Cymru Past Review
By Lindsay P (PSYCHOLOGY., Austin College) - abroad from 09/03/2012 to 12/14/2012 with
Swansea University: Swansea - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
While abroad, I learned a lot about Welsh culture, what is means to be "British", and how America is viewed by the UK. I gained more confidence in myself. I would have never thought that I could remove myself from everything and everyone I know and thrive the way that I did. I feel like I've gained a more worldwide perspective rather than living in my American bubble and I've made friends with people who are just as similar to me as we are different. The entire experience was worthwhile for more reasons than I could put here.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The courses were interesting, the faculty were good lecturers who were always ready to help, and I learned quite a bit. However, not having work until the end of the semester made it difficult for me to absorb the information. But that is a how the UK school system is, not purely Swansea. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were great getting everyone set up at the beginning, but were very unhelpful when I was having registration problems. |
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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? |
While I rate it highly, that has more to do with my own push to make sure that I integrated myself rather than the school. |
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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? |
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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $40 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save, save, save!! Have a big pool built up by the time you go and then budget out. I sat down once I got there and wrote down everything I wanted to do, about how much it would cost, with an estimate for food as well, and saw how I couldn't do everything. I could then plan from there, and my money lasted the entire time. |
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?
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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? | That certain classes and departments would not be available to international students. They looked like they were online and we did not find out that wasn't the case until I had to register. |
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 BlazerCraving 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: |
CY-140 |
| Course Department: | Welsh |
| Instructor: | Rhian Jones |
| Instruction Language: | Primarily English, Welsh |
| Comments: | The lecturer moved quickly, which made the course challenging. However, there was tons of repetition and that helped me really pick it up. By the end, I felt fairly confident in the Welsh I had learned. I also learned more than I had expected to. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
