You won't regret spending a semester living in a Dutch Castle Past Review
By Jacqueline P (Journalism., Emerson College) - abroad from 01/17/2013 to 04/17/2013 with
Emerson College: Kasteel Well: The Netherlands
I love traveling, and this program made me realize that I'd like it to be a large part of my life. This program was so worth it. I think I'd like to do another program, perhaps with more immersion and language aspects, though.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Professors at the castle were much more lecture-oriented and were much harder graders, but I gained a lot from them. I learned a lot and I made some really great relationships. Some of my favorite classes in university so far I took at the Castle. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
OSA does a great job of keeping up with student needs and keeping them well-informed. Dulcia, the program director, is super friendly and interacts with students in a meaningful way. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Umm, it's a castle... How could you not be happy living there? |
| * Food: |
I love the kitchen staff to bits, but the food in the Netherlands overall just isn't very good. I love frites, but enough is enough, ya know? |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was an interesting experience to live in such a small town, we actually got to make friends with some of the locals. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have any health issues, but I know people who did have have health issues didn't find the same healthcare they would have had back home. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt in danger at the castle, safety was great. |
| 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) |
The nature of the program is that you're traveling almost every weekend, which is expensive. This definitely isn't cheep, but I think it was well worth it. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $500, give or take |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Book your flights as far in-advance as you can, but remember not too book everything the first week. It's good to save money clearly, but you'll also want to book last-minute trips with new friends. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? |
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? | To pack a better assortment of clothes, I had too many dark colors and not enough sturdy jeans. |
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 UrbaniteA 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. |
