Living in Geneva with American students Past Review
By Peng Tao (Brandeis University) - abroad from 08/23/2019 to 12/07/2019 with
Boston University: Geneva - Internship Program
Academic exposure and internship experience
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Very academic challenging. I haven't taken any law classes at Brandeis so it was quite difficult for me to catch up with other students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very friendly and supportive staff! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Had a big double room by myself! |
| * Food: |
You have to cook for yourself and eating out is very expensive. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Limited opportunities to engage with local students. Spent most of the time with American students in the program. However, field trips to learn about Swiss culture was a lot of fun. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Geneva is very safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Housing and administration was good |
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) |
If you mainly cook by yourself, it is not very expensive. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 120CHF |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Certain supermarkets are more expensive. |
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 |
No chances to use French except for French language class. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | FREN 20A |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Push yourself out of your comfort zone and make friends with local students and people |
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 did not know that I will spend all the time with students in my program. |
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! |
