Past Review
By Ariel S (Government, The College of William and Mary) for
CIEE: Amman - Arabic Language
While I did not like the insane amount of work, not everyone had that experience and this program was definitely worth it. I improved my language skills and met some amazing people. I got some traveling in and I got to live in and understand another culture.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2010 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
My experience was mixed. The Arabic Language classes were very difficult and time comsuming and one English Area Studies course was a waste of time and the other one was very good. I had more homework than I've ever had at William and Mary, an we are assigned a lot there! Over all, I spent so much time studying, I didn't get any chance to enjoy the abroad part. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Some of our staff partners were excellent and some were unreasonable. They were very accessible, but didn't differentiate between students who made them mad and those who didn't. Often, the reactions to our clarification questions were unnecessarily abrupt. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I live in an apartment with one other girl from my program and we each have our own room and bathroon. It is very close to the university and is very safe, but is far away from the cafes. |
| * Food: |
The students living in an apartment pay the same as those in homestays, but we still have to buy and make all our food and stock our apartments, so living in an apartment is much more expensive and they didn't give us warning. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Whenever I had the time to hang out with my American or Jordanian friends in the city or travel, i had a great time, but there wasn't a lot of time outside studying |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Food is expensive and I wish someone had told me where the best places to shop are. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
It is my own fault, because I didn't live with a host family. A host famil would have helped me learn the language more. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Be prepared for a lot of work. It is a good program, because they give you support where you really need it, like getting residency, but also have a lot of unnecessary rules and seem to be trying to cut down on student contact |
