My experiences abroad were life-changing. Past Review
By A student (Business Administration & Quantitative Economics, University of California - Irvine) - abroad from 07/01/2012 to 08/25/2012 with
Pembroke College, University of Oxford - Visiting Students Program
What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was definitely worthwhile. What I gained can be summed up in my Review Title.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Courses were challenging, enlightening, and a plethora of resources were readily available to all students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
A bit disorganized, but they had good intentions. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The accommodations were spacious; however, the bathrooms were poorly maintenanced (i.e. mold growing on the wall). |
| * Food: |
The food was abysmal for the most part. I ate out often. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I could really relate with the English by playing soccer with them at the park. I related with them more than Americans. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
For the most part Cambridge is safe. Just watch out for crazy drivers, since cars do not yield for pedestrians. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $40-$50 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Only bring what you absolutely need. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| 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? |
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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 that I knew common British names for grocery store items, and had better knowledge of British currency. This would have saved me some hastle and time. |
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: |
International Management & Business Ethics |
| Course Department: | Judge School of Business |
| Instructor: | Raphael Silberzahn |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course was one of my most challenging because it forced us to think outside of the box during a business plan competition. Basically, the class was divided into multicultural teams of students, and each team was responsible for developing a business plan and pitching their product to investors. This really enhanced my team collaboration skills, since I had to communicate with students from diverse cultures and different countries such as Sweden and Russia. It also gave me a big picture view of business, as well as insight into the gritty details of realizing a successful business by challenging my team and I to develop an operations plan, marketing strategy, and financial statements projecting our expenses and revenues. Mr. Silberzahn is more than prepared for every class, displaying enlightening and visually appealing power point presentations during class. In addition, Mr. Zilberzahn does an excellent job at bridging the gap between the theories of international business and ethics and practice, by placing students in real-life business situations during seminars. The seminars were some of the most exciting parts of the course, since I got to step into the shoes of a manager or CEO and make decisions about real-life business and ethical issues. Hence, in the seminars the material that I learned really came to life in a tangible way. I did participate more often than at my home institution because all students were encouraged to participate. We were assessed by participation, our midterm and final exam, an individual reflection essay, and our business plan presentation. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Foreign Policy Analysis |
| Course Department: | International Studies |
| Instructor: | Alex Anievas |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course is very challenging, in that the sheer breadth and depth of material covered is enormous. However, the instructor is an experienced, knowledgeable, and published Marxist Scholar, so I learned more from him than I could have from other, less experienced instructors. This course improved my critical reading, critical thinking, and argumentation skills. Students were encouraged to debate, to challenge assumptions made by Foreign Policy Theorists, and to develop their own views on international issues. This was the most exciting course I had at Cambridge. The professors are open-minded, intellectually stimulating, and love a good debate. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
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