Oxford opened my mind, both intellectually and culturally. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

An Oxford education stretches each student's individual mind. The tutorial system - with weekly sessions of one instructor to one or up to only three students - means you get direct and consistent individualized attention and instruction, allowing you to not only develop your knowledge of your chosen subject area, but develop your opinion and arguments, informed and developed in defense against experts in the subject of your study. Yet Oxford's intellectual environment is far from intellectually condescending - instructors actively encourage and welcome new ideas and perspectives, often seeking to develop your input, however raw your contributions may initially be, rather than dismiss it entirely. Thus, any hard-working student who does the assigned work with dedication to the material and actively participates in tutorial discussions will have their work duly recognized with high Upper-Second grades, making the grading system very manageable, though getting into the highest band of a First grade will require the student to demonstrate some brilliance.

On-site administration of your program

Pembroke College is a very small and tightly-knit community. Even as a student, I was very familiar and comfortable with our college administrators, as they consistently made the effort to get to know us and be present for us from our first week at Pembroke through to the end of our time, through meetings and gatherings organized specifically for Visiting Students to meet and interact with academic office staff, deans and tutors face-to-face. The academic office staff were helpful and responsive; we were always welcome to pop into the office any time during office hours to see them or correspond with them through email if we had any problems or issues. Tufts obviously has a very strong and close working relationship with Pembroke; I had the impression that the two schools have been in collaboration hosting Tufts Visting Students at Pembroke over a very long and smooth period of time, as both sides were very familiar with the working styles and requirements of the other institution, which made things very easy for us as Tufts students, whether it was getting to keep our college housing over vacation periods, or discussing how the Oxford grading or teaching system compares to their American counterparts.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Visiting students live within Pembroke College itself, alongside other permanent students, mostly first year students from the UK, and Erasmus students from other parts of Europe, which allowed us to be embedded in the Pembroke community and school life. All students have very good-sized singles, with sinks in our rooms, bathrooms shared amongst an average only 8 to 10 students, and ready access to well-equipped shared kitchens, making our living arrangements very comfortable. Pembroke is situated in downtown Oxford, just off the main shopping streets and a minute's walk from two supermarkets, which made getting anything we needed, be it food, clothes or cookware, very easy. Living in college meant we effectively lived in a closed estate, serviced and guarded by Porters, which kept the college safe and made practical matters like receiving and sending mail within the College or the larger University very easy as well. We were allowed to have one guest for up to 5 days within any given week, and could house our guests comfortably, given our large-sized rooms. Oxford is a very walkable city, and Pembroke is very favourably situated in it, making most classes and libraries just a short walk or bike ride away. Being a university city, museums, concerts, theatre productions and nightlife options are plentiful in Oxford, with concerts for classical music and theatre especially being of extremely high standards, even if they are student based.

Food was consistently provided, though the quality of the meals fluctuated. There are numerous eating options in Oxford, including many pubs that serve excellent pub food such as sausages and mash or fish and chips, several sandwich shops, a few fast food outlets, many cafes and plenty of restaurants, whether casual, fancy, or something in-between. Just explore for yourself, or go by word of mouth!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The program directors were very active in organizing activities for us, such as a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, a Thanksgiving dinner in London, and tickets to several events, like Les Miserables, Wicked, Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake and an Arsenal football match. All of these activities were also heavily subsidized!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

As residents in the UK, we were all registered with the National Health Service and the local clinic. The College itself had a college nurse, who had visiting hours in college and was easily contactable. We were also covered under Tufts' travel insurance for students studying abroad.

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

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• Americans
• International Students
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• Local Students