Physics in a beautiful country Past Review

By A student (Physics., Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/21/2014 to 05/21/2014 with

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

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I gained a more realistic view of the United Kingdom and an opportunity to explore the rest of Europe. More importantly, I experienced physics classes taught at a significantly larger university than my home institution. The experience was definitely worthwhile in terms of my enjoyment and in my exposure to different academic environments.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	There was little to no work outside of classes. Some full time students informed me that I would need that free time to study. This was not really true. The classes were well taught, but with so little work it wasn't exactly engaging.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The program administrators put a lot of effort into helping with "culture shock" and different academic standards. They did not spend any time discussing more useful topics such as laundry, public transportation, banking, class policies, academic culture, etc.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I was in a lovely dorm with plenty of space. The lack of Wifi in my particular room was the only downside.
* Food:	Great food in town, usually pretty good food in the dining halls.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I spent most of my time with American study abroad students, and the dorm life was a little insular. However, the town and school had enough activities to keep things interesting and make me very interested in Scottish culture.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	I had no experience with the Health Care system, every American studying full time in Scotland loved it though.
* Safety:	I never felt unsafe during my semester.
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)	Scotland is not cheap, especially with the dollar where it is right now. You had to be clever to not overspend.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local 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?	Exposure to the Scottish countryside and culture Very study abroad positive school Classes
* What could be improved?	Greater introduction to getting around the town A description early on of the academic culture, specifically the relatively relaxed attitudes in lecture and the relatively intense atmosphere in exams More activities with the entire study abroad community.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	That the program ends quickly, and since St Andrews is so isolated, it is easy to miss out on the opportunity to explore the rest of the country.

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:	Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
Course Department:	Physics
Instructor:	Prof Lee and Dr Leonhardt
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The class was not challenging. One of the professors often made mistakes and did not have a great teaching style, the other was fantastic. The problem sets were reasonably well designed, although they did not dig very deep into the topic.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Quantum Mechanics 2
Course Department:	Physics
Instructor:	Dr Cassetari
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Excellent class. The professor explained the material extraordinarily well and the lecture notes were absolutely perfect. The problem sets were at a very good level of difficulty but they were time consuming. Despite this class only being 10 credits, I probably spent more time on it that any other class. The exams were fair.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Fluids
Course Department:	Physics
Instructor:	Dr Jardine
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	My most challenging course abroad. Although the professor was great at lectures, she rarely took the equations and gave them context in the real world. Overall, the course was not nearly as conceptual as I was hoping it would be, it seemed almost like an engineering course. I had no idea what to expect on the final exam and it ended up being much tougher than I expected.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Dynamical Systems
Course Department:	Mathematics
Instructor:	Dr. Neukirch
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Very interesting topic, unbelievably easy for a 4000 level math course. The problem sets were a breeze and none of the math was even remotely difficult. The professor was a great lecturer, although it would have been nice to see more applications of the material.
Credit Transfer Issues: