The Great Trips, The Terrible Academics That Stressed Me Out For 3 Months and Other Bedtime Stories Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Too much reading for how simple the tests are. Class participation is not solely based on participating, but whether or not what you say is right or wrong, which I find ridiculous. Overall, I had a pretty bad time with my classes. The Media Criticism & Theory class and the Writing the Feature Film class were complete wastes of my time. I learned nothing about what I needed to learn in those two classes. The Ethics class was also a major waste of time and far more stressful than it should have been. The readings we had to do for that class were impossibly dense, overwhelming and most of the readings were not used on the exams. I was very disappointed by the academics there and the way the teachers made their curriculum. The teachers were also not very helpful, nor understanding when it came to any issues one had in a class. The only class that I actually learned anything in and enjoyed was Chester Lee's Intercultural Communication. The three other classes I took should be restructured and perhaps even new teachers. Something else that really bothered me was how anti-American one of my teachers was. He would always talk about how America is not as good as Europe. Also, the teachers seemed to have fallen into a routine. They talk AT the students for about two hours and are very unenthusiastic, like they have been giving the same lesson for years and years. Well, maybe they have, but that does not help us when they stand at the front of the classroom and talk and talk and talk, maybe a few PowerPoint slides, and then more talking. They do not seem to be trying at all. I do not regret having gone to the Castle, however. I definitely had a great time traveling and learning about new cultures. I do very much regret having taken three out of four of the courses. I felt like it was a major waste of time and money, two items I will sadly never get back. In my opinion, an intervention is needed. I don't know when the last time an authoritative person went over there, but someone needs to get out there soon and see and evaluate what kind of education system they are running over there.

On-site administration of your program

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The castle has some great rooms and some not so great rooms. My room had it's own bathroom and it's own wireless internet that's only shared by a total of 6 people. The rest of the castle has communal bathrooms and really awful internet because of the amount of people using it.

The first month you'll be ok with the food. The second month you will have picked your favorites and by the third month you will hate the food a lot!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Everything other than the academics were excellent!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Select all that apply

• Dorm

Select all that apply

• Americans