A great place to go for biochemistry! Past Review
By A student (Biochemistry, Wellesley College) - abroad from 10/05/2015 to 06/20/2015 with
University of Oxford - Visiting Students
Oxford is a great place to go for biochemistry. You get much more depth in each subject than you generally get from Wellesley
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. |
It took a bit of time to get the hang of the oxford style of teaching - it's a bit disorganized, and at first it was somewhat difficult to find out exactly what is expected of you. But once that's settled, the classes are always fascinating, and tutors are helpful and demanding. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
As I said, preparations for your arrival are somewhat disorganized, but with patience everything eventually falls into place :) |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Good, on college accomodations (at St. Anne's college). The only issue was that for this year, they put all of the visiting students together, making it more difficult to meet the non-visiting students at St. Anne's. |
| * Food: |
No mean plan, so you can cook, eat at the cheap (and tasty) dining hall, or eat out. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have any health issues, but they seemed alright based on friends' experiences. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe walking around the town. |
| 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) |
England is definitely a pricey place, and Oxford is no exception |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook rather than eat out. Avoid getting a monthly phone plan (I got a sim card with a pay-as-you-go plan and paid 10 pounds, which lasted me for the year; oxford has wifi everywhere, so no need for a data plan). Shop from secondhand shops (including cookware!). |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | Not to spend so much time worrying about lectures - unless you're taking exams, they only exist for your own benefit, and you won't be graded on information from them. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
