St Andrews Spring Past Review
By Victoria D (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Wellesley College) for
University of St. Andrews: St. Andrews - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
My experience was worthwhile. I got to experience a totally different style of education while taking classes that I couldn't take at Wellesley. I also met some great friends and traveled around quite a bit!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
As I said above, the instructional style at St Andrews is much more independently focused than it is at Wellesley. In some ways, that makes the workload a lot heavier, because professors expect you to find and keep on top of outside reading. In terms of assigned work, though, the workload is much lighter -- each of my classes had 2 papers and a final exam. The grading system is confusing at first, because instead of on a letter scale you're assigned a grade from 1 - 20, where anything above a 15 is a very good grade. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration wasn't very involved, but I got the impression that they were willing and capable to help me if I had needed it. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The dorm I stayed in was really well-located, in a safe neighborhood close to my class buildings and the center of town. The school provided a duvet and pillow, though I did end up going out to buy some warmer blankets (Scotland is cold in the winter!). The only big problem I had with the dorm was the food. |
| * Food: |
There weren't many options in the dorm's dining hall, and the food in general wasn't great. I would suggest that future students consider living in self-catered dorms where they can cook for themselves. On the other hand, there are a lot of great, not too expensive restaurants in the town. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There weren't really any organized trips because I was directly enrolled in the university for a semester, but I really enjoyed exploring the town of St Andrews and the nearby cities. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I didn't have any health problems while abroad, but there was a University-provided health service that seemed to work fairly well. St Andrews is a very safe town, I never felt as though my safety was at risk there. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Probably between 10 and 20 dollars per week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If students plan on living in catered dorms (with a meal plan), keep in mind that there is no dinner provided on the weekends, so food expenses will include at least 2 meals per week. Other than that, I would just say be aware of the exchange rate -- I always knew about it, but it can really surprise you how much you're spending. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Be prepared to take on more responsibility for the coursework than you need to at Wellesley, but keep in mind that this is an opportunity to study in-depth the areas of the course that you find most interesting! Also, definitely take advantage of the town of St Andrews, but don't limit yourself to it. Explore the rest of Scotland! I wish I had done more of this. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Scottish Fiction |
| Course Department: | English 3209 |
| Instructor: | Dr CJM MacLachlan |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The class wasn't particularly challenging, though I learned a lot and thought the professor was fantastic. He really knew his stuff and had a good way of organizing discussions. I probably participated a bit less than I normally do at Wellesley, mostly because half of the class sessions were dedicated to lectures. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No issues! |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Contemporary Fiction |
| Course Department: | English 4406 |
| Instructor: | Mr JD Byatt |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class was fast-paced and interesting. The professor was engaging during lectures and discussions, but a bit disorganized. A lot of class time was dedicated to lecture and group presentations, so free participation was a bit limited. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No issues! |
