Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

You'll feel like a tourist Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/29/2016 to 12/17/2016 with

Brown University: Havana - Brown in Cuba

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I understood more about US foreign relations and history, which was really worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

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?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* 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? Yes

It's fun and Cuba is such a unique place to study today.

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)

Very easy, it's very cheap to live in Cuba

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? No more than $50
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Nope! It's pretty easy to save money on this program.

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

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Advanced
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? SPAN377
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? Not particularly, it's what you make it.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
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?
  • Food
  • Host Family
  • Students on the program
* What could be improved?
  • The administration could be more organized
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I had better rain gear, also it's important everyone brings all the school supplies, paper is hard to come by in Havana.

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Gender, Race, and Inequalities in Cuba
Course Department:
Instructor: Marta Nuñez Sarimiento
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: It was not challenging, but the teacher was incredibly well prepared and stimulated discussion. There were nightly readings, but nothing too hard.
Credit Transfer Issues: Haven't gotten the grades back yet
Course Name/Rating:

US/Cuban Relations
Course Department:
Instructor: Rafael Hernández
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: It was challenging the the professor was a little unfair about work and readings. I participated often, and we had a lot of papers and a big final policy proposal to assess our performance.
Credit Transfer Issues: Haven't gotten grades back yet.
Course Name/Rating:

Cuban Cinema

Course Department:
Instructor: Gustavo Arcos
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: It wasn't a challenging course, but there were also few opportunities to participate. There were also minimal opportunities to assess our performance, with a final project being pretty much the only work the class.
Credit Transfer Issues: Still haven't gotten my transcript back.
Course Name/Rating:

Political Economy of Capitalism
Course Department: Universidad de La Habana, Facultad de Sociologia
Instructor: Blanca Munster
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: The courses at UH are not challenging at all, they are just lectures with some seminars to prove what we've learned.
Credit Transfer Issues: Haven't received transcript.