Valuable but not the most enjoyable experience December 14, 2023
By A student (Biological Sciences, Wellesley College) - abroad from 10/09/2023 to 12/01/2023 with
St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford - Visiting Students Program
Due to the lack of information about the program from my home institution, it was not so fun when I realized the gap between where myself was at and the expectation, nor the fact that I could not get enough credit transferred back. I would say that instead of academics, I learned the most about how to effectively communicate to get what I want. I did study interesting topics which I had to write essays on as a STEM student - an experience I won't get from my home institution. I was able to attend lectures within and out of my assigned topics - some are even from another department. It was also fun to explore the collections oxford holds. Overall it was a worthwhile experience.
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I did not receive much in-time feedback or explanations regarding why I was not given the feedback, but other than that I learned a lot. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It is a little sad that we don't get to interact a lot with the local students during class (lectures are big, and we don't have tutorials together). |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
My academic background is not so suitable for this program, despite it being able to offer a lot to students. |
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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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? |
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? | what the course schedule (timetable of classes) is like; what the local students have learned in the previous year(s) and what kind of work do the professors expect; that the grade the visiting students get are fully based on the essays which the local students doing this subject are not graded on; you really need to ask for anything you want if not given because the professors do not know how behind you could be |
