Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

An educational experience that transformed my approach to learning and life Past Review

By (Wellesley College) - abroad from 10/02/2016 to 06/17/2017 with

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

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I have learned to study independently, to write quickly, speak about my work with confidence even with people who are far more knowledgable about the topic than I am. To admit when I don't know something, that there is no shame in this, and to look for ways to remedy this, rather than to cover it up. I feel like I have learned so much, in a new style of learning that I found worked quite well for me. It has been great to spend a year truly focussing on the subject that is my main interest, and to be able to dive into the details and adapt a course to my interest in ways that I couldn't at a liberal arts college with larger classes. The one on one tutorials have allowed me to feel more comfortable talking to professors about their profession and research, and work both on my knowledge and my writing style. I feel like my research skills have increased immensely, and I have had a chance to really explore where I want to go in my subject area, what I would like to research and just what I want to spend the rest of my life studying hopefully. This experience has been especially valuable since I am planning to primarily apply to universities in the UK for my master's. It has given me a great chance to get familiar with the education system, new professors and contacts, and the culture.

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.

The courses were very intense, but that is what I signed up for and hoped for, and the resources were just brilliant. Not having to spend money on books because you can always get them from the library is a great experience, especially since it encourages you to read extra material and pick up extra books in topics you're interested in - as you're in the library already anyways. The libraries themselves were all lovely, and quite diverse, making it easy to find a particular one I liked to use for the study environment.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I loved my room. It was spacious, had everything I needed, and was very easy to keep clean. The location of the house (I stayed at the St. George's Gate residence) was very practical, and I quite liked having a room right above the water, away from the street.

* Food:

The dining hall's food was well enough to my taste, and quite affordable. Food during formal hall was especially good, especially for the low prices.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The combination of a heavy workload and single rooms can make it hard to get to really integrate with the local culture. Through joining clubs and very purposely putting yourself in their environment it becomes a little easier, but English people in general are a lot more reserved than Americans, which can make integration hard. Having visiting students housed away from the college and thus from all the first years who - like visiting students - don't have a very established circle of friends yet, definitely makes this harder.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Overall, I think Oxford is a relatively safe city. The largest concern I would have is for cyclists, as most students use bicycles for transport, and if you are not accustomed to cycling in a busy city, between loads of busses, on the opposite side of the road, I would advice taking it slow initially and being very careful. Wearing a helmet is always a good plan when cycling in the city anyways.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

I absolutely loved my experience, including all the ups and downs. The support was great, and while there have been moments where I felt lonely, exhausted, frustrated (quite a couple of them, actually) I also always felt like everyone was wanting me to succeed, and wanted to help me. That level of support, combined with the absolutely wonderful academic experience made this program especially brilliant for me, and the experience one that I believe will shape my future work and my eagerness to continue studying and learning, in- and outside a school environment.

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)

I personally found it quite easy, but this is probably largely because I'm both used to working with a very tight budget at home, and I was already used to European prices for most things. While England is certainly more pricey than most western european countries I'm familiar with, the difference was far smaller for me than for most of my American classmates I found.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I mostly stayed below £40/50 - approximately $50/65 - a week
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? cooking for yourself can be a lot cheaper than the dining hall, if you have the time and energy to do so, and are prepared to work with lower quality ingredients available in cheaper supermarkets. Tesco's everyday value items can be a good compromise in price and quality, and with a tesco card you can save up points which can be converted to avios and used to get discounts on flights with particular companies.

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 tutors - they shape your academic experience, and to have such brilliant people supporting you and taking the time to get to really know you and help you, is simply amazing.
  • The resources - the easy access to any text you might want, without having to worry about the cost of books is what makes it so easy to just keep learning and learning.
  • The city - Oxford is a great city, with so many interesting buildings, gardens, museums, pubs, and an interesting history. It makes for a lovely learning and living environment, and I will miss it dearly.
* What could be improved?
  • Communication about course options, and expectations with regards to students picking their courses, before arriving.
  • Integration with the local students - it would have been really great to have had more structures in place to help us integrate, much the way that is done for first years.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? sports clubs are expensive - not extremely so, but for someone with a small budget, it's a lot of money, especially if you're not expecting it. If you want to do sports (which is a great idea by the way, and helps with integrating!) just make sure to take it into account when you try to figure out your budget.