American  Section  Alumni  Surveys:  England  (North)  &  Scotland        Table  of  Contents:    University  of  Aberdeen  (biomedical  sciences)  Aston  University,  Birmingham  (international  management)  University  of  Dundee  (biomedical  sciences)  University  of  Leeds  (Management  &  Spanish)  University  of  Warwick  (international  business  &  Spanish)  University  of  Warwick  (international  management)  University  of  Warwick  (economics,  politics,  &  international  studies)  University  of  York  (computer  science)    Students  have  also  attended  University  of  Manchester  (life  sciences),  University  of  Birmingham  (English  literature),  University  of  St.  Andrews  (mathematics),  University  of  Edinburgh  (engineering),  University  of  Glasgow  (molecular  biology),  Leeds  School  of  Art  (foundation  year),  University  of  Leeds  (management  &  marketing),  University  of  Loughborough  (engineering),  University  of  Nottingham  (engineering  &  finance),  Queens  University  Belfast  (biology),  University  of  Warwick  (computer  science),  University  of  York  (biology)        

American  Section  Alumni  2014  Survey:  University  of  Aberdeen  

 

a.  What  university  are  you  attending?  -­‐  University  of  Aberdeen  

b.  What  subject  is  your  main  area  of  focus?  –  Biomedical  Sciences  

 

Academics:  

 

Course-­‐wise,  it's  a  cake  walk  compared  to  the  Lycée.  First  semester,  I  had  Chemistry  for  the  Life  

Sciences,  Introduction  to  Medical  Sciences,  Organismal  Biology  and  Mind  Machine.  Chemistry  

was  90%  review  of  basic  lycée  stuff.  Medical  Sciences  was  mostly  the  history  of  medicine  (which  

I  knew  a  lot  of  due  to  personal  interest)  and  a  few  cool  lectures  on  seemingly  random  topics  

(drug  development/Viagra,  poisons  and  venoms,  imaging  techniques  etc...)    

 

Mind  Machine  was  a  weird  neuroscience  course  where  we  looked  at  case  studies  of  people  with  

weird  brain  injuries.  Organismal  Biology  was  no  fun  though.  It  involved  a  lot  of  ecology  and  

observing  animals  (barnacles,  worms,  crickets...)  which  I  was  not  keen  on.  It  also  had  the  most  

coursework  by  far.  

 

This  semester  is  looking  a  lot  better.  I  can't  believe  it's  only  eleven  weeks  of  lectures  before  

exams!  We  have  so  much  vacation  time  (3  months  summer,  1  month  winter,  3  weeks  spring,  not  

to  mention  revision  weeks  are  practically  holidays  for  Freshers).  I'm  continuing  Chemistry  and  

Medical  Sciences.  So  far  I  am  learning  some  new  things  in  Chemistry  even    though  there  are  still  a  

few  things  that  I've  seen  already  like  NMR  spectroscopy.  Medical  Sciences  has  just  gotten  a  whole  

lot  more  interesting.  We're  doing  nothing  but  cells  and  how  they  work  this  semester  and  boy  

they  are  complex.  The  course  is  almost  moving  too  fast  because  a  lot  of  the  stuff  is  new  to  me.  

 

 Other  than  that  I'm  now  doing  Sports  Science  which  is  alright  but  not  great.  It's  more  interesting  

than  Organismal  Biology  but  not  challenging.  My  last  course  is  Humans  &  Other  Animals  which  

covers  a  lot  of  stuff  (evolution  of  humans,  animal  ethics  etc...),  but  I  find  interesting.  I  had  my  first  

tutorial  sessions  this  week  and  I  really  enjoyed  it.  There  was  no  tutor,  it  was  just  talking  about  

the  course  with  other  students.  We  had  some  good  discussions.  

 

Social  Life:  

 

“I'm  really  liking  Aberdeen.  I  think  I  might  have  told  you  this  already  but  there  was  some  trouble  

with  my  application  for  halls  and  with  the  halls  being  full  so  I'm  at  Aberdeen  center  at  the  Hansen  

with  some  other  students  who  didn't  get  into  halls.    I'm  trying  to  hang  out  with  others  more,  

which  is  hard  since  I'm  not  at  halls  and  my  flatmates  are  not  very  social.  Our  flat  is  nicer  than  

halls  and  close  to  the  beach,  but  you  don't  get  the  true  "uni  experience"  there  unfortunately...  I  

think  I  need  to  join  more  clubs,  I'm  considering  the  climbing  club  or  volleyball.  

 

Most  of  my  social  life  has  been  revolving  around  the  Canoe  Club  (AUCC).  It's  really  a  kayak  club  

though.  I'm  really  enjoying  kayaking,  especially  on  the  rivers,  but  the  best  part  is  how  friendly  the  

people  at  the  club  are.  90%  of  my  friends  are  from  there.  There's  3  pool  sessions  a  week,  two  of  

them  are  more  like  hangout  sessions  and  the  third  is  kayak  polo  practice.  It's  an  odd  sport.  

On  February  6th  we're  going  to  Glasgow  to  compete  vs  other  universities  and  drink  some  

(naturally).  Going  out  with  these  guys  is  loads  of  fun.  

