Bad program, great experience Past Review
By Katie B (Truman State University) - abroad from 03/02/2012 to 06/22/2012 with
College Consortium for International Studies (CCIS): Buenos Aires - Universidad de Belgrano
Yes, I learned a lot about myself, Argentina, and the US that I couldn't have learned otherwise. It was worthwhile!
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad de Belgrano |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Some of the classes were either too advanced for the level I was in (Intermediate - required to write a 12 page paper in Spanish and read intensive political works) while others were far too easy. The resources available were zero to none - the library was hardly useful at all. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Our program director would email us about times we could meet with her to say hello, and send us a generic email about "cultural events" weekly - but nothing was ever hardly planned for us, and we had to do everything by ourselves. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Extremely pleased with the housing |
| * Food: |
Wish I had a little more options for breakfast, and less carbs. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Very much so. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
non-applicable |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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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| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 50-100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Pick a different program that incorporates more activities/trips that are paid for in your program. |
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? | 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? | Spanish 340 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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?
Select all that apply |
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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 that I had known what other programs offer in comparison to this one. |
