Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

All's Well That Ends Well Past Review

By (Writing, Literature & Publishing, Emerson College) - abroad from 09/13/2012 to 12/11/2012 with

Emerson College: Kasteel Well: The Netherlands

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Being abroad taught me how to budget, plan, organize my time, and to be myself. I will never be the same after seeing the world and diving in to so many new cultures. It was the experience of a lifetime, and I grew so much in those 3 months. Not to mention, Kasteel Well fosters the best friendships you'll ever have. Sometimes you want to rip each other's hair out, but you'll never want to be without these friends again.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classes are a bit easier here, but you will want it that way, because there isn't much time on the weekends to study.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

OSA are the best people you will ever meet. You will grow to love them as administrators and friends.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in a quad with 3 great girls that included a lot of the original architecture of the castle, and it was absolutely amazing. If I had been put anywhere else, though, I might not have the same opinion.

* Food:

The food is pretty bland and often fried from the freezer. They don't offer a lot of variety, and I often felt like I wasn't getting enough vegetables.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The people in Well are lovely, but it was easy to avoid integrating in the Castle as everyone spoke English and it was a lot of American students. You'll find yourself integrating at the Linden on Wednesday nights, a lot.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Well is a tiny little town, and everybody knows everybody. Any safety issues you encounter will probably be on the weekends when you travel on your own. It's not even an issue to stumble through the streets drunk in the middle of the night. On campus and around town, you'll feel even more secure than in Boston.

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)

Emerson warns you about this, but you should have about $4,000 set aside. Most students are travelling independently almost every weekend, and when you do travel, you have to prepare to drop $200 or more on flights, accommodation and food/inner-city travel/souvenir expenses. I found $4,000 to be about spot on, but I didn't buy that many extra things.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $250
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Take at least 2 SAC weekends. It's fun, cheap, and you'll need it for your sanity anyway. ESPECIALLY after independent travel break. Go to Toverland.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* 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? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Closeness of students
  • Freedom to travel
  • Trost
* What could be improved?
  • Food
  • Structure of some courses
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Everything will work out in the end, so don't stress out about things that seem major at the time. It makes solving your problems harder.

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.