Wow. Past Review
By Lauren Moyer (Elizabethtown College) - abroad from 08/25/2019 to 12/14/2019 with
CISabroad (Center for International Studies): Sorrento - Semester on the Italian Coast
What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned about my independence. I learned how to solo travel in the country and abroad. I gained confidence in myself and self-assurance. I knew what I could and could not do and stood up for myself if the time came. This experience allowed me to gain experiences I never knew I needed to learn.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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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? |
No
I would like to push myself farther out of my comfort zone and choose a bigger school with more international students. |
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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | roughly $50 depending if I was traveling that week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Look for local produce and eat whatever fruit or vegetable is in season. Make sure to be careful about which produce can be refrigerated; if you refrigerated something at home you might not want to do it abroad because of different farming/ agriculture practices. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none |
| 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? | Try to conquer the fear of failure and when it does happen try to laugh (or even fake laugh if you need too) it off. Everyone makes mistakes, big or small, in learning a new language. Don't feel out of place. Some people just don't remember or have never tried to learn a new foreign language. Try not to be so hard on yourself, you will improve. |
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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* 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? | I wish I knew before going on this program that I would not always have that constant support from home when I went abroad. Being in Italy, I was 6 hours ahead and I had to deal with personal, or health, or academic issues on my own sometimes. This was definitely hard for me a lot of the time but it was a growth point I needed to develop. I was not always going to have friends or family to turn too and I had to gain the confidence, knowledge and security to be able to conquer the difficulties virtually on my own. I wish I would have known how hard this was going to be, but I would not have changed it knowing what I know now. |
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