Studying abroad at Oxford enlightens Honors student

Melany Contreras, Honors College Class of 2021

Attending the Oxford Study Abroad Program opened Melany Contreras’ eyes to a new way of learning and a new college experience.

Contreras enrolled at New College at Oxford for the six-week long program and took a tutorial in introductory chemical thermodynamics.

“It was a very intense environment, academically,” Contreras said.

At ECU, students attend lectures several days a week, generally in large classes. However, at Oxford, Contreras only attended her tutorial once a week and it was a one-on-one session with a PhD student.

The learning method was also markedly different. “Usually here, there’s a syllabus, lecture notes, PowerPoints. Over there when you just have a tutorial, you are given reading assignments,” Contreras said. She discussed how since her focus was STEM, she was given a list of topics to take notes on, suggested books to read and at every tutorial meeting, she was assigned problem sets for the week. Humanities students would also be given readings but instead of problem sets, they would be given an open-ended question that they would have to answer in an essay format. “I had to use the knowledge that I gained from that reading and apply it to the problem set I had that week,” Contreras said. “The learning is very much on you over there.”

Melany Contreras spent six weeks studying at Oxford University’s New College.

Contreras picked up several valuable skills during her time at Oxford. “I find myself being curious about books again,” she said. “Now reading has emerged as an interest for me again.” She said that she was going to utilize that in her future classes as well as the new study skills she learned.

The differences between American universities and Oxford started with the application process. Contreras said they don’t care as much about extracurricular activities. “It’s very much heavily based in your academics and your intelligence. I think that’s a very large part of where the meritocracy over there originates, from those standards.”

Contreras recommended this program for any students who want to challenge themselves and grow intellectually. “I consider it to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she said. “I recommend it because you definitely grow a lot while you’re there in terms of your career, in terms of what you learn about yourself, but it is definitely not for the lighthearted.”