Incredible once in a lifetime experience! July 06, 2024
By A student (Physics, Wellesley College) - abroad from 10/08/2023 to 06/15/2024 with
University of Oxford - Visiting Students
As mentioned above, I gained incredible friends and traveling experiences. It was definitely worthwhile.
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. |
I study Physics at Teddy, which is really the only subject where we are fully integrated with the regular students, meaning that all of my tutorials (small group meetings with 2-3 other students and a professor)/lectures (range between 15-100's of people depending on the subject) are with full students and I also take final exams/ collections (i.e. exams at the beginning of each term)/give a talk to my year group. The other subjects will typically pair you with other visiting students for tutorials/lectures and won't have you take exams.Academics are very fast paced here but once you get into the rhythm, you'll get used to it. Definitely try not to get behind. In my opinion, it's better to turn in a subpar essay than ask for an extension because you'll have between 1-3 essays/problem sheets due per week. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing is a 10minute walk from the college and a 25 minute walk away from the physics department. It comes with a single ensuite room and communal kitchens. |
| * Food: |
Formals are wonderful! Highly recommend. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Joining an extracurricular activity is the easiest way to feel more integrated. Beyond that, the visiting student community is wonderful and very easy to get involved in. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
It’s hard to get dentist appointments here because insurance doesn’t transfer easily. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I made wonderful friends and got to live in an amazing city! The academics were hard but rewarding in the end. |
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) |
Formals are around £21 each, sports require subsidies per term which are around £38, balls are £150, etc. It’s very expensive. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | Integration with the regular students will take more effort than you initially think. Make a consistent effort across all terms to put yourself out there and you’ll be fine :) |
