Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

A Glimpse of Oxford Past Review

By (English and American Literatures, Middlebury College) for

Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies - Oxford

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Yes, I'm glad I did it, and my academic horizons have shifted dramatically. But so much energy was spent on integration. It was very isolating.

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.

Workload was a lot of independent work. Self-direction a must. The papers required more developed thought processes, with less emphasis on the structure of writing. The intellectual engagement was not so skirted an issue. The students from schools outside of Middlebury were, for the most part, not up to the academic par. I got along extremely well with my tutor for both. This was the intellectual pursuit I could take up, and loved.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Power struggles between the administration and students made academics and bureaucratics difficult. Not communicative with the student population.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

Expect to spend a lot of money on food. The Keble college dinners were great.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Great theater, great museums. The lectures are incredible

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Very safe.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

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)

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The intellectual experience of the tutorials
  • The setting of Oxford university
  • Making a few close friends
* What could be improved?
  • The administrative attitude
  • The integration into the Oxford University system
  • The fellow students

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

The Literature of Courtly Love
Course Department:
Instructor: Alexander Kerr
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This was my love of the semester. Such interesting material. I got along very well with the tutor, and could push ideas to their very limit.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Integral: The Making of Europe
Course Department:
Instructor: Mark Philpott
Instruction Language: English
Comments: As stated before, the Integral class was poorly organized. Many of the lectures delivered were disappointing.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Dante's Divine Comedy
Course Department:
Instructor: Nicholas Crowe
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I loved my seminar on Dante's Divine Comedy, but had to rely entirely on the professor's insight--none of the other students read the work. And the seminar is a displacement of the American system. It was strange how they tried to Americanize the Oxford academic term. I don't think it was so successful.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

The Song of Roland
Course Department:
Instructor: Alexander Kerr
Instruction Language: English
Comments: More challenging, in its nuances. I was able to take up Old French, and did a really interesting analysis of the transition from orality to literacy. Same tutor.
Credit Transfer Issues: