<p>I am currently an undergraduate student right now studying political science and history (Junior year). I may have the opportunity to study abroad for next semester, which would be the first semester of my senior year. I’ve narrowed it down to UCL or Oxford. My current university, which is the University of Missouri-Columbia, offers an affiliate program with UCL. This is great because the study abroad office actually knows about the program and can give some good information about it. However, being the University of Missouri-Columbia, it of course is not an affiliate with Oxford. This means that I am left to rely on research found on the internet, which is limited. I have done some research and found that Oxford offers a study abroad program that is known as “OSAP”. This stands for “Oxford Study Abroad Programme”. </p>
<p>The program seems to be legitimate (it is Oxford after all). I was hoping that somebody on here could PLEASE give me some insight on any of the two programs, especially the OSAP program. I am wanting to study politics, philosophy, law and economics. </p>
<p>Oxford is well known for its PPE (politics, philosophy and economics) degree, which has turned out many a prime minister. It’s also got the ‘name’ factor, although UCL is also an excellent university. </p>
<p>However, I’ve never heard of OSAP before, and unless you have found a reference to it on Oxford’s official website [Homepage</a> - University of Oxford](<a href=“http://www.ox.ac.uk%5DHomepage”>http://www.ox.ac.uk) then I would be very wary. </p>
<p>Study abroad is something that should be planned well in advance. You missed the deadline for Butler’s program, but you may be able to apply for Arcadia’s…the deadline was February 1, but they may be nice enough to accept a late application if you submit it immediately.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about the OSAP program, but there are a few things on its website that are red flags to me. </p>
<p>E.g. Students study for 12-13 weeks a term (almost a semester) in one-on-one tutorial courses with 14-18 meetings a term. As a result almost any academic subject may be studied.</p>
<p>This suggests that you won’t be taught the standard Oxford curriculum for your subject - Oxford terms are 8 weeks long. It sounds like you’ll be taught a ‘special’ course for Study Abroad students.</p>
<p>Also, OSAP has made it possible for students of academic distinction, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher after two years of university, to study in Oxford for one, two or three terms as an Associate Member of one of several Oxford University colleges.</p>
<p>An Associate Member of a college is not the same as a Visiting Student - Associate Members are not ‘full’ members of the University and don’t have the same privileges. I believe Associate Members may not be able to borrow books from Faculty libraries. I would strongly suggest you check out the difference between Associate Membership and Visiting Student status in case you get stung. I know that at my college JYA students had Visiting Student status and had all the privileges UK students had.</p>
<p>Things like the above may not result in a lesser experience at Oxford - but they mean you won’t have the same experience as British students at Oxford.</p>
<p>OSAP doesn’t look like a good idea. Go on a real exchange as a visiting student to any other university - it will be much better. Especially UCL.</p>
<p>I’m also considering study abroad in Oxford and UCL, and I was wondering if anyone knows how hard it is to get into either of the programs? I already sent my applications and everything, I’m just curious as to how likely it is that I’ll be going there next semester.</p>
<p>CAVEAT: This “Oxford Study Abroad Programme” has no official affiliation with the University of Oxford whatsoever. (I should know, I was a student representative at Oxford until last year and I’ve spent waaay too much time in committees dealing with this kind of stuff).
From a quick glance at their website, this basically seems to be an initiative of an academic (the “President”) who was formerly at the University of Oxford. He has a deal with four colleges where he gets his students “Associate Membership”. That doesn’t - repeat - DOESN’T make you a student/member of the University.
People on exchange semesters who are correctly enrolled in the University are called “Visiting Students” - look out for this at [Homepage</a> - University of Oxford](<a href=“http://www.ox.ac.uk%5DHomepage”>http://www.ox.ac.uk) to find out about the procedures involved.
But with this “Associate Membership”, you are basically at the mercy of your college which might give you a few tutorials but will probably just be happy to take your cash. The faculty/department has no obligation to allow you to participate in seminars/classes, and you’re not even officially allowed to attend University lectures (though in all honesty, no one ever checks as long as you’re of student age).<br>
But this is the kind of thing which looks a bit bad on a CV whenever someone finds out that you claim to have been on a semester abroad at Oxford but were never an officially registered Visiting Student. I’d advise against it.</p>