 

So  overall  I  am  having  lots  of  fun.  I'd  definitely  recommend  the  uni  to  others.  First  year  is  quite  

boring  learning-­‐wise  so  you  need  to  compensate  by  joining  clubs  and  doing  activities.  AUCC  is  

great  I  really  recommend  it.  Friendly  people,  lots  of  socials  and  a  fun  sport.  Not  to  mention  

membership  is  extremely  cheap  for  what  you  get  (15£  a  year  and  they  provide  you  with  kayak  

gear).  Stay  away  from  ABDN  Snow  and  the  rugby  club.  They're  expensive  and  are  mostly  

drinking/drug  clubs.  For  those  interested  in  nightlife  I'm  not  an  expert  in  the  subject,  but  I've  had  

fun  when  I've  gone  out,  for  all  that's  worth.  

 

Location/facilities  

 

 The  campus  is  beautiful,  the  Sports  Village  very  good  and  the  surroundings  around  Aberdeen  

fantastic  for  outdoor  activities.  Also  our  library  kicks  ass!  

 

 

   

Alumni  Survey:  Aston  Business  School,  Birmingham      1  .  What  is  your  intended  major/main  fields  of  study?    My  course  is  International  Business  and  Management    2.  About  how  many  hours  of  class  do  you  have  per  week?  How  much  time,  on  average,  do  you  devote  to  studying  outside  of  class?        Have  between  10  and  15h  of  class  a  week  depending  on  the  week  and  semester.    On  average  I  devote  at  least  an  extra  10-­‐15h  a  week  preparing  for  lectures  and  making  summaries  after.  This  gradually  intensifies  until  revision  week  where  I  spend  between  30  and  40h  a  week  studying.        3.  What  are  the  three  best  classes  that  you’ve  taken  so  far?  The  worst?    The  three  best  I  have  taken  are:  Marketing,  Operations  management  and  business  law.  The  three  worst  are:  International  perspectives  in  organizations,  financial  accounting  and  applied  economics.        4.  What  extra-­‐curricular  activities  or  work/internship/volunteer  experience  have  you  done?    As  extra-­‐curricular  activities  I  have  irish  dancing,  The  Aston  women  in  business  society  and  the  Aston  snow  club  society.      5.  Why  did  you  choose  your  university?      I  chose  it  due  to  its  high  student  satisfaction,  high  employability  and  the  well  ranked  course  with  placement  year.        6.  Have  your  expectations  been  met?  What  has  most  surprised  you?      My  expectations  have  been  met  and  so  far  I  am  very  much  enjoying  my  university,  what  surprised  me  the  most  is  how  they  somehow  manage  to  fit  over  9000  students  in  just  one  main  building  for  all  their  classes.        7.  Do  you  feel  like  you  fit  in  with  your  fellow  students?  What  are  they  like,  generally  speaking?      I  feel  like  I  fit  in  quite  well,  even  though  most  are  British  they  are  all  very  open  to  international  students  and  welcoming  and  have  helped  me  settle  in  the  country  well.        8.  Have  you  found  it  easy  to  adapt  to  the  social  scene  at  your  university?      I  have  found  it  very  easy  to  adapt  to  the  social  scene  at  my  university,  during  international  freshers  week  everything  about  living  in  England  was  explained  to  us  and  then  during  freshers  week  we  were  ready  to  fit  in  with  the  home  students.        

9.  How  much  contact  do  you  have  with  your  professors,  in  and  out  of  class?        Our  lectures  are  quite  large  (around  400-­‐500  people)  so  I  do  not  have  much  contact  with  professors  in  class,  however  workshops  are  in  smaller  groups  so  its  easier  to  ask  questions.  Also,  professors  are  always  available  after  class  for  questions  or  for  individual  meetings  during  their  office  hours.        10.  What  are  the  benefits  and  disadvantages  of  your  university’s  size,  facilities,  and  location?      The  fact  that  Aston  is  a  small  university  helps  create  a  more  communal  feeling  on  campus.  The  campus  is  also  not  too  big  which  is  nice  and  there  is  only  one  building  for  class.  The  university  is  also  located  a  short  10mn  walk  from  the  city  center,  train  station  and  main  shopping  mall  of  Birmingham  which  makes  it  very  well  placed.  The  disadvantages  are  mostly  the  main  building  for  classes  which  is  old  and  in  need  of  renovation  but  this  is  difficult  as  everyone  has  class  in  that  building.        11.  Does  your  university  help  you  find  internships,  study  abroad,  jobs?    Yes  my  university  is  very  helpful  in  finding  placements  and  jobs,  we  have  an  on  campus  job  shop  where  students  can  come  to  find  part  time  jobs  and  we  have  one  of  the  best  ranked  placement  teams  in  all  the  UK.        12.  If  you  could  do  it  again,  would  you  attend  the  same  university?  If  not,  why  not?    If  I  could  do  it  again  I  would  attend  Aston  because  it  is  a  great  university,  the  business  school  has  a  great  reputation  and  the  university  is  well  placed  and  being  in  the  second  biggest  city  of  the  UK  is  a  great  experience!      13.  What  advice  would  you  have  for  a  new  student  coming  to  your  university?    I  would  advise  a  new  student  to  find  on  campus  accommodation  for  sure  and  to  get  involved  in  some  societies  as  they  are  the  easiest  way  of  getting  to  know  new  people.        14.  Is  there  anything  you  wish  you  had  known  when  you  were  applying  to  university?    When  I  was  applying  to  university  I  wish  I  had  known  for  sure  what  was  taught  in  each  individual  module  because  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  this  when  in  high  school.  I  also  wish  I  had  looked  more  at  the  student  satisfaction  rates  than  just  the  rankings  of  the  university  because  it  is  very  important  to  not  only  be  in  a  good  university  but  to  also  feel  supported  by  it.          

   

American  Section  Alumni  Survey:  University  of  Dundee  (biomedical)    I'm  a  second  year  entry  into  a  biomedical  sciences  course  at  Dundee  University.  The  first  two  years  of  the  degree  are  general  life  science  years,  which  is  great  because  we  get  to  do  a  bit  of  everything  before  choosing  a  specialization!    I  have  a  lot  of  flexibility  and  different  options  for  next  year:  even  though  i'm  signed  up  for  biomedical  sciences  you  can  switch  up  until  3rd  year!  so  i  can  go  into  sports  biomed,  forensic  anthropology,  pharmacology,  physiology...  I've  got  about  18  hours  of  class  a  week  max,  usually  a  bit  less  because  i  have  8h  of  scheduled  time  in  the  lab  but  we  usually  end  labs  quite  early.    Professors  are  great,  always  ready  to  listen  if  you  need  help  and  very  much  inclined  to  help,  but  they  are  slightly  disorganized.  You  have  to  be  on  your  toes  about  watching  schedule  changes,  deadline  changes,  coursework  changes.  We're  a  pretty  small  course  too,  so  lecturers  and  lab  technicians  actually  get  to  know  you  by  name,  it  makes  working  with  them  a  lot  easier  The  course  is  very  interesting,  but  I  am  glad  I  went  straight  into  second  year  because  I  avoided  a  lot  of  things  on  plants  and  rocks  and  the  earth,  second  year  focuses  more  on  human  things.    Being  second  year  entry  is  a  LOT  of  work,  and  it's  hard  to  balance  being  a  fresher  (first  year  at  uni)  but  also  being  a  Level  2  student  (a  lot  more  work  than  first  year!).  But  the  life  in  Dundee  is  absolutely  amazing,  there's  always  stuff  to  do,  the  university  and  the  union  are  always  organizing  a  bunch  of  stuff,  it's  so  easy  to  be  a  part  of  different  societies,  sports  or  cultural  or  anything  really.      I've  never  met  nicer  people  than  the  Scottish,  it's  just  a  pleasure  to  be  here.  Dundee  city  is  a  student  city,  you  will  meet  people  you  know  everywhere,  and  everything  is  CHEAP  which  is  wonderful,  because  it  makes  it  very  easy  to  do  stuff  (unlike  London,  everything  is  painfully  expensive  there).  Also  the  beach  is  so  close,  and  we  look  out  on  the  sea,  it's  just  a  great  place  to  be!  We've  got  the  best  rated  student  union  in  the  UK,  people  come  from  all  over  for  our  nights  out,  and  there  is  always  something  going  on  on  campus.        

   American  Section  Alumni  Survey:  University  of  Leeds  

 1  .  What  is  your  intended  major/main  fields  of  study?    Management  and  Spanish    2.  About  how  many  hours  of  class  do  you  have  per  week?  How  much  time,  on  average,  do  you  devote  to  studying  outside  of  class?      Between  7  and  13  hours.  The  university  policy  is  at  least  1  and  half  hours  of  private  study  for  every  contact  hour.  In  first  year  that  seemed  ridiculous  and  I  hardly  did  any  studying  outside  of  class.  Now,  it  seems  ridiculous  but  the  other  way  around,  most  of  my  studying  is  done  outside  of  class.  I  would  say  I  could  average  it  out  to  30  hours  during  term  time  and  easily  40-­‐45  hours  during  exam/busy  periods.        3.  What  are  the  three  best  classes  that  you’ve  taken  so  far?  The  worst?    CSR:  Corporate  Social  Responsibility:  It  was  a  class  that  looked  at  the  interaction  of  business  with  the  external  world  (ie  the  society  and  the  environment)  and  looked  at  how  business  could  have  a  more  positive  effect  on  the  external  world  and  still  be  profitable.  It  looked  at  the  methods  that  business  implemented  CSR  into  their  firm  and  even  their  strategies  etc.    Current  Issues  in  International  Business:  it  looked  at  the  interaction  between  business  and  different  issues  like  drugs,  the  legalization  of  drugs,  prostitution,  the  sub-­‐economy,  fracking,  fiscal  paradises  etc.  It  was  a  practical  class  rather  than  a  theoretic  class  which  made  it  really  interesting  to  do  outside  work  and  reading.    Marketing:  Although  the  lecturer  was  annoying,  this  class  resembled  any  marketing  class  I  presume.  It’s  just  an  interesting  world  to  discover  and  quite  a  fun  class.  It  is  very  interesting  and  I  haven’t  met  anyone  studying  business  who  hasn’t  enjoyed  a  marketing  class  at  any  university.    (I  also  recommend  certain  politics  classes,  they  are  not  actually  part  of  my  degree  but  I  have  taken  a  couple  on  the  side,  and  although  it  is  a  lot  of  reading,  theories,  and  work,  I  have  absolutely  loved  them  and  do  not  regret  choosing  them!)    Skills  and  Issues  in  Spanish  and  Latin  American  Studies:  I  didn’t  have  a  choice  with  this  one  and  I  absolutely  hated  it.  I  can’t  really  tell  you  what  it  is  about.  Half  of  the  lectures  were  in  Spanish,  the  other  half  in  English.  Why?  I  don’t  know.  We  did  poetry  and  cinematography  and  I  didn’t  get  the  point  as  I  would  have  decided  to  study  those  things  at  uni  had  I  wanted  to,  not  picked  Spanish.  It  might  have  included  a  little  bit  of  history  and  theatre  as  well.        4.  What  extra-­‐curricular  activities  or  work/internship/volunteer  experience  have  you  done?    I  am  the  social  secretary  of  the  Trampoline  team.  We  supposedly  train  twice  a  week,  but  it  is  not  a  very  intense  team,  we  are  more  about  making  friends  and  having  fun,  whether  it  be  at  training  or  when  we  go  out.  I  also  go  to  the  amazing  gym  we  have  every  other  day,  but  that’s  nothing  very  sociable.      I  am  also  a  volunteer  for  the  Guide  Dogs  for  the  Blind  Association.  They  have  a  society  within  the  union,  so  I  have  met  them  and  started  out  with  them  doing  only  the  little  volunteering  opportunities  they  told  us  about,  but  <I  have  become  an  actual  member  of  the  official  association  so  I  do  a  lot  of  volunteering  with  them  outside  of  the  university.  They  just  send  me  an  email  at  the  beginning  of  the  month  with  everything  they  are  doing  and  I  tell  them  which  events  I  can  attend.    

 Next  year  I  am  doing  a  10  month  internship  in  Madrid  as  part  of  my  degree.    5.  Why  did  you  choose  your  university?    I  didn’t  really  know  what  I  was  doing  at  all.  I  didn’t  want  to  be  on  a  campus  with  nothing  around,  nor  did  I  want  to  have  a  city  campus.  McGill  seemed  like  the  best  option:  a  campus  right  next  to  a  buzzing  student  city.  When  I  didn’t  get  it  and  realised  that  leaving  to  that  side  of  the  pond  was  probably  going  to  be  too  far  for  me,  I  looked  around  England  and  Leeds  and  other  unis  seemed  to  have  a  similar  concept.  I  liked  the  city,  the  campus  was  nice  but  the  didn’t  have  the  degree  I  wanted.  Unfortunately  I  wasn’t  able  to  predict  my  grades  correctly  and  ended  up  getting  Leeds  anyways,  so  that  is  where  I  went!  I  am  very  happy  now  though.  It  is  indeed  a  pretty  good  uni,  a  really  fun  and  busy  city  and  it  is  just  so  easy  for  student  living.  I  learnt  it  was  a  party  uni  the  summer  before  arriving  and  it  is  but  as  long  as  you  know  how  to  balance  your  life  between  everything,  you’re  good.  Plus  it  is  in  the  north  of  England,  which  makes  everything  cheaper,  so  that  is  always  a  plus!        6.  Have  your  expectations  been  met?  What  has  most  surprised  you?      Not  entirely,  it  annoys  me  that  I  am  still  stuck  with  certain  classes  that  I  absolutely  despise  although  I  am  now  at  the  end  of  second  year,  but  that  might  be  because  I  chose  the  wrong  subject  to  start  with  !  But  other  than  that,  it  has  been  perfect.  The  classes  that  I  can  choose  and  the  ones  that  I  do  enjoy  (most  of  them)  are  amazing.  The  campus  is  constantly  changing  which  is  nice  since  it  proves  that  they  are  always  trying  to  improve  it  for  us.  I  feel  like  I  al  really  living  the  student  life  here,  and  I  get  the  feeling  that  not  everyone  gets  that  impression  everywhere.      I  was  surprised  by  how  difficult  it  was  for  me  to  understand  them  when  I  first  got  there  !  I  thought  I  spoke  English  but  I  was  missing  the  expressions  and  slang  from  England.  But  I  caught  on  quite  quickly.  I  was  also  surprised  by  the  way  they  handled  their  drinks.  My  guess  is  its  because  it  is  so  much  stricter  in  the  UK  than  in  France  and  so  they  were  drinking  the  same  way  we  were  drinking  when  we  were  16:  like  absolute  idiots  haha,  but  you  get  over  that  quickly.      I  also  very  surprised  at  how  unorganised  I  ended  up  being  when  given  so  much  liberty,  but  I  think  that  is  the  same  for  everyone.  The  first  semester  is  did  no  work  whatsoever,  I  found  it  difficult  to  get  out  of  bed  before  10am  and  just  became  so  lazy.  And  then  when  January  exams  came  around  I  realised  that  I  had  really  lacked  in  discipline  and  obviously  didn’t  get  the  grades  that  I  was  used  to  getting.  I  think  this  is  something  everyone  will  always  learn  the  hard  way  though  because  you  don’t  pay  attention  when  people  try  to  tell  you.      I  was  also  surprised  at  how  lonely  and  possibly  homesick  I  got.  I  know  I  am  not  the  only  one  of  my  friends  from  the  LI  to  have  felt  this.  There  is  just  like  a  week  or  maybe  two  where  it  is  just  so  shit,  you  miss  everything  and  you  feel  like  what  you  are  living  is  so  different  and  probably  not  as  good  as  what  everyone  else  is  living  at  their  universities.  I  think  it  is  important  to  stress  that  this  is  a  normal  feeling,  and  that  you  should  not  focus  on  the  pictures  on  facebook.  And  also  that  it  is  ok  to  admit  that  at  that  time  you  did  not  like  university.  You  don’t  have  to  love  every  second  of  university  although  everyone  will  say  they  do.  Its  ok  to  feel  overwhelmed  at  times,  sad  and  just  unhappy.  Just  don’t  hide,  go  see  some  and  talk  about  it  with  your  LI  friends,  you  will  probably  be  surprised  by  how  many  of  them  have  gone  through  the  same  feeling  as  you.        7.  Do  you  feel  like  you  fit  in  with  your  fellow  students?  What  are  they  like,  generally  speaking?    Yes  I  do,  although  at  first  I  was  the  only  French  girl,  which  made  me  stand  out,  now  in  my  group  of  mismatched  friends  everyone  is  so  different  from  the  other,  which  makes  it  easier  and  more  interesting.  We  are  all  so  different  (I,  for  one,  am  the  only  girl)  yet  it  just  works,  we  love  each  

other  and  laugh  so  much.  I  think  it’s  important  to  not  think  about  this  too  much  otherwise  you  start  to  get  the  feeling  that  you  don’t,  when  you  actually  do.        8.  Have  you  found  it  easy  to  adapt  to  the  social  scene  at  your  university?      I  think  the  whole  university  system  is  built  in  such  a  way  that  no  one  gets  left  behind  in  the  beginning  and  so  everyone  does  adapt  to  the  social  scene.  And  then  quite  naturally  you  find  your  groups  of  friends  and  then  you  just  stick  by  them  (obviously  you  keep  on  meeting  new  people,  by  the  main  people  are  constant)      9.  How  much  contact  do  you  have  with  your  professors,  in  and  out  of  class?        That  would  depend  on  how  much  like  the  class  haha.  I  think  that  you  always  have  the  same  opportunities  with  all  of  the  professors  (e-­‐mails,  office  hours,  before  and  after  lectures,  module  surveys…).  And  I  know  that  if  you  want  to  use  these  opportunities,  the  professors  are  always  thrilled  to  see  you,  to  speak  to  you,  to  discuss  different  points.  In  my  experience  they  just  love  it  when  a  student  is  interested  enough  in  the  lecture  that  they  seek  to  meet  outside  of  class  and  therefore  they  are  always  available  (emails  can  be  answered  within  a  couple  hours  sometimes!)  and  always  make  themselves  available  for  you  if  you  can’t  make  it  to  their  office  hours  or  something.  They  are  also  very  nice  and  understanding:  I  was  a  bit  lost  at  the  beginning  of  my  politics  class  because  the  reading  was  so  confusing  so  I  met  up  with  the  professor  who  guided  my  through  it,  explained  key  thoughts  that  I  didn’t  know  about  and  just  made  my  life  easier.  Of  course  there  are  also  professors  that  seem  to  not  care  about  their  classes  but  I  have  very  very  very  rarely  seen  that  at  uni.  I  think  the  basic  professor  is  enthusiastic  but  then  you  get  the  amazing  professors  who  seem  to  devote  their  loves  to  you  although  they  have  other  students,  other  classes  to  teach  and  a  life  outside  of  their  job  !      10.  What  are  the  benefits  and  disadvantages  of  your  university’s  size,  facilities,  and  location?    Benefits:  next  to  a  city;  something  like  5  libraries,  some  open  24h;  pretty  big  which  is  nice  because  you  don’t  constantly  see  the  exact  same  people,  you  can  have  several  groups  of  friends;  cheap  because  it  is  in  the  north;  probably  many  more  but  I  can’t  think  about  them  right  now  Disadvantages:  Leeds  is  actually  really  dangerous,  especially  the  student  area,  hyde  park;  can  get  quite  cold  and  windy  (although,  honestly  it  isn’t  that  bad!)      11.  Does  your  university  help  you  find  internships,  study  abroad,  jobs?    The  business  school  constantly  sends  us  e-­‐mails  with  different  opportunities.  Although  I  have  never  really  looked,  I  imagine  so  !  There  are  also  many  fairs  with  employers  who  come  and  speak  about  their  company  and  opportunities  they  have  Because  I  am  doing  a  language,  I  have  gotten  a  lot  of  assistance  for  a  year  abroad,  however  for  the  Spanish  people,  it  was  up  to  us  to  find  the  intership,  they  help  us  with  ther  rest  of  the  paperwork  once  we  have  secured  a  job.  For  those  who  are  going  to  study,  they  sort  that  whole  thing  out.      12.  If  you  could  do  it  again,  would  you  attend  the  same  university?  If  not,  why  not?    If  I  did,  I  think  it  would  only  be  for  the  people  that  I  have  met  and  maybe  the  great  parties.  However  I  did  get  Bac  grades  that  would  have  allowed  me  to  go  to  better  ranked  universities  who  had  the  exact  course  I  wanted,  so  given  the  opportunity  to  study  at  these  universities  I  would.  And  I  presume  I  would  make  very  good  friends  as  well.      

13.  What  advice  would  you  have  for  a  new  student  coming  to  your  university?    Have  fun  in  first  year  because  you  do  only  have  to  get  40%  to  pass,  however  try  to  not  slack  too  much.    And  learn  to  say  no,  this  is  a  party  school  and  so  unfortunately  the  drugs  come  with  it.  I  had  no  idea  of  this  and  I  think  I  would  have  like  just  a  little  warning.  I  think  it  depends  on  what  kinds  of  people  become  your  friends  and  do  think  drugs  are  in  every  university,  but  from  what  I  have  heard,  Leeds  especially,  so  learn  how  to  say  no.  And  also  don’t  take  your  safety  for  granted.  I  still  don’t  truly  realise  how  dangerous  this  city  can  be  but  it  is,  so  if  you’re  a  girl  never  walk  home  alone  after  going  out.      

 

American  Section  Alumni  Survey:  Warwick  University    

Class  of  2008/09  Subjects  studied.  International  Business  and  Spanish    

1. What  were  the  main  reasons  that  you  chose  the  country  where  you  are  studying?    Wanted to avoid French prépa and fac, University life and experience in UK is great, academic level in UK is very good, wanted to make the most of my intl profile, the UK was cheaper than the states (at least back then, its all changing now!)

 2.  What  features  attracted  you  to  the  niversity  which  you  are  currently  attending?  Academic excellence; great campus in terms of accommodation and student life; fantastic sporting facilities; modern and technological academic facilities.    3.  Have  those  expectations  largely  been  met?  Yes    4.  Are  you  very  happy-­‐reasonably  happy-­‐not  all  that  happy-­‐  definitely  unhappy  with  the  academic  program?  VERY HAPPY. some great links with partner unis abroad, interesting courses on the whole, some excellent professors, some interesting guest speakers, and generally recognised Business degree across the UK, and quite simply I feel like I've learnt a lot :)  5.  Are  you  happy  with  the  social  life  at  your  university/host  town  or  city?    VERY HAPPY A very intl context similar to the Lycée Inter, ppl from everywhere come to Warwick, and England is made to foster a great social life amongst students, between sports facilities and organisations, pubs, night-clubs, societies (the list goes on) of actual places and things to do that make it easy to befriend others and have a good time. The English culture is different to the french or US one but easy to adapt to (I find).  6.  Is  your  coursework  challenging  compared  to  your  final  years  at  lycee?  Coursework is challenging but in a different way to the Lycée. You have to manage your time much better because there is no one to tell you what to do and when so when exam time comes, you are very much by yourself. But if you go to class regularly and keep your eyes and brains open, then you will find University to be "easier". The Lycée prepared us very well, notably when it comes to the foundations of work: how to structure and essay, how to research, how to reference, how to make presentations and so on. University won't be as exhausting intellectually on a daily basis but more in-depth long term knowledge that you have to hold on to and make the most out of yourself.    7.  Do  you  have  regular  contact  with  your  teachers  or  tutors?    You have an assigned personal tutor but he is fairly useless. Not much contact with Academic staff outside of the classroom (and even within) which is a shame..    8.  What  extracurricular  activities  have  you  joined  and  have  you  enjoyed  them?      There  is  a  myriad  of  activities  available  at  the  college  level.  I  really  enjoyed  intramurals  because  they  are  an  excellent  way  to  meet  new  people.    9.  Has  it  been  hard  to  navigate  the  logistics  of  your  school?    Logistics  based  around  Warwick  are  separate  depending  on  whether  you  apply  to  the  Business  School  (that  specific  department)  as  they  take  care  of  their  students  by  themselves  and  are  very  well  organised  in  doing  so.  Generally  speaking  UK  unis  and  Warwick  included  are  very  efficient  and  helpful  when  it  comes  to  logistics.  But  after  the  1st  yr  you  must  find  your  own  accommodation  which  is  much  more  challenging!      10.  How  did  you  go  about  discovering  what  you  want  to  do  and  how  to  make  friends?  Through  your  flatmates,  course  mates  and  sports/other  social  activities  you  will  meet  loads  of  ppl,  and  gets  lots  of  ideas  of  what  to  do.        11.  What  has  surprised  you  most  about  your  university  experience  so  far  ?      

How  much  we  change  at  Uni.  You  think  growing  up  stops  after  high-­‐school,  think  again!

American  Section  2010  Alumni  Survey:  University  of  Warwick  

b. What subject is your main area of focus?

