Amazing! Past Review
By A student (University of North Dakota) - abroad from 01/06/2012 to 05/07/2012 with
American College of Norway (ACN): Moss - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned what it means to be an American and what it means to be a Norwegian. It was incredibly worthwhile. I am so glad that I did it!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Courses were more geared towards Norwegian students so the grading scale was adjusted to their reading and writing level as English is their second language. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Administrative staff was incredibly friendly and helpful! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was wonderful. Staff was very helpful but would at times come at inappropriate hours. |
| * Food: |
Students bought their own groceries and prepared their own meals. It would have been nice if a meal plan was offered so that it was easier for Americans to get to know the Norwegian students as well as try some Norwegian foods. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
A Norwegian language course should have been offered. Also, I think the cultural integration experience would have been much better if American students had been roomed with Norwegians instead of other Americans. My roommate and I both requested Norwegian roommates but instead the Americans were all roomed together which made it easier for us to stay in our comfort zones with one another. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't really have any huge health issues but when I did get sick I just walked to the local clinic and recieved the medicine I needed no problem. |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
Living on a student's budget was easy so long as you were willing to make some sacrafices. My diet changed completely so that I could save money. I ate mostly bread and pasta and cut out on most processed foods. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $20-30 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't get a cell phone, always bring your student ID to get a discount on transportation, pasta, apples, and carrots are super cheap staple foods. Buy as much food as you can that is First Price brand. Cut out pop, sweets, and processed foods from your diet as much as you can. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | When you study abroad in Europe, alcohol is a huge part of the culture. This was a hard adjustment for me since it is against my convictions to drink with the intention of getting drunk. I had some difficulty finding friends who would want to hang out sober. I also wish I knew more about how I could save money. When I went over there I packed all of my toiletries and some food because I was told that EVERYTHING was insanely expensive. It turned out that there are lots of affordable options and I created a huge hassle for myself that I didn't have to. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
International Politics |
| Course Department: | Politics |
| Instructor: | Tito Correa |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Professor was late everyday by at least a half hour and sometimes up to 45 minutes. Other advisors would have to come in to administer his quizzes. When he was present to give his quizzes, he allowed everyone to visit and many people cheated. The paper that students handed in was never returned and no feedback was given. He also lost a good majority of students' quizzes so many did not recieve them back. It is unclear how he graded the students' quizzes that were lost. Course was not challenging at all and did not encourage students to study or try at all. |
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