Fantastic with very few problems August 06, 2024
By Kyra W (Brandeis University) - abroad from 05/25/2024 to 06/22/2024 with
University of St. Andrews: St. Andrews - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I was 100% worthwhile. I made plenty of friends that I want to keep in touch with and was able to flex the skills I had been learning at Brandeis in the field.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I gained a lot of great on-site experience that is incredibly versatile and will definitely help me in the future! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There was a solid amount of miscommunication and last-minute changing of plans or stepping back on earlier promises that was frustrating to deal with. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Overall they were very nice. I really appreciated the private bathrooms and the access to a kitchen. My room specifically seemed to have problems, as I had ants and moldy curtains from day 1 (though they did replace the curtains and attempted to fix the ant issue). |
| * Food: |
Very standard for the UK, it was nothing crazy and it was frequently bland. There were also restrictions on how much you could get and the servings were often not super filling. It was serviceable for the most part. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program focused more on history and we were often on site rather than in town interacting with people, but the various excursions and general access to the town of St Andrews was incredible and was definitely one of my favorite parts of the experience. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Any health concerns were dealt with quickly and with care. |
| * Safety: |
I felt incredibly safe walking around the town as well as in the dorms. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | The food sucks but getting breakfast and dinner provided almost every day is a great way to save money (especially since it is included in the program cost) so definitely use that! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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? | 0 |
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? | Don't pack as many normal clothes as you think you need. You will be on site 5 days a week and will be wearing your trench clothes most of the time. |
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 LinguistYou 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! |