My course is entitled International Management and focuses on Management, Marketing, and Finance.

1. What were the main reasons that you chose the country where you are studying?

2. I’m studying in the UK as I wanted to return to an English-speaking environment and it has a university system with a good reputation for a significantly lower price than American universities.

3. What features attracted you to the particular university which you are currently attending?

4. I liked Warwick’s openness and campus atmosphere and knew that there was a significant amount of international students.

2. Have those expectations largely been met?

3. The campus aspect has proven to have its limits as far as access to cultural sites (most people don’t really feel like there’s a need to be near museums or galleries but after Paris it limits chances to discover things on your own). The international aspect has proven more than true in the Business School though the incredibly high presence of French students makes me sometimes feel like I haven’t left the Lycée.

4. Are you happy?

5. I’m unhappy with the course which I haven’t found stimulating and much more number focused than I (and most of my classmates here) had expected.

6. Are you happy with the social life at your university/host town or city?

7. I’m happy with the social life. There’s a division between partying on campus (student union) and the rest which usually happens off campus and you need to take a bus or taxi to get to but there’s mostly a school spirit with the exception of the Business Students who prefer to stay amongst themselves. Through societies and accommodation though, one can easily meet a great variety of people and make great friends.

5. Is your coursework challenging compared to your final years at lycee?

6. I would say that the greatest challenge is time management. The busy Lycée timetable and constant testing made it necessary to be constantly up to date while here there’s very little supervision which I’ve seen Lycée students have difficulty reacting to without trying to take advantage of it.

7. Do you have regular contact with your teachers or tutors?

8. We have several hours of lectures per week though the lecture halls have several hundred students per lecturer so direct contact is limited. There are also mandatory weekly seminars taught by Phd students. There are designated hours during which we can go see them and ask questions.

9. What extracurricular activities have you joined and have you enjoyed them? Had you already done these in lycee or are they new discoveries?

10. I’ve joined a variety of societies here; the only one which continues on a Lycee activity is MUN. Others includ language societies, the Third Culture Club society and One World Week (a student-run festival). The TCC and OWW societies have especially enabled me to meet people with common interest who I wouldn’t have otherwise met through my course or accommodation.

8. Has it be hard to navigate the logistics of your school?

9. With the exception of setting up a bank account upon arrival, most things concerning logistics have gone rather smoothly.

10. How did you go about discovering what you want to do and how to make friends in a new

environment?

Various fairs are often held on campus and most events are well advertised. However there are a significant amount of low-key events at the Arts Center or hosted by societies that you have to keep an eye out for or you’ll easily miss out on them. As for making friends, societies and accommodation does wonders and I’ve quickly bonded with several people though I did initially have difficulties meeting people in my course as they had all met each other during International Orientation.

10. What has surprised you most about your university experience so far (either good or bad)?

11. I think I was surprised by just how many French people study here and I know that was definitely a negative for me as I was looking forward to leaving the Lycee and entering a different culture with different dynamics.

12. What do you wish you'd known when YOU were applying to university?

13. I just wish I had perhaps been a bit more honest with myself as far as course choices go and that someone had really emphasized that you can really study whatever you want as an undergraduate. Too many people in the Business courses seem to be realizing that at the moment.

   

 2011  Alumni  Survey:  University  of  Warwick  (Economics,  

Politics,  &  International  Studies)    EPAIS  is  a  standard  three  year  undergraduate  degree.  The  first  year  is  four  modules-­‐  Economics,  Math,  IR  and  Politics-­‐  and  you  get  to  pick  an  extra  class  in  any  of  those  disciplines.  You'll  have  about  15  hours  of  class,  a  third  of  which  are  classroom-­‐sized  seminars.  The  lectures  are  your  standard  200-­‐people  intro  classes,  though  they're  taught  by  an  actual  professor  which  is  nice.      The  degree  splits  into  BS  and  BA  depending  on  whether  you  specialize  into  Econ  or  PAIS  (this  will  probably  be  decided  based  on  whether  you  prefer  doing  math  or  essays).  Your  class  choices  are  pretty  limited-­‐  each  successive  year  has  fewer  mandatory  classes,  but  there's  a  pretty  small  group  to  pick  from,  and  it's  very  hard  to  take  non-­‐discipline  modules  outside  of  a  language  or  the  Business  School.  Then  you  write  a  dissertation  at  the  end  of  the  third  year  regardless  of  specialization  and  graduate.      The  structure  at  Warwick  is  pretty  loose-­‐  there  isn't  a  lot  of  support  structure  (nearly  zero  office  hours,  mediocre  academic  and  personal  counseling,  mixed  reviews  about  the  health  center).  You're  also  pretty  much  only  tested  at  the  end  of  the  year-­‐  coursework  doesn't  count  for  much,  feedback  is  minimal-­‐  so  you  don't  always  have  a  great  idea  of  how  you're  keeping  up.      Everyone  goes  through  some  form  of  college  melancholia,  but  I  think  it's  a  little  more  pronounced  at  Warwick.  Plenty  of  students  packed  up  and  left  one  day  to  the  next.  Just  be  realistic  about  the  fact  that  Warwick  will  probably  hit  you  hard  and  make  sure  you  have  some  kind  of  coping  mechanism.      On  the  other  hand,  if  you  thrive  at  Warwick,  there's  some  crazy  good  stuff.  The  departments  bring  in  a  LOT  of  speakers  and  events  for  an  isolated  university,  the  societies  are  pretty  top  notch,  the  social  /  party  scene  is  standard.  Warwick  Economics  Forum,  China  in  Focus,  WDS,  you're  pretty  set  in  terms  of  networking  and  learning  about  the  world  without  leaving  campus.      (Which  by  the  way  is  a  bubble-­‐  if  you  can't  decide  based  on  course  merit/feel  of  the  school,  just  decide  whether  you  want  to  live  in  a  city  or  not.  Rankings  are  pretty  much  worthless,  all  undergrand  Econ/Pol  degrees  are  the  same  teaching  content.  Pick  a  place  where  you'll  thrive  and  feel  at  ease.)  Warwick  is  what  you  make  of  it.  There  just  won't  be  any  hand  holding.      I'm  afraid  for  career  opportunities  I  don't  have  much  to  say  about  Warwick-­‐  I  went  into  a  completely  unrelated  field  without  the  help  of  the  school  services.  The  Econ  department  is  nearly  exclusively  focused  on  getting  people  into  finance  and  consultancy.      If  you're  picking  between  EPAIS  and  IR,  honestly  the  only  thing  that  matters  is  your  proficiency  at  math.  Economics  in  the  UK  is  nothing  like  SES-­‐  get  ready  for  it  to  be  90%  math,  10%  models.  If  you're  excellent  at  math  or  willing  to  put  in  the  effort  over  the  summer/first  year,  EPAIS  is  worth  it.  IR  is  a  little  easy  in  the  UK,  the  French  education  system  +  American  Section  History  means  first  year  will  be  a  bit  of  a  snooze  fest.        

