My Sem in the Philippines Past Review
By Julia P (Business Administration, Fordham University) for
Ateneo de Manila University: Quezon City - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I really like how Philippine education is very heavy on application. I had many groupworks wherein I was able to apply concepts I learned in the classroom. I appreciated my business electives because I want to be involved in the PHL corporate field in the future.
Review Your Program
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Workload - manageable... but heavier than Fordham's grading system - letter system (A, B, etc) professors have high standards |
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Strengths: The program enabled me to choose business classes that taught me finance, mktg, and management from a local perspective Weaknesses: Regular students were given priority during registration. No special registration for exchange students... So if all the slots are filled, you'd have to choose another class |
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived at home. I'm from the PHL and my family lives near Ateneo |
* Food: |
You can dine in Katipunan Avenue. Food is good and affordable! |
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Hmm. Not much. Well, for one of my classes, we had a field trip to Subic Freeport Zone. We had site visits to different industry players |
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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* Safety: |
During the rainy season (June-October), dengue becomes more prevalent. There are some risky areas; just avoid those places. It's usually safe to go to malls |
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Not much... Maybe $5-$10 / day. |
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cost of living is really cheap in Manila. |
Language
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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 |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
* What did you like most about the program? |
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* What could be improved? |
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