Israel, an experience that forces independence on ones self. Past Review

By Rachel B (Bfa, SMFA - School of the Museum of Fine Arts) for

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design: Jerusalem - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

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

This was a trip that needed adjusting to. The time length of this trip was very long but in the end needed to be. I think it was very worthwhile and very challenging. There were allot of positives and some negatives. This trip really forced independence on me and was overall amazing.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The experience studying in a Israel with only israeli students was wonderful. All of the class were taught in hebrew which encouraged to better my language skills. Upon my return I feel more culturally rounded. Studying with famous Israeli artists in a beautiful and historical environment was also an amazing part of the program.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The programs administrator , Jenny, was very helpful with any problems that may arose. She was very easy to contact and very personable.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	The dorms that many exchange students stayed in were the Hebrew University dorms. The walk from the dorms to school is about a 20 minute walk to classes. The housing office was very stressful and hard to get in and out of. When you put in your request of apartments, co-ed, vegetarian, on a low floor, they take non of it into consideration. I was living with people that I just did not have a good relationship with.
* Food:	This is hard to answer. There was no dinning at the dorms. there is however a supermarket about a 3 minute walk from the dorms. When I went out to eat it was always great, but I don't enjoy cooking.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	There were no programs arranged my my program but I went and traveled by my self or with friends I had made. I met great people while I was there, definitely richening my cultural experience.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	The program and the country require you to have health insurance during your time there. The safety factor was a bit more complicated. basically at the start of the program they said not to wonder into arab neighborhoods and anyother problems were all up to you to be aware of.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

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
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?
Language acquisition improvement?	Almost all the students and teachers spoke english but some better than others. I rarely had a problem communicating in school. All of the Israelis want to practice their english so they just came up to me and started speaking their broken english to me.

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

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Students who have a previous or current interest in Israel who has an open mind would be great for this program.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	introduction to Pyrex
Course Department:	ceramics and glass
Instructor:	benny
Instruction Language:	hebrew
Comments:	This was my favorite course I took during my program. I really enjoyed this class and loved learning something new that i would love to continue.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	glass blowing
Course Department:	ceramics and glass
Instructor:	Boris
Instruction Language:	hebrew
Comments:	I signed up for this class as soon as I could, because who wouldn't. So going in to the class I was very excited, but when the course started i was disappointed. I was expecting the class to be an introduction, but all the other people in my class were doing glass for their majors. I got very little time to actually "practice". this was my least fun, and i lost interest very fast.
Credit Transfer Issues: