Open People, Hard to Meet Study Abroads, Lots of Independent Work Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

-My courses were very interesting in terms of information -One of my professors was very engaged--the other was as well (until he went on strike. During the strike, there was no correspondence with the class despite there being two assignments due during that period. When he went off strike, it was exam time and he had no further correspondence) -Both professors were engaged in office hours -There was not a substantial amount of class time.. It felt as though we were teaching ourselves the material. -The readings were very interesting. Classes were rigorous and engaging. -There was a very weak advising process that was stressful and did not allow for study abroads to acquire the classes they were initially interested in. Although we all had a time for an advising meeting, they operated on first come first serve, which was not disclosed to us

On-site administration of your program

-I got maybe two emails during my entire time there. Study abroad orientation was cancelled. Extremely challenging to meet other study abroads

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

-Roommate was great. Accommodations were nice.

-Would recommend to future students to not go on the meal plan, even if they don't enjoy cooking.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt fairly integrated because I made a point of becoming involved. Also, my friends were university students rather than study abroads

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

-NHS. Hard to get an appointment but the care itself was fine.

-No safety concerns

In retrospect, I would not have chosen Scotland as my study abroad location. It was very isolated and the weather was dreary. It was not the program itself that made my experience positive and memorable, but the people I met, almost all of which were full-time students at the university. I stay in touch with many of them and feel very connected to the university in that way. I enjoyed my courses, but St Andrews classes have very little class time (2-3 hours per week). This made some of the days fairly monotonous because, when I wasn't in class, I felt like I was mostly doing work all the time. I think I could have balanced it better, but the courseload was very reading-heavy. The program itself lacked structure (very minimal support for study abroads). However, I met open and welcoming people and that's what stood out to me. My overall experience was positive, but if you look at the program structure itself, I would say that there could be some improvements made.

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

-Fairly inexpensive to live in St Andrews. However, if you would like to go to events, some of the tickets cost upwards of 70 pounds, which is definitely a surprising cost

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• Dorm

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Everyone was SO open
• One of my classes--lots of work but so interesting
• St Andrews beach!

• Extremely hard to meet people unless you put yourself out there. You will likely live in a freshman dorm. So important to actively put yourself out there. The study abroad support should be improved--there should be activities to meet other study abroads
• A bit monotonous

The Academic or Linguist