Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Broke but Abroad: Sacrifices but Attempts at Enjoying the Experience Past Review

By (Film, Video, Photographic Arts, Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/21/2015 to 01/22/2016 with

University of Nottingham: Nottingham - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It WAS worthwhile because I got to travel and I LOVE traveling and getting to explore new cultures and have those experiences.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The fact that final grades are only calculated off of one exam or two final assignments does not allow room for improvement. Not only that, professors switch half way into the semester making it even harder for students to demonstrate any improvement since the two assignments are graded by two different people.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

LOVED my room and the on suite sink.

* Food:

Military like treatment of food and how food was served, not only that, dinner was said to be served until a certain hour but the hall would run out of food an hour or 30 min BEFORE that designated time. Lunch options were the only good part of food at Nottingham.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Went to get my eyes checked, I was taken in as an emergency case because I didn't have national health insurance. But they helped thankfully.

* Safety:

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

I would choose another country if I could because I truly could not afford Europe. I did enjoy what I could at Nottingham, but England as a whole is just too expensive. I mean I went abroad off of my scholarship with Middlebury.

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 was living off of my summer internship savings, and it was hard. The British Pound makes the dollar worth nothing. Everything is very expensive because of it.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I wouldn't be able to say anything per week because I was on a tight budget so it truly varied and some times I would go two whole weeks only spending 2 pounds.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Bring a lot of money - because the US dollar is worth nothing compared to the GBP.

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? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The focus on the student's development as a person
  • Not as stressful and overwhelming as Midd
* What could be improved?
  • the GBP
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That you essentially need to be well off in order to enjoy London, or just England as a whole.

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 Urbanite
A 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:

Media and Society

Course Department: Film and Media
Instructor: Professor Evans
Instruction Language: E
Comments: The class was advertised as a film class but the subject matter was more politics and sociology (a bit of a let down).;
Credit Transfer Issues: Have not transferred credits yet.
Course Name/Rating:

Communication and Culture

Course Department: Film and
Instructor: Hongwei
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The class was advertised as a film class and yet there wasn't anything truly about film that was covered. Each lecture seemed a bit random.
Credit Transfer Issues: Have not attempted to transfer credits yet