Pressure makes Diamonds. July 08, 2026

By James P (English; LJST, Amherst College) - abroad from 09/03/2026 to 04/18/2026 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury – CMRS Oxford Humanities Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned that there is indeed a much bigger world out there and that I don't want to be anchored in America for the rest of my life. It was most definetly worth while as I now wish to be a true citizen of the world.

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.	It was very hard, but extremly rewarding.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	We would have meetings about it, but I do wish the staff was a little bit better about having more consistent hands on integration activities, especially in terms of checking in on students as a lot people got really lonely
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	who doesn't like heavily state funded health care?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No Don't get me wrong, the program was nice. However, I think I would've really liked to live on the campus itself. This doesn't mean the program was bad, but the more you're in Oxford, the more you want to really live within its walls rather than in a building parrallel to it.

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)	unless you're being funded constantly, it's very hard to live on a student budget as the examples provide here.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	upwards of 200 pounds
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	figure out that Grocery list IMMEDIATELY

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language	i already speak english
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	Fluent
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program?	Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	none
How many hours per day did you use the language?	10+
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants?	hopefully you already know english

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?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Cosmopolitan populaiton in oxford the music the BOOKS
* What could be improved?	n/a n/a n/a
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	that you really should just get yourself involved in club and attend Oxford Union Events more often than not.

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:	Jurisprudence
Course Department:	Law
Instructor:	Javier Gallego
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was extremely challenging, and did not make use of the countries location as it was primarily theoretical and took place within the dorm. However, it was still rewarding in terms of having to stick to a hypothetical lens to prepare one for real legal work and also its location for the tutorials allowed for easy access when it came to our weekly meetings. Sad to hear that Mr. Gallego is leaving since most other wont get to experience his wonderful teaching.
Credit Transfer Issues:	no issues transferring credit.