Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Best way to see the art and culture of Oxford! Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 05/29/2018 to 06/30/2018 with

Middlebury Museum Studies in Oxford

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned a lot about Oxford as a town and university, and about both British museums and museums worldwide. Completely worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Although not a typical educational experience, the academic quality of this program is superb. Most learning is done through field trips (to museums and heritage sites), which combine tours/lectures with hands-on learning, allowing you to apply knowledge from the two weekly seminars. For both seminars there are minimal readings, two creative projects, two short presentations, and one final 2500 word paper, but most learning is through discussion. The tutors themselves are fantastic, and were certainly the highlight of the program.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Fantastic location in the city center, with convenient kitchen and lounge area and a small library.

* Food:

You are required to prepare most meals yourself (which I enjoyed), but 15 meals are also pre-paid for you to eat at Keble College. Unfortunately, their meals are quite terrible, though the formal dinners are a cultural experience worth doing anyway.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

This is an American program that takes place in Oxford. Although our tutors were all British, we did not meet British students, and mostly kept to our own group.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and am actually going back to complete a similar semester-long program next spring.

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)

I lived on about $75 a week, including extra purchases such as train tickets to London, gifts, and extra museum entrance fees.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? About $75.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? The only absolutely necessary expenses are food, and the program building is right next to two inexpensive supermarkets. Another bonus is that a railway pass is bought for you, which gets you cheaper train tickets to London, where all national museums are already free, if you want to visit more tourist sites on the weekends.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The professors and program leader
  • The free time to explore Oxford, London, and the surrounding area
  • The number of field trips and hands-on museum experiences
* What could be improved?
  • No more 4-hour seminars
  • More information about academic expectations beforehand
  • No/fewer pre-paid meals at Keble
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? More about the academic expectations

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 Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Perspectives on Heritage
Course Department: HARC
Instructor: Oliver Cox
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The course was very manageable and forgivingly graded. Weekly readings were assigned but mainly necessary for the final paper. The teacher was absolutely fantastic: a wonderful lecturer, discussion leader, and selected relevant and entertaining field trip locations. I participated the same way that I would at my home institution and was assessed similarly. Assessments included class participation, a short presentation, and a final 2500 word paper. My one critique would be that the essay question was quite strange (it didn't seem to fully match our previous discussions) and misleading, but the professor was very eager to help talk us through what he meant and graded quite fairly.
Credit Transfer Issues: No issues, it was done quickly and automatically.
Course Name/Rating:

How British Museums Work
Course Department: HARC
Instructor: Hannah Lyons
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This course was not challenging, but I learned a lot and enjoyed every minute. The teacher was a natural lecturer and discussion leader, and we never quite had enough time to finish her thorough and elaborate lesson plans. On her field trips, she connected the location to what we'd been learning and tasked us with making connections and applying that knowledge. We were assessed based on class participation in discussions and field trips, one very casual 3 minute presentation, and two creative essay-projects (one journal based on our experience at one field trip location, and one exhibition project we got to design and explain). Everything was not only educational but fun!
Credit Transfer Issues: No issues.