Kasteel Well: Coolest, Most Culturally Focused, and Most Amazing Experience You Could Ever Hope For Past Review
By Michael P (Communication Sciences And Disorders, Emerson College) for
Emerson College: Kasteel Well: The Netherlands
I learned a lot about myself and my newly acquired friends. I realized my new limitations and I learned how to get what I need and what I want in a respectful manner. I have realized that I need to travel more before I settle into life and I want to eventually have a career where I have ample time to travel abroad.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Great learning experience because you get to see a lot of what is spoken about in class on the group excursions. There were a lot of opportunities to go on trips with instructors of classes you were not enrolled in. Grading and teaching methods were different but fair, mostly based on students grasp of knowledge as compared to other students in the class which I was not used to. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There was always someone there to help, and on the terrible but not so rare occasion that someone had issues returning from travel, someone was able to assist your safe and immediate return. There were a lot of rules about how to travel and what to avoid which was extremely useful, especially considering this was the first time a lot of students travelled without their parents and completely on their own. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Kasteel Well (castle Well) was one of coolest places to live. It is an original castle updated for students to live in. The location is beautiful and it is easy to get trains, planes, and busses to other countries. |
| * Food: |
Food was alright, nothing special. The people who catered to the castle were amazing and so kind, helping out any students with food allergies or preferences. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
CARNAVAL! The celebration before lent held for a week before ash wednesday was the most memorable and most fascinating (not to mention most fun) cultural experience. Participating in something so innately Dutch was just so perfect. |
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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? |
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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Language
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | BUDGET, be safe, fly ryanair, eat everything no matter how strange it may sound, and don't second guess your instincts. |
