Outstanding program with graduate-level academics in a remarkable city Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/01/2016 to 04/15/2017 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury – CMRS Oxford Humanities Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
You know those things you do in life when you first start out and it seems like it'll just be this fun new thing you'll try, you'll have the experience, and it'll be great and then it'll be over; but actually it turns out to be this incredibly valuable time of life, and a pretty transformative experience on a personal level, where you happen to make deep connections that you will cherish forever, and it's incredible that you never expected it would really be that big of a deal? I think that's exactly what CMRS has given me. Big year for me.

Review Photos

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury – CMRS Oxford Humanities Program Photo Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury – CMRS Oxford Humanities Program Photo Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury – CMRS Oxford Humanities Program Photo Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury – CMRS Oxford Humanities Program Photo Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury – CMRS Oxford Humanities Program Photo

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.

Quickly learned to increase my academic output and write efficiently and effectively. Close reading skills, ground-up analysis, specificity in argument, supportive study habits, daily planning and scheduling, how to look like you're an adult. I picked up all of these things within the first couple weeks because the pace of the course is fast and furious, but in a very motivating way. Beyond those academic skills, the material I was reading was deeply fascinating, and my teachers/tutors were excellent resources along the way!

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I know this is a somewhat personal, biased and narrow-lensed judgment, but in contrast to my experience with the administration at Middlebury, the wonderful group of people here at CMRS made me feel right at home from the very first week of orientation, and through to the very end. The administration is well-built team of inspiring individuals who are caring, supportive, humorous, incredibly knowledgable, and clearly passionate about what they do. Bernard, Emma, Paul, Fiona, and Camilla (and the Junior Deans, the cleaners, everyone) made us all feel like we were a part of a community, and encouraged us to make the most of our time here. In particular, Bernard, Emma and Paul all looked out for us, made sure we were doing well, and engaged with us in very genuine ways (stopping for a conversation in the hallway, or in the street, asking us about our families, our home, taking us out to tea...). Their jokes were usually pretty average, but their lightheartedness put me right at ease, and made the rigorous academic life here feel entirely manageable. We were treated like responsible adults, but given enough attention and affection to feel like we always had someone around when we needed it. My experience abroad would be lacking so much without them.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Most students are housed in double rooms, and some of the older rooms are a bit dated (though being refurbished soon?), but the central location is unbeatable. It was so important for me to live outside Keble College, as I felt like I had a home community, in addition to all the other places I spent my time. I would recommend, though, that you not spend too much time in the building, because it is easy to get stuck into the cycle of working where you live, and eating only in the building, and then you never go outside. Just work somewhere else, it's essential.

* Food:

I made most of my meals in the kitchen, and ate out or dined at Keble about 25% of the time. I love cooking, though, so the ability to do that in a real kitchen was really valuable to me. (Lots of baking, too!) You just have to factor it into your daily schedule that you won't be in a dining hall all the time, and that you'll have to spend a couple hours a day shopping, prepping, cooking, eating and cleaning. It's just how life works; good to get used to it now.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I know this might be quite different from other students, but I definitely made the absolute most of my time here, and because of all the things I did, I felt very connected with both the City of Oxford and Oxford University communities. It is only what you make of it, and I do recognize that I put a ton of effort into finding friends, joining societies, trying new things and going on adventures to new places. It took time, energy, and sometimes money, but that's the experience you're after! It's so valuable! Just try to balance your academic life with your social life, don't worry so much, and you'll be fine.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have any issues the whole time, so this question isn't super applicable, but I do know that other people were treated well. The only reason I put 4 stars is because Boot's (the mainstream British pharmacy) is a terrifying warehouse of drugs with far too many fluorescent lights and I never like having to go in there... Cashiers dressed up in bleach-white doctor's coats like they're mad scientists...

* Safety:

Oxford's pretty safe. The location of the CMRS building is kind of in a back alley, so it's not ideal if you're very concerned about safety, but the biggest "threat" are the teenagers that hang out on the corner of the Coventry building. They're pretty nice, usually play loud music with excessive profanities, and smoke a good deal of cannabis, but I typically try to say hi to one of them whenever I walk past.

