Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Worth it. Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/07/2016 to 04/15/2016 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury – CMRS Oxford Humanities Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It helped me grow as a person. It was the first time I ever cooked for myself. And even though I have lived away from home for 5 years at that point, I felt a whole lot more independent. I learnt that libraries are hidden jewel mines waiting to be discovered. It was worth it for sure.

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.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The Residential Staff Grad Students could have been better.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I loved my room and the European styles sinks in the rooms

* Food:

Our residence was in downtown Oxford where M&S was right across the street and both Tesco's and Sailsbury were fairly close.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Not as much as I hoped. It's difficult to get there in a semester.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

It was easy. I just got an appointment to see a general Md five minutes walk. It was covered by Middlebury's global health insurance.

* Safety:

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)

3

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 150

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?
  • Oxford's Tutorial system
  • location of dorm.
  • Keble College Affiliation - the dining hall is gorgeous
* What could be improved?
  • Residential Staff
  • Integration into local culture
  • Residential Events
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Libraries at Oxford close at 9/10. You can't borrow books out or bring food in. The Library is your life. Good luck!

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:

Money and Banking
Course Department: Economics
Instructor: Alexandra Zeitz
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I loved this class. Writing essays in economics is not something we did for any of my econ classes back at Middlebury. It pushed me to read some classics like Friedman and learn about Economics fundamentals using a very different approach. My first essay question asked what is money!
Credit Transfer Issues: Bec. I am a Midd student the transfer was pretty straightforward.
Course Name/Rating:

Oxford Writing
Course Department: English
Instructor: Camilla Cassidy
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I really disliked this class. The class was fairly student dependent and we had to read a book every week. It was a three hour class once a week and our grade was dependent mostly on one final paper plus a presentation. The supervisor/instructor is not allowed to read drafts. She only approves essay question/prompt. I didn't get enough help narrowing down my topic then I was penalized for my broad topic even though it was pre-approved by the supervisor!
Credit Transfer Issues: I didn't have trouble transferring credit.
Course Name/Rating:

Narrative Writing
Course Department: Creative Writing
Instructor: Rebecca Gowers
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I loved loved this class. Lifechanging. It was challenging to produce 2000 words of creative writing every week, but the instructor gave helpful tips and was flexible with deadlines.She was certainly well-prepared =)
Credit Transfer Issues: I didn't have any issues transferring credit for this class.
Course Name/Rating:

Research
Course Department: English
Instructor: Juliana Dresvina
Instruction Language: English
Comments: It was super challenging, but super rewarding. The instructor was super helpful and incredibly smart. It was a privilege to learn from here. The course is basically three weeks of research and not classes that culminates in a 6000 word essay that constitutes the entirety of the grade. It's worth it though. It certainly made use of Oxford's fleet of libraries
Credit Transfer Issues: No.