Type of housing: On campus

Arranged by: Host university

If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House

Why? I attended Oxford as an undergraduate; now that I have both Bachelor's and Master's degree, I feel living independently would be best.

Personal comments:
We stayed in single-room houses at St. Anne's College, and had access to the libraries at Oxford, as well as the dining facilities at St. Anne's. In many respects, we had all the advantages of a typical St. Anne's student.

Describe host city: Student life dominates the city

Activities, Nightlife, Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment

Personal comments:
We frequented the local pubs almost nightly; in particular, we could be found at the Horse & Jockey pub and the Eagle & Child. Our favorite restaurant was Brown's, and our favorite cafe/sandiwch spot was Taylor's. All of thes were close to campus. The bookstores in Oxford should not be missed-- particularly Blackwell's. We also had the opportunity to study in the Radcliffe Camera at the Bodleian Library, which was an amazing experience. I recommend touring the many colleges within Oxford, and seeing as much of the Bodleian as possible. Overall, Oxford is filled to the brim with terrific spots for both students and tourists.

Course recommendations:
Read as much as possible on 16th and 17th century English History and Literature before arriving... when there, it's often difficult to focus on academics with so many activities available. If you are prepared beforehand, you can better enjoy the best of both worlds.

Personal comments:
No-- the program is challenging and demands a great deal of its students; yet you learn an immense amount in a short time.

Language of instruction: English

Main source of funding:
Family

Other sources of funding:
Personal savings

Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options

Personal spending habits:
Inevitably, things are more expensive in England. Also, there were often times when we tired of the St. Anne's College dining hall, and wished to stretch our wings. Typically, going out is not cheap; but in such an active environment, it's unavoidable. We all just accepted having to spend more money, for the most part, and it became a non-issue after we had been in residence a few weeks.

Food, Travel, Nightlife, Overall, Telephone: was more expensive than at home.

Housing: was the same price as at home.

I wish I had known...
The program hosts approximately 35-40 American students each year, and we really only work with one another academically. I wish there had been more opportunity to interact with international students. We were obviously separated from other international students, and this made it more difficult to know any of them.

In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!