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)

Oxford/England is a fairly expensive place to live, but buying your own food, you can get the costs down quite a bit. Even eating out, it's not the end of the world. You just need to budget your expenses.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 70 pounds per week on food and other stuff, not including adventurous travel
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Honestly, Keble dining hall is pretty cheap. But, if you're cooking, cook together! Carrots are something like 6p each Frozen pizzas at Tesco are a great way to save money and feel like you're splurging Pasta is so cheap, I relied on it a little too heavily some weeks... Deliveroo gets expensive as f*** if you do it too much. Don't give in.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • Sense of community at CMRS and in Oxford
  • Academic structure demands self-accountability and motivation
  • Such a vibrant, dense city with incredible minds all around
* What could be improved?
  • It is fast and furious, and the break between the research paper and the tutorials did feel a bit short
  • I recognize that students would be much more inclined to dine at Keble if they had more than £30 to spend, because if you didn't want to spend extra, you'd have to ration it out. I just spent the extra money, like I'd have to anyway if I weren't ever given the original £30
  • Some of the rooms are a little uncomfortable for some people, but I believe they are in the process of renovating the building
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I had wished that Middlebury had given us a bit more guidance in the year before leaving, but being here now, I don't think there's much else they could have done. It's difficult to communicate all those specific things that make such a big difference to someone who is not even there yet... The biggest thing would just be to relax. The program is intense, but it's not overly stressful, and you'll learn how to balance things once you get into the swing of it all.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Research Paper (2)

Course Department: 18th Century English Lit
Instructor: Octavia Cox
Instruction Language:
Comments: I think that my first supervisor (when I arrived in the fall) set such a high standard that I was a little disappointed with the guidance and support I received from my supervisor in the spring, but I guess it was simply a different way of teaching. The course itself was very fulfilling, I thought my paper turned out well, and I was able to tackle a subject that I was very interested in on a fairly personal level, pursuing whatever I thought was most important about the text. Lots of freedom to explore, but I really had to ask for pretty basic assistance and specific guidance when I needed it.
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Poetry Composition

Course Department: Creative Writing
Instructor: Rebecca Varley-Winter
Instruction Language:
Comments: To have the opportunity to write poems on a weekly basis and discuss them onto-one with a trusted, knowledgeable, and supportive instructor is nothing more than anyone would ever ask for when taking a class in poetry. It was certainly more of a personal success than anything else, because it's hard to define how much you've learned, or how far you've progressed, but I came away with so much from having taken this course. Not intended for someone who wants to take an easier course. Writing poetry is hard.
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Chaucer

Course Department: English Lit
Instructor: Alexandra Paddock
Instruction Language:
Comments: Very challenging course, as I was wholly unfamiliar with Middle English and Chaucer beforehand, and my (fabulous) instructor demanded a high standard. I probably learned the most from this course--about how to write, how to read, how to analyze, and about the material itself. Lots of Chaucer was digested in just eight short weeks.
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Shakespeare, Comedies & Tragedies

Course Department: English Lit
Instructor: Ralph Hanna
Instruction Language:
Comments: It's Shakespeare. It doesn't get any better than this. And Ralph is such a cool teacher, with an impressive life history in Shakespeare's world. He can quote so many scenes by heart. The in-class discussions were always stimulating, but the best part of the class was undoubtedly our independently organized readings of the plays on our own time. You can't do it any other way. (And baking together while reading the plays is highly recommended.)
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20th Century British Poetry

Course Department: English Lit
Instructor: Rebecca Varley-Winter
Instruction Language:
Comments: Lots of poetry read, lots of essays written about poetry, lots of great discussion. Becky is such a sweet person, and a truly wonderful teacher. She asks such great questions of you.
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Viking Literature

Course Department: English Lit
Instructor: Antje Frotscher
Instruction Language:
Comments: Fantastic and fascinating introduction to the world of Viking literature, which I was not very familiar with before this course. It is now a genuine literary passion of mine. All the more exciting to take this course in conjunction with the Inklings course, as Tolkien was greatly inspired by these fantastical medieval texts. The Icelandic Reading Room in the English Faculty Library is a gem, and I spent many hours holed up in there poring over obscure Nordic authors from a thousand years ago, alongside many other obscure English literary critics from this very century.
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Inklings

Course Department: English Lit
Instructor: Julie Dresvina
Instruction Language:
Comments: Not too challenging on the academic side, but a really excellent class for some quality reading and discussion. Made perfect sense to learn about Lewis and Tolkien while in their very own hometown.
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Research Paper

Course Department: 18th Century English Lit
Instructor: Emma Salgard Cunha
Instruction Language:
Comments: I can imagine this course would be very close to what a post-graduate experience might be like, and the responsibility I had to take for the success of my own work was the primary motivator. Weekly meetings with my supervisor were a great way to stay engaged and ask questions, and my tutor was immensely knowledgeable on the topic. Excellent month-long introduction into what writing a research paper really should be like.
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