked mine too. The campus is a bit ugly. For the first half of the semester, I just wanted to go home. The gray, winter weather was depressing and cold. But after it warmed up and I got to do some traveling, I appreciated UEA more because I was happier overall. I didn't like UEA in the same way that I like my home university. I would never choose to do my full degree at UEA. But some of my study abroad friends really loved it. Norwich is a really nice town. Most of the towns in England that I visited, like Bristol and Sheffield, were run-down. I liked being in Norwich because it was very safe, well kept up, and close to the ocean (a 45 min train ride).

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

I spent about $1000 per month, and $2000 per month when I was traveling. Most of that was booking hostel accommodation, trains to various places, eating out, and furnishing my dorm room when I got there initially. I traveled a LOT. Most of my friends saved money by not traveling the entire spring break. When I was just in Norwich and exercising restraint on buying clothes, not eating out, etc. I probably could get away with spending £15-£20 a week on groceries.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

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• Local Students

• The friends I made
• The travel opportunities that come with being in Europe
• The cheaper price tag

• More activities to help abroad students get to know each other as well as British students
• More guidance in choosing classes
• More classes with field trips

The Academic or Linguist