The Unforgettable Experience January 03, 2023
By A student (Neuroscience, Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/04/2022 to 12/10/2022 with
University of Cambridge: Pembroke-King’s Programme / PKP
I feel like I’ve grown as a person in terms of living alone and making new friends. I have had new experiences such as joining the American Football team and really putting myself out there. While I also had sone challenging and somewhat negative experiences, I think my experience abroad was worthwhile. I met a bunch of people and a few that I will be friends with for a lifetime.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I had an incredible academic experience. Not only did I learn how to conduct independent research through literature reviews, I learned a lot from my professors. While the papers were quite rigorous and required a lot of time, I did manage to have some free time to explore the country (and other countries in Europe). At times, it felt as if there wasn’t a lot of help outside of your professors. At Wellesley, there would be office hours or tutoring resources if some sort. However, because of the different structure, it felt sort of isolating at times. Despite this, every week, my professors provided really helpful feedback and advice regarding my research topics. |
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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? |
The room itself was very nice and I appreciated the bedders coming in once a week to keep things tidy and take our trash daily. However, the bathrooms were, honestly, quite awful. The hallways were filled with spiders, the toilet often smelled, the water would be extremely cold or extremely hot, and the shower was super small (could really only stand in it). |
| * Food: |
I mean… the food in England was quite bland. However, the restaurants and some pubs offered really good food such as pho, ramen, Italian food, sushi, cheeseburgers, etc. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I feel like we were immersed in the local culture especially when the Queen died. Everyone was sort of coming together and that was rlly nice. I felt this feeling again when we were watching the World Cup. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
It was very easy to gain health advice from the college nurse and some of the university resources. I didn’t have to go to a surgery or see a GP so I am not sure how easily accessible those are. |
| * Safety: |
Overall, the city is safe. However, I saw someone getting beat up on the street once before I left the country. Just please be careful and walk in areas that are well-lit. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Given the academic rigor and reputation of the program, I would definitely choose it again. |
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) |
Things were pretty expensive to be honest. However, if you eat in the servery everything is really cheap. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About $500 or more |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Eat in the dining halls provided!! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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? | How expensive eating out would be haha. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
CRIM 3: Two 5,000 Word Essays on a Criminology Topic |
| Course Department: | Criminology |
| Instructor: | Loraine Gelsthorpe |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course was very challenging, however, I wrote one 6,000-8,000 word essay instead of two 5,000 word ones. My professor was extremely knowledgeable and u felt comfortable asking her anything. I was assessed through weekly submissions of my dissertation. There weren’t any lectures that I was aware of, so I was mainly doing my own research. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I haven’t received my transcript yet, so I am unable to answer this question. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
PBS 4: Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience |
| Course Department: | Psychological and Behavioral Sciences |
| Instructor: | Jascha Achterberg |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Another semester student and I were the first ones to take this course as part of the Pembroke College Semester Program. We were able to write our dissertations on a topic for our neuroscience majors. This course was challenging, especially when trying ti integrate lecture topics into my thesis. My professor was very knowledgeable and helpful! He would often ask us very challenging and thought-provoking questions during supervisions. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I haven’t received my transcript yet, so I can’t answer this question. |
