University of Stirling-Scotland: Most Amazing Semester of my Life! Past Review
By Lesley D (Hotel, Tourism and Restaurant Management, University of Wisconsin - Stout) for
University of Stirling: Stirling - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I never realized how oblivious I was to the world until I was immersed in a different culture where they are brought up being educated of world issues and cultures. Seriously so amazing and it sparked my love of travel and other cultures. Best choice I made throughout my college career.
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. |
The grading system was fair and they gave you excellent feedback on how to improve your papers. One of my teachers was not very good at getting our papers back to us in a timely manner, but the other two were excellent. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
My advisor in Scotland was extremely helpful and always prompt in email responses. Helped me switch classes around almost seamlessly within my first couple days there. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We were put in a dorm where half of the building was international students and half were Freshman (17-18 year olds). At first this seemed bad because the majority of the international students were between 20-22 but when we got to know them we became very good friends. It was nice having other students with similar backgrounds to my own (International students) but also get a taste of the local culture and people with having the freshman on the other side of the building. I made such great friends from several different countries, and honestly the living arrangements ended up being one of my favorite parts of my time in Stirling. |
| * Food: |
I have food allergies and for the most part it wasn't an issue as I was cooking my own food most of the time. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My program didn't organize any trips or events for me (because I was the only one there in my program) which was just fine with me. This gave me the freedom to see the country on my own terms with the friends I had made there. I cannot stress how amazing the people I met there and how they will remain my lifelong friends (American, Scottish and otherwise foreign). |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The campus was extremely safe and the town was quite safe also. Obviously I didn't take any unnecessary risks like walking alone at night but I never felt unsafe. Also, the medical center was right next to my dorm and the two times I needed to visit it they were extremely helpful and accommodating. |
| 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? | Around $100 (with the exchange rate being so poor) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | The busses cost money (which may seem obvious to people but I am used to free public transportation if you are a student). For cheap tours Mackbackpackers was a great deal as well as EasyJet and Ryanair flights (EasyJet was MUCH nicer for about the same price as Ryanair). Clubs also ALL charge about a $2-$5 cover, and alcohol in general is more expensive there. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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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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? | You need to want to work hard, but also play hard. I definitely did my fair share of both of these things and learned so much about the world while doing so, both academically and culturally. |
