Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Run as far away from this shit show as possible. Past Review

By (Al Akhawayn University) - abroad from 08/28/2016 to 01/06/2021 with

Al Akhawayn University: Ifrane - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Not worth it. I learned that they're shite.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Terrible university, terrible staff, terrible professors except a select few. Possibly the worst 4 years of my life, classes are absolutely useless nothing to learn other than a shit load of homework to appear as though they're actually teaching but they're not. Ridiculous fees and fines for the dumbest things literally there just to steal from students, no valuable knowledge whatsoever

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

No help at all. They're either out of the office, have no clue what's going on or simply don't do the job properly. The simplest tasks like when I needed some exchange credits transferred and after a WHOLE year I go to the office to ask why they haven't updated it yet only to find out they "lost the file in the back of the cabinet and forgot to continue the paperwork" AFTER A YEAR. This happened to multiple students I know. Once I went to pay for books so I gave my Student ID card to the clerk and a couple minutes later he tells me I can't find it anywhere, I had to pay extra to make another one which is ridiculous because THEY fucking lost it. Don't even get me started on the process of adding courses because it's a hot mess and they don't care if you need to take a course to complete your credits, they only care about MONEY.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Overpriced, filthy, full of bugs, not to mention the theft issue in storage or cleaning ladies, that they really don't care about , they'll reply with "it's not our responsibility if you lose your belongings". but IT IS their responsibility cuz they have the keys to our rooms when we're not there. The WIFI is slow or non-existant and I couldn't even use mobile data because there is no signal anywhere.

* Food:

DO NOT GO ANYWHERE NEAR IT. There is an 80% chance you'll get food poisoning. It's often uncooked, tastes like crap most of the time and I guess hair is a necessary ingredient, Idk?

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The healthcare center was easy to get to but no help at all. The doctor wasn't in so the nursed asked me what's wrong and didn't even bother to listen just gave me pink pills that I gave me an abscess.

* Safety:

Possibly the only thing good abot campus is that it's secure at all times so 5 stars there.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

Absolutely not never ever not in a million years NOPE

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I recommend you buy your food outside of campus, it's cheaper and better. The living cost is relatively low.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

It was more like a burden and less like encouragement.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Advanced
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Beginner
How many hours per day did you use the language? 0

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Direct Enrollment

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Campus security.
* What could be improved?
  • Literally everything
  • Administration, staff, professors, programs, courses, housing, fees,
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew it was a stressful shit show university with a terrible worthless degree, I wouldn't have enrolled in the first place.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.