Study Abroad Advice/Tales of Your Experience

Parents Forum
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<p>I'm looking for input on study abroad in college. I'm assuming most students love it but I want to hear any and all stories and what you think of study abroad in general. I welcome any advice or hints of what to do and not to do, your experience or your student's. </p>

<p>My son is looking at the Oxford program through his school (half year), so anyone with specific information about Oxford would be welcome. (The kind of stuff you can't get from their website) I did a search here and didn't come up with much. He is also doing a six week study abroad this summer in France.</p>

<p>We've never been to Europe so we aren't much help.</p>

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<p>Speaking as an Oxford graduate, the heart of the Oxford experience lies in what we would call "extracurricular" activities. They tend to be more intense, totally student- run affairs, and it is there, rather than in your residence or your tutorials/lectures, that you make friends and find folks who share your passions. Take the lightest academic load possible (probably impossible, because everything is very standardized), and spend time dancing, singing, learning about Greek coins or the latest issues in neurobiology, writing for the paper, punting on the Thames, playing church organs, doing brass rubbings, trekking, traveling (student travel in Europe can be extremely cheap and there are inexpensive destinations like Greece), and going to tea.</p>

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<p>lizschup -- I spent a year in England oh so long ago and, on the same program, my daughter spent a year in Italy. It is definitely worth doing. I envy your son his upcoming experience(s). What I loved about it was that it made me question so many things we take for granted, even little things like how tickets are collected on the bus, or how our stores are organized, or what we put on tv, to bigger things such as how much of our time we devote to work and how we absorb different cultures. There are so many different ways to do things in the world. My daughter also loved it, of course, because she learned a language and got to eat all that wonderful food!</p>

<p>My advice would be for your son to do the longer program if possible. I actually recommend a full year, if available. But at least the semester program will be in an English speaking country (sort of:) ) so he can adapt quickly. It's just that at some point you switch from being a tourist to feeling part of the country (and resenting the tourists, just like the natives:) The other advice would be to live with the non-American students if possible and not to get isolated in a miniature version of his college transplanted overseas. This depends on the program, but I always feel it is a shame for students to travel so far only to take classes with professors from home, with students from home, and live in a building owned by the university from home.</p>

<p>I don't remember his field of study, but I've heard that for students in the sciences, it's good to save some general ed requirements to take abroad, because it is more difficult to find matching science sequences. But I'm sure he will get advising on that. Hope that helps!</p>

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<p>Mini,
Can study abroad students get involved in all those things or is it specifically for the full time students? And do you know how competitive choirs or theater productions are?</p>

<p>Sac,
Yes we envy him too. My daughter said, "You mean he gets to go twice in one year and you've never been?" Hopefully if all goes as planned we'll get our turn. His major is an Interdisciplinary Project in Humanities. Don't ask me to explain it because I'm still not straight on it. He thinks it is a good fit for Oxford and is excited about the tutorial method of studying. He'll be there for two of the three sessions.( I don't know what they're called - trimesters?)
Thanks for your responses.</p>

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<p><<my advice="" would="" be="" for="" your="" son="" to="" do="" the="" longer="" program="" if="" possible.="" i="" actually="" recommend="" a="" full="" year,="" available.="" but="" at="" least="" semester="" will="" in="" an="" english="" speaking="" country="" (sort="" of="" )="" so="" he="" can="" adapt="" quickly.="" it's="" just="" that="" some="" point="" you="" switch="" from="" being="" tourist="" feeling="" part="" (and="" resenting="" tourists,="" like="" natives="">></my></p>

<p>That's absolutely right, and it's why I also recommend that your S go for the longest time available. I went abroad for a year in college soooo many years ago, and it remains one of my most vivid and fond memories. I remember feeling very sorry for the people that had to return after 1 semester. My only advice would be to just go there with a completely open mind and soak everything in. Don't be afraid of looking like a "tourist" at first, because he WILL be a tourist for awhile. But fairly soon, particularly if he makes the effort to socialize and not just hang with the other americans, he will make a wonderful transformation. </p>

<p>Your son should also be aware that he will in all likelihood come into contact with some anti-Americanism, which can be a little jarring. Everyone learns to deal with it in their own way. I more or less just ignored it unless the other party refused to let it go. Now it's Iraq and Afghanistan, back then it was El Salvador and MX missles. Sigh. </p>

<p>I just can't say enough about spending significant time abroad when your schedule is flexible enough to allow it. ONe of the few "absolute" issues I have with my S as he begins the college search process is that the college he chooses needs to have some study abroad programs. I can't make him go, but I can at least make sure he attends a school that gives him the option.</p>

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<p>"Can study abroad students get involved in all those things or is it specifically for the full time students? And do you know how competitive choirs or theater productions are?"</p>

