An Oxford Experience Past Review
By Rob D (Villanova University) - abroad from 01/10/2012 to 06/22/2012 with
Blackfriars, University of Oxford - Visiting Students Program
Yes! A great education, a chance to visit England and the continent, a bunch of great new friends, and a chance to grow in a new environment.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Oxford has a challenging and different academic system. Studying at Blackfriars, I had the opportunity to travel for 6 weeks between terms, so that I could focus as necessary on the schoolwork. However, it is not necessary to prioritize the schoolwork--the rigor of the academic work is largely up to the student, so if seeing England and other parts of Europe take priority over schoolwork, this is a great program for that too. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Incredibly helpful, fun, great people. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Beautiful apartment 2 minutes from Blackfriars and right in the center of Oxford. |
| * Food: |
Lots of mystery meats. Some great restaurants in town though, and the pubs are great for comfort food...We ate lunches at a neighboring college called St. Benet's, which normally consisted in lots of potatoes and mystery meats. But they also provided fresh fruit, vegetables and yogurt, and it was nice to have at least one meal taken care of for you everyday. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's a college town, so there are lots of other international students. It's not like the integration experience you could have in a non English speaking country, or a smaller school with fewer international students. But it's easy to integrate into Oxford! |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
None came up, but we were all registered at a local health center/hospital. |
| * Safety: |
Depending on the amount of ale you drank. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* 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) |
It's fairly expensive. Obviously the conversion rate is not great, and if you go out a couple times a week for drinks, you end up spending 30-40 pounds right there, and then if you want to go out to eat once in a while, or have to pay for school books, plus laundry supplies etc...It adds up. I think 100 pounds a week, if you're careful, 150+ if you're not. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 150 pounds |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Go grocery shopping. Take advantage of free stuff. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Put yourself out there and see what happens. |
