A Challenging and Rewarding Year at Oxford Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

My time at Oxford was tremendously rigorous. For each 8-week term I would write 12 essays, usually between 2,000-3,000 words. All but one of my tutorials were one-on-one with the tutor, which was fantastic. I found all of my tutors to be challenging, although some more than others. I really cannot recommend the academic experience highly enough. The reason why this only gets 4.5 stars is because the academic resources, AKA the famous Bodleian Library system, was sometimes a bit lacking. In some weeks it very, very hard to get hold of the books I needed for my essays, either because the library didn't loan any out (you could only read them then, during their library hours), or there was only 1 copy for the entire University.

On-site administration of your program

At some points the on-site administration of the program seemed non-existent (and in the final term it actually was due to a long absence of the coordinator of the program). We received almost no information prior to arriving in Oxford and had very little support while we were here. There was no attempt by the on-site administrator/s to integrate visiting students with the rest of the college. It seemed like the primary job of the on-site administration was to make sure nothing catastrophic had happened to us and that we were in compliance with our UK visa.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The housing, which was a dormitory, was fine but not great. Mine was about a 15 minute walk from college, which was a pain, although some others had a 30 minute walk. Each hallway of the dorm had its own kitchen, bathroom, and shower. These facilities were a bit small but otherwise alright. One nice thing about our housing is that we all got single rooms and once per week someone (called a "scout" at Oxford) would vacuum our room and clean our sinks (which were inside each individual room). Our housing was partly study abroad students, partly Mansfield third years. So at least we were somewhat integrated with Oxford students in our housing.

Mansfield's food was really great and also well-priced (usually 2.50-3 pounds per meal). There were always numerous good options, and they added a salad bar in the third term. The one thing about the food that some students may not like was that there was often not a gluten-free option, and only one vegetarian option.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt somewhat integrated. The college did almost nothing to try to integrate the study abroad students with the local students, so it took a lot of effort on the study abroad students' part. The British students were friendly but would not go out of their way to meet visiting students. In addition, most of the "freshers week" activities that the college put on (to introduce new college freshmen and also visiting students) were related to alcohol and clubbing, which was a bit frustrating for students that were not into that.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Health issues were addressed really well. There was a doctor's office just down the street from our dorm, and the college helped facilitate integration into Britain's National Health Service. Anyone who spends at least 6 months in Britain gets entirely free healthcare, so that was wonderful.

I generally found it quite safe, especially near college. The area in which the visiting students live is considered the more "dangerous" part of Oxford, because it is the poorer area with more immigrants. I would just make sure not to walk around late at night alone, and had no safety problems.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Everything in England seems more expensive than in America, especially if you want to have a social life. Food wasn't too bad, especially with eating at college, but many social activities cost a good amount of money. In addition to this, the University charges for everything--club membership, parties, etc.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students
• Americans

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• Other

• Academic challenges
• Great professors
• Formal hall/fancy dinners

• Organization of program
• Living spaces
• Integration of study abroad and regular students

The Academic or Linguist