<p>If he is enrolled at the University of Oxford, he IS a full-time student. Each of the colleges has a choir, so if he is in an American-ancillary program, he will need to make an effort to attach himself to one of the colleges. There are also the Oxford Bach Choir, and the University Choir or some such, which are by audition. To get a real taste of things, he should find a way into one of the college choirs. (the most competitive are New College, Magdalen, and Christ Church; some of the others go begging for singers.) But the university-wide societies are fun, too. And there are HUNDREDS of little music groups.</p>

<p>Many of the individual colleges have their own theatrical societies. Some of them, like the one at my college (Worcester), are rather famous. Others are more amateurish. There is a Gilbert and Sullivan Society. The Oxford Rep. is very competitive (that's where Richard Burton got his start). And lots and lots and lots of smaller theatre groups.</p>

<p>Oxford has 8-week "terms" - there's Michaelmas, Hilary, and Trinity terms (they are named after the 3 terms of the law courts); there used to be 6-week periods between, which is when you get to do your major travel. You take the hovercraft to the continent and hitch, or get a Eurail pass, and go from hostel to hostel (ah, those were the days.)</p>

<p>If he is at all athletic, he should learn to play cricket!</p>

<p>I second the idea that he should go for as long as possible. After two years, I just began to feel like I was getting settled! Which U.S. institution is he attached to? I know Williams has a long-standing Williams at Oxford program, tied to Exeter College.</p>

<p>It will be a great experience! Mine is planning a year in Florence (though this summer she is planning to go back to South India, with a little side trip to Pnom Penh.)</p>

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<p>Mini,
He is at Wash U and I'm pretty sure it is an ancillary program called OPUS. There is also one for Keebler College. I thought you went to Williams. Did you transfer to Oxford or were you a Rhodes scholar? Thanks again, you all make it sound so exciting!</p>

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<p>Well, it is exciting. It's just hard to explain WHY it's so exciting -- one of those "you have to do it to fully understand" situations. He'll have a great time!</p>

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<p>Iderochi,
Where did you go and was your senior year (I'm assuming you went as a junior) tough to come back to after being away?</p>

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<p>lizschup, </p>

<p>I Went to Northern England -- Bradford University in West Yorkshire. I loved it, but it's sort of a joke with English people when I tell them. Bradford does not have the greatest reputation amongst the British. The city itself wasn't that great (an industrial city far past its prime), but it had a lot of great pubs and clubs and more curry houses per square block than Bombay. It was centrally located, which made for some great weekend getaways (Whitby, Scarborough, York, Blackpool, the Lake District, the Dales). Bradford was also in a very politically radical area -- our Student Union President (a very nice guy) ran on the Worker's Militant Socialist Party ticket or some such, and he was on the moderate side for Bradford -- so I may have had to deal with a bit more anti-Americanism than might exist at Oxford. </p>

<p>Re-entry wasn't really difficult as much as it was somewhat lonely. I'm sure I was a complete bore with my friends, going on and on about my incredible year, and it was difficult not being able to really share my memories with anybody. Well, that's not really true. People were interested, just not as much as I wanted them to be! Frankly, my Senior year was pretty much a "let me out of here, I'm ready" situation. But I was able to stay in touch with some of my fellow study abroad folks via postcard and phone (the days before the Internet -- how did we survive?), and a few of them are still my very good, if long-distance, friends now 22 years on. </p>

<p>One more piece of advice -- if your S is planning on going to Grad School or professional school down the road, make sure that the procedure for his grading in his year abroad is well established. In my case, I was part of a foreign exchange program between my school and Bradford, and it was the first year of the program. Nobody really thought about grading, exams, etc., and my school really didn't know what to do -- so they gave me a "Pass" on my Bradford classes. 30 HOURS of Pass/Fail in my Junior year! Try explaining that on a Law School application. But it all worked out.</p>

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<p>I spent my junior year abroad studing at Uppsala University, Uppsala Sweden. I had the time of my life, mostly traveling around Europe with friends. I still count two of my best friends as the girls I hitchhiked thru Europe with. Uppsala is a beautiful small town about 45 min. north of Stockholm. It is a university town, which has a rich history as the original government center of Sweden during the Viking period. There is a really neat viking graveyard just outside of town. The first summer we were there we took classes to learn Swedish and by the second semester I had two classes in Swedish. We lived in very modern student housing, I had my own room and bathroom on a floor with a shared kitchen. There are so many tales to tell, I don't even know where to begin. I learned so much, and not necessarily in the classroom. Studying abroad is the best thing for learning about different cultures and meeting people. I am strongly encouraging my DD to go abroad. Her school has programs all over the world. She has an excellent base in French ( she went up to French 6 in HS, taking both the AP Language and Lit tests, just finished her first semester of University French with an A) and could really put it to good use on a Junior year abroad.</p>

