I wish I had been there for longer Past Review
By A student (Linguistics., The College of William and Mary) - abroad from 06/15/2012 to 06/15/2012 with
AMIDEAST: Amman - Area & Arabic Language Studies
I gained a lot of encouragement to keep studying Arabic, because I saw how beneficial it was and all of the people who I could talk to because I spoke Arabic. I also gained confidence in my ability to use the language and to get around on my own.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The program was academically challenging. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff were very helpful and took good care of me, and helped make my study abroad experience go well. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I really liked living with my host family. |
| * Food: |
The food was pretty good, though it was different from home. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I wish that I had less homework so that I could spend more time with my host family, because I learned a lot simply by spending time with them, but it was not always possible because of my classes. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never needed healthcare. |
| * Safety: |
They were very helpful in providing practical advice on avoiding trouble, such as places to avoid at certain times, and we had cell phones so that they could notify us in the event of an emergency. |
| 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) |
I did not have too many extra costs, and I was able to share taxis a lot which helped. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 20 JD |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
We were encouraged to have discussions in Arabic, especially in class, which really helped me learn how to use the language. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Arabic 302 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Spend as much time as possible with your host family. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | I wish I had known to try and make local friends, which I did not do very well. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
