An Eye-Opening Chance to Live in Someone Else's Shoes Past Review
By A student (Brigham Young University) - abroad from 05/01/2012 to 06/28/2012 with
Brigham Young University: Nizhny Novgorod - Russia Study Abroad
I learned a lot about a different way of living, where people didn't feel entitled to perfect roads or huge selections of fresh produce in every store. It was a different, simpler way of living, and I found a lot of joy in that.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Higher School of Economics |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Less academic rigor than I would have expected. The teachers didn't seem to expect very much of us. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
On-site administrators were extremely helpful and understanding in solving problems with host families and situations and classwork. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I had a difficult time integrating with the local culture, even the local branch of the church because we were in such a large group. The more outgoing students seemed to attract all of the attention. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Had no health issues. |
| * Safety: |
I felt extremely safe the whole time. The security briefing before we left was helpful. |
| 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) |
2 meals served at home a day and included in cost. Had to pay for lunch, but it wasn't bad. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Think about the souvenirs you want before you find yourself in a souvenir shop. |
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 |
One of the program instructors only spoke 2 words of English the entire 9 weeks we were there. |
| 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? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Russian 202 |
| 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? | Just speak. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | You have to work really hard to make local friends and get language practice outside of the classroom. |
