Unfulfilling and disappointing. Past Review

By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/13/2018 to 12/27/2018 with

Ben Gurion University of the Negev: Beer Sheba - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned that I should stick with my gut and work harder to advocate for myself. I had heard bad reviews of the program and was hesitant to go, so I advocated for myself but was not listened to. I was disappointed and felt that I was robbed of an experience.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	The physical space was fine but it was totally isolated and not at all integrated with Israelis.
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Did not feel integrated at all. There were no initiatives to integrate us with Israeli students. We didn't even study in any buildings with Israelis.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No

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)

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	Because I was completely isolated, living only with other international students who didn't speak hebrew, I didn't get as much of an opportunity to speak the language, which was disappointing. When I was on my own, I always spoke hebrew, but in the living quarters, no one else spoke it.

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

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

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	International Students

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Being in Israel
* What could be improved?	Integration
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I had known that the reasons I was not able to go on another program were not valid. I was told that I would be integrated with locals and practicing hebrew, but none of that was true. If the case had been the same in another city, the experience would have been different. But because the city I was in is incredibly isolated, there weren't many recreational activities or other ways to meet people (except for at bars and pubs, but I don't find those relationships lasting or fulfilling)

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Contemporary Hebrew Language and Culture
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Comments:	I wish there had been more of a focus on conversational Hebrew.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	German Experiences and Memories of the Holocaust
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Comments:	This was the best class I took in Israel. The professor Kobi Kabalek was incredibly engaging and offered a lot of interesting perspective. We went to Yad Vashem on a field trip and that was one of my favorite parts of the course.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Time and Space in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
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Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	The Impact of Security Factors and the Search for Diplomatic Solutions in Israel's International Relations
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Comments:	I was so excited to take this class but very disappointed by the professor. Incredibly disorganized, not structure to the class, not at all engaging.
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