A new experience in a pandemic world March 23, 2022

By A student (Computer Science, Middlebury College) - abroad from 10/07/2020 to 06/15/2021 with

St. Catherine's College, University of Oxford - Visiting Students Program

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

I learned a lot about myself. Since it was a pandemic, I had to spend a lot of time alone, and I think I grew a lot because of that. I usually spend most of my time with other people, but being in a new city in lockdown, I had to find things to do. This was hard, but it was also amazing, I found new hobbies and things to do that I will keep with me forever.

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.	challenging (different style of education, required a bit of adapting!)
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:	covid times, so dining was a bit restricted, but they did their best!
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	hard to say again because of covid, but I felt pretty integrated with the town of oxford - there was a lot of independence for me in the city and I learned it inside out over the year
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	it was good! I was able to get vaccinated at the university itself once I was eligible
* Safety:	super safe
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes I love the city of Oxford. I really feel like it is one of my favourite places, and I am so happy to have gotten to roam it and get to know it during such a weird year.

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 is a pretty expensive city I would say - that being said, by the end of my time there I had found a bunch of places that I really liked that were quite affordable.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	I don't know. It varied by the week/what I was doing. I would say somewhere around $100-200.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Yes! Find cheap places to eat regularly - most likely this will be the college dining hall, honestly. That being said, Oxford has a lot of carts and small establishments that are really good, healthy, and affordable - you just have to look for them a bit.

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	Local Students International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students 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?	The City of Oxford
* What could be improved?	Nothing really, the only thing I didn't like a lot about the program was studying Math over Computer Science, but that was a choice I made myself (and I learned through it that I like CS>Math, so it was good in that way).
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Nothing really - I like the element of surprise :)

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 Nearly Native or Trail Blazer Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Mathematics
Course Department:	Mathematics
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments:	So, I did mathematics at Oxford. As a visiting student, this meant taking a wide variety of courses that first and second years at Oxford studying maths would typically take. I took about 10-11 courses in mathematics over the course of the year ranging from stats/probability based math to calculus to some physics and cs related courses like fourier series/constructive maths. The university followed the tutorial system, which was really great. I had a lot of one on one times with my tutors to ask questions and dive into topics a bit deeper. I was assessed on homeworks and collections (sort of like exams, but not really) - I did not have to take the final exams that Oxford students usually would. This was good because I feel like a lot of the courses were very reliant on each other and since as a visiting student we mixed and matched our courses based on interests a lot (not taking the courses in the order Oxford usually makes students), it would make them very challenging to do well on.
Credit Transfer Issues:	nope, it was super smooth