Past Review
By Kristin K (Government / Middle Eastern Studies, The College of William and Mary) for
CIEE: Amman - Arabic Language
It was absolutely worthwhile and I learned so much more than I thought I would. I highly recommend this program to students who want an intensive Arabic experience in a wonderful country.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | University of Jordan |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was very heavy with over 20 hours of class a week and a large amount of daily homework, as well as an overarching large research project (15-20 page research paper in Arabic). The teaching methods were certainly different from what one would find in an American university, but that is part of the experience and the professors really did try their hardest to help us learn. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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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? |
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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? | Bring more money than you think you will need for emergencies, but be sure to make a budget before you go so that you have a clear idea of how much money you are willing to spend. With change fees and currency conversions, you will end up spending more than you think, so you need to keep good records and learn the exchange rate by heart. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Arabic 302 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced Arabic with my host family, my peer language tutor, my friends in the program, and my teachers and other CIEE students. I mostly had to use Arabic in everyday interactions because many Jordanians speak some English but not enough to have a full, real conversation with a native English speaker. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Do it! You may feel frustrated at times, but you will learn so much from this program and in the end you will be so glad that you did it! |
