Learned a lot about British culture while making some great friends! Past Review

By (International Relations And Global Studies, Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/16/2011 to 01/28/2011 with

University of St. Andrews: St. Andrews - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Looking back, I'm not sure if I would have studied at St. Andrews for my Febmester. I think that I would have really enjoyed doing a backpacking trip in Asia or South America because I had spent time in Europe before doing my Febmester and it would have been great to try something different. I made some really great friends, that I still keep in touch with, and I learned a lot about the differences of the British and American education systems through studying at St. Andrews and conversations with my friends.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Because I was taking large, first-year lecture classes, I felt minimally challenged. I had little coursework and a large exam at the end of the semester for each of my courses.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I applied for direct enrollment at St. Andrews so there was no on-site administration of my program. Even though I was only there for a semester, I was treated as if I was a 4-year student.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was really lucky that I loved the people that I lived with but my living arrangement at St. Andrews could have been very difficult. I, as well as the other Middlebury students studying there, were placed into the David Russell Apartments, which is not very conducive to meeting people. Each individual hall has a key card so the people that you live with (5 people on the hall) are the ones that you see most.

* Food:

I think it was different at other halls at St. Andrews, but the DRA dining hall had a very minimal selection. The salad bar was limited and there was usually only 3 meal options: a meat, a fish, and a vegetarian option. In addition, each student was only allowed one piece of fruit and one drink. I felt like I did not get the nutritional food value that I needed while I was there.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

St. Andrews is an interesting place because it is very international. Because of this, I felt like I was in an American/British enclave in the middle of rural Scotland. I did not come across many student organizations on campus that worked in the community or with community members. I traveled to Edinburgh a few times, but I think that I would have benefited from leaving St. Andrews more to visit other parts of Scotland.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never needed to visit the hospital, but I know from the experience of some of my American friends that they found the healthcare in Scotland to be pretty good. Unfortunately, St. Andrews typically refers students to the hospital in town, which is far and also requires an appointment that might not be at a convenient time. There was an STD clinic open once a week provided by the University and I think that this was a really efficient and safe option for a lot of people.

* Safety:

I found St. Andrews to be a very safe place. It is small and I never heard of an instance in which someone felt as if they were in danger. I lived about 15 minutes away from town by foot and I felt that I could walk myself home at night without feeling unsafe.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

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 ended up being able to budget myself to around 50 pounds a week but it was very difficult. There is a large nightlife at St. Andrews and it is very expensive to go out. Because I spent a lot of money on going out with friends, I had little money to go out to dinner or take trips to Edinburgh or other places. Also, the exchange rate was a lot more difficult to manage than I thought. Things are already expensive in St. Andrews and with the exchange rate they were even more expensive. There were some months where I had to ask for some extra money from my dad.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 50-60 pounds.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? If planning trips, plan them in advance when train prices are low. In terms of going out, only take out as much as you're willing to spend before leaving the house.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* 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?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • My friends
  • The landscape
  • Reading week
* What could be improved?
  • More on-site support for exchange students
  • Different living arrangements for exchange students
  • The food
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish that I had known that I would have found little on-site support at the school. Aside from not having exchange student support, there is little support for 4-year students at St. Andrews in your first year. When registering for classes I went to a large computer lab and was shuffled from one faculty member to another. At the end of it all, I'm not even sure the name of my "adviser." At times, I really needed to speak with someone about my coursework and I felt that I was unable to because there was no emphasis on advising.

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:

AH1001: The Art of the Renaissance in ITaly and Northern Europe

Course Department: Art History
Instructor: Varied
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This was probably my favorite class while at St. Andrews. We had one essay, one presentation, two tests, and one final exam. I found that content to be interesting, but I did not find that I needed to do outside work to prepare for class or the discussion section. The discussion section, in reality, was really just student presentations or my tutor's lecture. I really love to participate in discussion but I did not find that this was feasible in either lecture or the discussion section. Although I found that to be unfortunate, I did really enjoy doing the presentation and the paper. We also took a trip to Edinburgh to go to the national museum there. This could have been a great trip, but we did not look at many relevant pieces of work from the course so it was difficult to relate it back to our study. We were assessed on those few pieces of coursework and not participation or attendance. This was different to how I was assessed in high school and now at Middlebury. It was hard for me to feel the pressure of only performing well on coursework and not anything else.
Credit Transfer Issues: No.
Course Name/Rating:

EN1003: Ghosts and Doubles: Introduction to Nineteenth-and Twentieth-Century Literature

Course Department: English
Instructor: Nicholas Roe and others
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I found this class to be challenging. Unlike Art History, I needed to do outside work to prepare for class. I really loved Nicholas Roe as my tutor. Unfortunately, as a first-year at St. Andrews you cannot pick your tutor but I happened to end up with one that I really liked. The discussion sections were always really great because it was up to the students to shape the conversation. I found that I had an easier time contributing to the discussion because I had been taught in high school the importance of class participation, whereas the British education system typically values coursework and exams over participation. I found that there was a lot of reading in this course, but little coursework. For the semester, I had two papers and one final exam. Additionally, I went to all of the lectures for the semester but I seldom used what I learned in lecture on my written coursework and I still did well.
Credit Transfer Issues: No.
Course Name/Rating:

AR1001: Arabic for Beginners 1

Course Department: Modern Languages
Instructor: Dr. F Caiani
Instruction Language: Arabic
Comments: Arabic was by far my most challenging class while at St. Andrews. I had 5 language classes and 1 lecture each week. I also had a quiz every Monday. We also had 2 written assignments, 1 final exam, and 1 oral exam. I liked that there was a lot of coursework in this class because I felt as if I was always working at my Arabic, whereas in the other classes I would work really hard on one assignment and then get to take a break -- usually a month or two -- until the next large assignment. I had a lecture professor and a tutor and they were both very knowledgable -- my tutor was originally from Palestine. I felt as if I did not participate a lot during class because I did not feel confident in my Arabic speaking abilities. Towards the end I felt as if I started to participate more, which helped me better learn the material.
Credit Transfer Issues: No.