Scottish Febmester - Study Abroad! Past Review

By (Russian and Eastern European Studies, Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/28/2013 to 12/21/2013 with

University of St. Andrews: St. Andrews - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned much about the cultural differences and similarities between the UK and the United States, as well as how to manage my money and travel on my own and much, much more.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I only had 3 classes with few assignments - which sometimes intensive, but between assignments were dry spells of nothing. Resources were meant mainly for graduate students and upperclassmen

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

"Customer Service" (ie the relationship between staff and student) was poor

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

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

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)

With the exchange rate, things were very expensive

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 100 - 200 dollars, not including weekly travel expensive
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Spend wisely! You're only there once - spend what you can but be smart about it

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • 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?
  • Location - I love Scotland
  • Music
  • The town and social atmospher
* What could be improved?
  • z
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I was pretty well prepared, but still, a little "trial by fire" is good for you!

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!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Europe in the Middle Ages

Course Department: Medieaval History
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: A challenging course that really ran smoothly!
Credit Transfer Issues: Haven't run into any problems yet
Course Name/Rating:

Electronic Music

Course Department: N/A
Instructor: Jonathan Kemp
Instruction Language:
Comments: Major assignments were challenging, but (as with most courses at St Andrews) they were few and far between and counted for a huge chunk of your grade
Credit Transfer Issues: Not that I know of
Course Name/Rating:

Beginner's Russian Language

Course Department: Russian
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English/Russian
Comments: Very challenging for beginners (I was not a beginner, so found it easy). Moves very fast with many assignments
Credit Transfer Issues: I haven't run into any problems yet