Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Most stressful yet most rewarding experience of my life Past Review

By (Linguistics., Indiana University - Bloomington) - abroad from 01/15/2012 to 05/11/2012 with

CIEE: Amman - Arabic Language

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained not only language skills, but the confidence to use them with anyone. I gained a lot of independence while over there. I had been exposed to other cultures before, but my semester gave me a whole new perspective on the world and made me want to make a difference. I also gained a lot of new friends from my program.

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.

I that I improved the most in terms of colloquial. I improved with formal language, but not as much as I would've hoped.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I felt that sometimes I didn't get along with my host family, and it was really hard sometimes. I didn't really get used to them until the very last week.

* Food:

I love the food, and now that I'm back in the States, I can't go a couple days without eating my Jordanian breakfast. I miss the food so so much.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I wish I had more opportunities to integrate more, but I feel like because of the intensity of the program, I spent a lot of time just doing homework.

* 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

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)

The big issue was that most of the homestays did not have internet, which really is a necessity for college students. We had to pay for out own internet, which ended up being the most costly thing.

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Maybe $30 on average, but it varied.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Share taxis and other transportation with your classmates to cut costs, try not to text a lot, don't get unlimited internet because you won't need it, and don't eat at nice restaurants because there are much cheaper options with even better food.

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

The best part of the program was the language pledge.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
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? A350
How many hours per day did you use the language? 10+
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Just push yourself, and even if your friends are speaking English, answer them in the target language. If you're too tired to speak, surround yourself by the language. Listen to music, watch TV shows, go to the market.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • 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?
  • the professors were amazing and extremely encouraging
  • being able to travel to surrounding areas and experiencing the culture firsthand
  • finding people that shared my interests
* What could be improved?
  • The matching up of homestays
  • Pre-departure programs and preparing the students
  • transportation stipends and perhaps adding an internet stipend
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I had known that it's okay to take a breaks from your host family and from your homework to go explore the city with your friends. I wish I had known how creepy taxi drivers were going to be along with some clever responses for them.