Immersion in the St. Andrews Bubble Past Review

By A student (Neurobiology and Neurosciences., Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/09/0013 to 12/23/0013 with

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

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I gained a lot of independence while I was away but also a greater appreciation for what I have at home. It was definitely a worthwhile experience, and I would highly recommend it. But it is what you make of it.

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.	Professor were not very accessible, but it was generally easy to retrieve needed resources from the library
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	There was good outreach to study abroad students
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	It was hard to integrate into Uni life sometimes since there were so many study abroad students
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
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)	Things were very expensive, and I often had to buy my own food during the week for lunch and for dinner on weekends
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$150
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Get packed lunches if you can't make it back to the dining hall for lunch. Cook meals with friends rather than going out to eat

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

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local 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?	Location Travel opportunities Exposure to different university style
* What could be improved?	Food is pretty bad
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I knew how formal the teaching and learning style is and how much you have to be self-motivated to prepare for classes and exams

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 Linguist You 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!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Language and Reality
Course Department:	Philosophy
Instructor:	Simon Prosser, Aaron Cotnoir
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The class was extremely challenging. There were difficult and heavy readings, but the material was generally very interesting. This class required a lot of outside preparation. I had 2 papers and an exam.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Metaphysics and Science
Course Department:	Philosophy
Instructor:	Kate Harrington
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class covered a lot of interesting material, but it got a little boring and repetitive during the philosophy of science part. Tutorials were run by a PhD student, and were not really helpful at all. They simply felt like a formality. I had 1 paper and 1 exam. However, there was an abundance of resources for outside reading.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience
Course Department:	Psychology
Instructor:	Ines Jentzsch
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class covered many different fundamentals of cognitive neuroscience. It drew on a lot of interesting studies, and the literature was covered thoroughly by the instructor. However, lectures were very long and it felt like the professor was cramming in a lot of material in a short period of time. The practicals were not very helpful, and the exam counted for 100% of the course grade.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Neural Basis of Episodic Memory
Course Department:	Psychology
Instructor:	James Ainge
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class was very challenging because we had to read a lot of sophisticated literature, but the professor was very good at explaining complex concepts. There was ample opportunity for participation in small group discussions, though they were not always productive. I had a presentation, a long paper and 2 shorter essays for a final assessment.
Credit Transfer Issues: