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Spring in St Andrews
Direct Enrollment: St. Andrews - St. Andrews University
Program Information
Founded in 1413, the University of St Andrews is Scotland’s oldest university, and the third oldest in the English speaking world. The University is located in the mediaeval coastal town of St Andrews on the east coast of Scotland. The town, with its close-knit community, is very much our campus with Univers... More
| Provider: | Direct Enrollment |
| Location(s): | St. Andrews, The United Kingdom |
| Year Founded: | |
| Website | Take me there! |
Review By:
Caryn H. (Political Science, Wellesley College) on September 06, 2010
Overall Rating
Personal Information
| * Start Date: | 2010-02-01 |
| * End Date: | 2010-05-25 |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
One of my courses was very interesting, the other was not. The small tutorials were discussion based and much more engaging than the general lectures. Grades are based one just one or two papers and a final exam, which was different. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I didn't really have any problems, but whenever I had a question about tuition or payments or traveling in Scotland people were very helpful. |
| * Housing: |
I lived with a roommate in one of St Andrews dorms. John Burnett Hall was my dorm, it was close to the town and the academic buildings, and it had a great community. People were very friendly and very social. The dorm itself was comfortable, it was often cold there, but no other complaints. |
| * Food: |
The food is bland and not very healthy. Little fresh fruits and vegetables. Not ideal if you have special dietary needs. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There was much more of a party scene and a lot more socializing than there is at Wellesley. It was a nice change, just for a semester. Join a club for more social events and to meet people. Travel as much as possible. It is very easy to get to Edinburgh airport from St andrews and travel from there. One of my favorite parts of the semester was my spring break spent traveling around Europe. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
St Andrews is an incredibly safe town. |
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* Home Institution Advising:
How well did Wellesley College prepare and support you for your time abroad? |
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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? | about 50 pounds |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | save money for spring break -- book cheap flights through ryan air plan how much you want to spend each week on going out/fun stuff |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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
| * If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same program? | Yes |
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | - someone who wants an experience very different from wellesley - someone who enjoys small towns |
| * What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile? | It was very worthwhile. It was great to experience something that was very different from Wellesley. I became much more independent from doing a lot of traveling over spring break and weekends. It hasn't changed my future plans but I am very glad that I did it. |