Hillary Term in one of the Most Magical Institutions on Earth Past Review
By Victoria (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/04/2018 to 04/12/2018 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury – CMRS Oxford Humanities Program
This was entirely worthwhile. My writing and reading comprehension skills improved immeasurably.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Extremely rigorous, with lots of support from supervisors in the program. Be ready to work hard and manage your time efficiently (and leave time to explore one of the world's most beautiful cities!) |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
CMRS is well organized, with junior deans you can speak to about housing questions/general questions about life in Oxford/advice, and administrators who are eager to help and make students feel at home. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing in St. Michael's Hall was odd and wonderful. The building itself is bizarre--its a tall building with many staircases and a somewhat confusing layout, but the communal kitchen and living space is lovely to return to at the end of each day. I had a single, and was very happy with my living space. |
| * Food: |
We have a wonderful kitchen, but things can be pricey. Plan to cook!! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It can be difficult to feel integrated with Oxford students, but the community of St. Michael's Hall is so wonderful in itself! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not have any healthcare related experiences. I know that other friends did, and were able to visit hospitals/doctors quickly and easily with the help of junior deans. |
| * Safety: |
I always felt safe in Oxford and my building. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I gained a great deal from my time at Oxford. While learning amazing things through my tutorials, I also gained independence, time management skills, new friends, and a deep love for Oxford. |
Finances
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* 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 is an extremely expensive place to live. Middlebury does not provide any aid in purchasing food. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 50-100 pounds. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | COOK FOR YOURSELF! This is the best way to save money. Also, do not be afraid to buy in bulk from Tesco. You will use it all during the term |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I had made myself leave cozy St. Michaels more frequently! It seems that my friends who joined clubs like Ultimate Frisbee and College specific choirs gained a great deal from these experiences. |
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 LinguistYou 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: |
Shakespeare II |
| Course Department: | English |
| Instructor: | Ralph Hanna |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Ralph left wonderful comments on our end of term papers. Class discussions, however, felt lacking. I would have preferred more guidance through the discussions, so that we could have spoken about the meatier elements of the plays from the outset. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Oratory |
| Course Department: | English/HIstory |
| Instructor: | Alex Kerr |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Alex is a wonderful tutor. He gave thoughtful responses to all of my speeches, and I feel that I really improved over the course of the term. My one regret is not changing my subjects for my speeches more dramatically during the term and engaging in more research. |
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