Teddy Hall: welcoming, active, supportive and phenomenal. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Since Teddy Hall doesn't have an History of Art programme, I was able to pick and choose precisely what course of study I wished to pursue and collaborate directly with my tutors on the structure of the syllabi. And because it was just me and him or her, one-on-one, we were able to have a beautiful amount of flexibility in scope, style and rigour of the course work. They all worked me hard, but were at the same time understanding.

On-site administration of your program

Again, this score was dependent upon Teddy Hall not having an History of Art programme. I was shuffled in with the other History students and unfortunately was lost among them at several points. Only after repeated and extended pleas to be remembered by the administration of the History department were any issues--such as assigning me any course work for a term--resolved. This is not necessarily reflective of all of the courses of study at Teddy Hall. Just the advisor responsible for the oversight of my academic time at SEH.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Isis Guest house is one of two accommodations provided for study abroad students (also available to normally matriculating students). Richard, the guy in reception and in charge of repairs and upkeep and such is super understanding and really wants to keep the place in shape for us. And the scouts are all super patient considering all the crap they put up with from us both as a group and individually. But I lived in two different rooms in Isis (not a the same time, clearly) and both rooms were lovely. I had my own toilet and plenty of windows and space. It was all very clean and well looked after. Plus it had ovens, one of the few college buildings that did. And college just replaced the oven and stovetop in one of the kitchens. The only thing is that there was never enough space in the fridge and a handful of the other students were appallingly sloppy in clearing up after themselves in the kitchens.

Teddy Hall has by far the best formal hall, widely acknowledged by the whole university. And we just got a new chef who loves salmon recipes, so lots of yummy fish. Pudding was always strong.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Early on I found my way into social interactions with the normally matriculating students. We initially are bunched in with the first years, but once everyone returns with the start of term, things really begin to pick up. It was a combination of a few of the other students making an effort to befriend the internations as well as placing myself in common spaces at popular times and being just generally friendly. It's simple, but gets you far.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The nurse was super responsive, although her hours are super inconvenient. But she has all the information that you might require and wants you to get everything you need both for mental and physical health. The NHS is a fabulous programme and I can't say enough how fantastic it was not to need to worry about paying for all sort of potential healthcare costs. And the JCR women's/men's officers are discreet and always willing to help if you need any help with anything on that front.

The porters are always around and, while generally relaxed, make sure that we're not getting too out of control. And just generally in Oxford there's never too much of a feeling of threat. Sometimes there are some drunken idiots that get into a sloppy brawl on the street, but those occasions are few and far between. Mostly the only health-realted injury or risks were related to either sports or drinking too much. I didn't live right in the city centre and I pretty much never felt unsafe walking home alone at all hours. The only spot that would sometimes be a touch dicey was Magdalen Bridge, though oddly enough only ever on the right side going towards the traffic circle.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I spent probably 60 quid on groceries every week because I only at dinner in college. And then with evening outings and events with a cover charge (including some supplementary lectures), I spent probably about 100 quid/week.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students
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• tutorial structure
• access to unparalleled library collections
• lovely, welcoming peers

• academic advisory oversight
• clarity on what would and would not transfer for Wellesley credit
• n/a

The Academic or Linguist