 Alumni  2010  Survey:  York  University  

   b.  What  subject  is  your  main  area  of  focus?      The  course  I  am  doing  is  a  3  year  course  in  Computer  Science.      1.  What  were  the  main  reasons  that  you  chose  the  country  where  you  are  studying?      I  lived  for  a  certain  amount  of  time  in  Canada  so  I  was  used  to  the  Anglo  Saxon  system.  Since  Canada  wasn't  an  University  option  I  chose  England.      2.  What  features  attracted  you  to  the  particular  university  which  you  are  currently  attending?      I  had  to  choose  between  Manchester  University  and  York  University.  I  chose  York  because  it  was  better  equipped  in  my  course  than  Manchester  University.  The  town  is  also  smaller  which  i  found  to  be  more  relaxing.      3.  Have  those  expectations  largely  been  met?    Yes  they  have.      4.  Are  you  very  happy-­‐reasonably  happy-­‐not  all  that  happy  ith  the  academic  program?      I  am  very  happy  with  the  academic  program  at  York  University,  because  it  offers  the  opportunity  to  do  a  lot  without  an  impossible  amount  of  work  to  be  done      5.  Are  you  very  happy-­‐reasonably  happy-­‐not  all  that  happy-­‐with  the  social  life?      Social  life  is  great.  I  have  met  some  great  people,  and  I  am  friends  with  great  people,  and  yes  I  do  find  that  I  fit  in  at  this  university.  What  I  find  comfortable  with  the  host  culture  and  the  fellow  students  is  that  I  feel  more  close  to  Canada  than  I  felt  when  I  was  in  France.  But  the  difference  is  so  small  that  it  is  hard  to  notice  it  from  an  outside  point  of  view.      6.  Is  your  coursework  challenging  compared  to  your  final  years  at  lycee?      No,  even  if  it  is  Computer  science,  it  the  coursework  is  not  as  challenging  as  it  was  in  France  where  I  had  to  work  in  two  languages,  none  of  which  were  my  native  languages.      7.  Do  you  have  regular  contact  with  your  teachers  or  tutors?      The  teachers  and  tutors  are  great,  I  don't  know  if  that  is  applicable  to  all  the  other  courses  but  for  my  course,  most  teachers  and  tutors  and  supervisors  are  of  great  help.      8.  What  extracurricular  activities  have  you  joined  and  have  you  enjoyed  them?  I  joined  a  few  sports  that  I  wasnt  able  to  do  back  in  France,  such  as  inline  Hockey  and  snowboarding.      9.  Has  it  be  hard  to  navigate  the  logistics  of  your  school?      With  a  bit  of  organization  no  it  has  not  been  that  hard  to  cope  with.      10.  How  did  you  go  about  discovering  what  you  want  to  do  and  how  to  make  friends  in  a  new  environment?    During  freshers  week  there  are  a  lot  of  events  that  help  students  meet  and  find  stuff  that  they  want  to  do.      

11.  What  has  surprised  you  most  about  your  university  experience  so  far  (either  good  or  bad)?      Lack  of  administration  from  the  university  i.e.  concerning  time  tables,  which  are  a  nightmare  and  seem  to  be  made  up  randomly.      12.  What  do  you  wish  you'd  known  when  YOU  were  applying  to  university?    That  the  weather  was  going  to  be  so  bad  :D  .