Not Ideal Past Review
By Dustin L (English & American Literatures, Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/06/2013 to 12/21/2013 with
Arcadia: Edinburgh - Scottish Universities International Summer School
I learned a lot about myself, as I had a lot of time to reflect on various components of American life in comparison to components of UK life.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
They were certainly amenable, but I didn't really enjoy living among freshmen from another country. It wasn't easy to fit in & I ended up spending a lot of time alone. |
| * Food: |
Not bad, just not that great. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
In a way, I did, I felt like I figured out how to operate & sustain myself there. But I was still definitely a foreigner, and this was apparent a lot of the time. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Never had an issue. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
When I was very conscious of it, it was possible, but the city was very expensive. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | A good week was about 50 pounds. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Be conscious, keep a budget. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? |
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? | It takes time to feel at home somewhere. You have to be careful of doubting yourself, too, because that's just a black hole in terms of thought. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Music in Social Contexts |
| Course Department: | Music |
| Instructor: | There were a variety of them |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Not great. They didn't require that you go to lectures, and there were only a couple papers for grades at the end. Very little incentive to actually give effort to the course. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Haven't received a grade yet, so I haven't transferred credit. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
The Novel & The Collapse of Humansim |
| Course Department: | English Literature |
| Instructor: | Simon Cooke |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | It was challenging. It was engaging, too. It resembled a liberal arts seminar course, which I liked. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Haven't received a grade yet, so I haven't transferred credit. |
