Crossing the Moat Past Review
By David N (Emerson College) - abroad from 09/13/2012 to 12/11/2012 with
Emerson College: Kasteel Well: The Netherlands
An entirely new perspective on myself and others.
Personal Information
| 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. |
Challenging but not too difficult, considering the lack of study time that one has due to travel and other activities. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I was one of the RAs during my semester, and I worked closely with the student affairs office. It's a great group of people, and they run an immersive, exciting, and fun experience at the castle. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It's a castle, it's hard to complain about anything while living there. |
| * Food: |
If there was one complaint at the castle, it's the food. The fare is traditional dutch food, meaning potatoes, boiled vegetables, occasionally unidentifiable meat, and many, many sandwhich spreads. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I can't say enough about how rewarding I feel it was to live in the small town of Well as opposed to a large city. We got to know the culture of the Dutch people, not just the microcosm of a large city. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The healthcare at the castle is decent considering that it is at least a half hour drive from the nearest hospital. It's good to plan ahead - if you're starting to feel sick, make a doctors appointment. |
| * Safety: |
This is a rural program within a castle. If two moats don't protect you from the outside world, nothing will. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 300 |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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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* 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? | 0 |
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? | You can expect to pay about 300 dollars per weekend of travel. It can be difficult to manage homework and travel, make sure you plan your time well. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
