Philip Miles

Host University: University at Buffalo
Year of Study Abroad: 2010-11

Where did you live? Would you recommend it?

I lived in clement Hall on the south campus. I would probably recommend living on the North campus as this is where most classes take place and the residence halls on that campus are more modern. However South campus is fine to live on as there is a free shuttle bus running between the campuses with one running every 3 minutes at peak times. South campus is also easier to live on when going on nights out as it nearer the clubs and parties.

Which department(s) did you study in?

Geography

How does the workload/classes/teaching styles vary to Sheffield?

The workload was very different as each module was comprised of 2/3 exams, presentation and a piece of written work depending on the professor compared with 1 exam and perhaps 1 piece of written work at Sheffield.

What did you do for fun at the weekends and during the holidays?

I often went into Canada as this is only 20 minutes away from Buffalo and the drinking age in Ontario is only 19 compared with 21 in USA.

I also went to Niagara Falls which is 15 minutes away but the Canadian side is much better than the American side.

During the Christmas holiday I came home but for Thanksgiving and Spring break I went to New York City and stayed with friends.

Did you join any societies or clubs?

I joined an intramural indoor football team, this was a great way to keep fit as the weather in Buffalo during the winter is quite bad in terms of snow and its very cold so you wont be outside very much.

Describe the University/City/things to do

The city of Buffalo itself is very poor, but the university is situated in the Suburbs which are much nicer. I would recommend going to watch a Buffalo Sabres ice hockey match, this was great fun with a good atmosphere. In terms of the University teams the best one to go watch would be the men's basketball. Other things to do in Buffalo would be to go to either anchor bar or Duffs which is where chicken wings are said to have been created and the food is pretty good at either one.

Could you give any travel or immigration tips?

If you book far enough in advance you can get some fairly cheap offers on things like greyhound buses which will travel to virtually anywhere although they take a while to get there. Internal flights are probably the best option although at various times of the year such as thanksgiving the price will be much higher than normal.

Could you give any advice or tips to a student preparing to go or tell them anything you wished you knew in advance?

Be prepared for the winter, the first semester was not too bad but when I returned in January it kept snowing until April.

In terms of things like bedding, international students are taken to wal-mart during orientation week so you can buy things for your room like pillows and other things.

Would you say it is cheaper or more expensive to live than Sheffield?

It is probably more expensive than living in Sheffield; the university residence halls were more expensive than Sheffield as you pay per semester and not for the whole year. The meal plans in the residence halls are fairly expensive for what they are and become a bit repetitive.

However I would recommend having it for the first semester at least until you become familiar with things. Also the cooking facilities in the halls i stayed in were fairly basic so self catering is not that easy.