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<p>My son spent a year abroad at the London School of Economics (LSE). It was a very good experience, excellent teaching, and a chance to experience a very different but very urban life from his regular college experience in Chicago. London was also a very good jumping off place for travel in the British Isles and on the continent.</p>

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<p>My S hasn't gone yet, but is in the process of setting up study abroad for next year. Imagine my surprise when he informed us that he'll probably spend the summer in Siberia..yes you heard me right, followed by a semester in ST. Petersburg. The summer will be further language acquisition study and the fall will be a traditional semester program. In that he goes to the U of Chicago, a semester abroad, at least in the fall, only costs him 1 quarter at school, so he'll be back on camous for 2/3 of his junior year. Have any of you had kids go to places where you are more concerned about their safety? The post-summer, pre-fall travel through Asia, ending up in Uzbekistan, was last night's plan...ahhhhhh.....</p>

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<p>I'm at Oxford now, and I wouldn't say that the anti-American feeling here is particularly bad. I am British, so maybe I can't tell, but on the whole people here are open minded enough to be able to differentiate between a government they dislike (and not everyone here dislikes it anyway), and an individual American. </p>

<p>That said, what your son will probably experience is people asking him many many MANY questions about a) the age at which it is legal to drink in America, and b) American football, the rules of which are simply incomprehensible to us ;)</p>

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<p>Mini,
He is at Wash U and I'm pretty sure it is an ancillary program called OPUS. There is also one for Keebler College. I thought you went to Williams. Did you transfer to Oxford or were you a Rhodes scholar? Thanks again, you all make it sound so exciting!"</p>

<p>I had the equivalent of a Rhodes Scholarship, but specifically tied between Williams and Worcester.</p>

<p>Do you mean "Keble College"? If so, that's terrific. It is wonderfully located, two blocks from the center of Oxford, across from the paleontology institute and museum. It was built in the 19th Century by Butterfield, as a religious reformers' place, in extremely decorative red brick, with the longest "hall" (dining room) at Oxford, with a magnificent chapel, and the finest English religious painting (Holman Hunt's "Light of the World") of the 19th Century hidden away in its side. </p>

<p>Here are some pictures:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.keble.ox.ac.uk/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.keble.ox.ac.uk/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>
[QUOTE]
I'm at Oxford now, and I wouldn't say that the anti-American feeling here is particularly bad. I am British, so maybe I can't tell, but on the whole people here are open minded enough to be able to differentiate between a government they dislike (and not everyone here dislikes it anyway), and an individual American.

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>I wouldn't say Oxford/England is very (or at all really) anti-American. Though it might be quite anti-Bush at times. There is an American student society, which has just started since for many years (centuries?) Americans have been the only nationality group at Oxford without their own society.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.angloamericansociety.com/welcome.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.angloamericansociety.com/welcome.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>There are LOTS of year abroad students here.</p>

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<p>Well from what I can gather from looking at the websites last night there are two different programs through Wash U. They are the Keble College and then the OPUS program which is associated with Hertford , New College, St. Catherine, and Christ Church Colleges. I don't know what the difference between the two programs is but hopefully he will figure it out with his advisor. </p>

<p>Their websites are incredible. I've never seen so many panoramics and virtual tours. What a beautiful place. </p>

<p>Where do you stay as a student when you want to go traveling on your own for a week-end or at the end of study. Youth Hostels?</p>

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<p>Youth hostels are great!</p>

<p>Don't know what the "association" means. Much depends on where one lives. If he can live at New College (or is close by), he should by all means do it!!! It is the center of Oxford, the oldest place there, with the most famous choir, and tourists are restricted. Hertford, a more modern foundation, is next door. Christ Church is the largest college, where much of British royalty has gone, and is also where they filmed much of Harry Potter (and has a 12th Century Cathedral in the grounds. But it is the center of the tourist haunt. St. Catz is way off the beaten path (but fun if you like bicycles.)</p>

<p>I know about Opus, and it is said to be terrific. A big advantage in that you take all your meals at the affiliated college.</p>

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<p>
[QUOTE]
St. Catz is way off the beaten path (but fun if you like bicycles.)

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>It's only a 10 minute walk from New. Oxford town centre is a pretty small place. Catz in a VERY new foundation though. 1960s-ish. Hertford is still an old one compared to this. The English and Law faculties are right outside the front door so Catz is a good place for the lazy.</p>

<p>Check about Oxford accommodation. Some colleges may be in the town centre but much of their accommodation could be at another site due to lack of space. This is the case with my college.</p>

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<p>St Catz is not that far away from the centre. St Hugh's College is the furthest away from Cornmarket, which is the pedestrian shopping street, and even that is about a 15 min walk. Oxford is very small!</p>