Oxford Brookes University

I stayed at Paul Kent hall, which is a hall mostly for foreign graduate students. It is a bit more expensive tha other halls, but it is new, and the facilities are great: rooms with attached bathrooms, new kitchens that are cleaned regularly, helpful reception desk, and a samll computer room. It is not very far from Uni, and there is a bus to the city centre every 20-30 minutes.

I did not go out much, but I got the impression there was more than enough to do if one wanted to. Oxford is a great town, and it is close enough to London that you can go there for a day, or even for a night out, as there are busses 24 hours a day.

There was really a lot to do in the courses, and many in the class ended up having no life outside the classroom. It is important to relax, it even contributes to better grades! So get out and do something. I started doing tae kwon do, and got to know even more people, mostly English this time, and I still keep in touch with them. Also try to travel a bit around England. To my great shame, I have only been to Lond twice in 6 months, which is a bit sad.

I did not have any trouble with the language of instruction, as I have worked and studied in English before. But some people in the class did not speak much English, and that was a problem sometimes, as we had quite a lot a group assignments and discussions. So if your English is good, be prepared to correct everyone else's papers, and allow for misunderstandings during seminars. It can be irritating at times, but if you keep your sense of humour, it can be interesting.

It is a good idea to invest in a computer before coming to Brookes, as the computer facilites are quite cramped. I had to rent a computer on several occasions so I could hand in papers on time! Housing is expensive in Oxford (about the same as in London), so come prepared, especially if you plan on renting a flat on your own. I worked 9 hours every Saturdays in a store. Part-time jobs are easy to find, and foreign students can work up to a certain number of hours a week (15-20?) without paying income taxes.