Great for the UN and International Exposure (but probably nothing else) Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 02/18/2019 to 05/24/2019 with
Geneva Graduate Institute - Undergraduate Semester Programme
I loved the weekly expeditions to U.N. organizations! It definitely made the semester worthwhile and showed how important Geneva is to the international system.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The educational experience was good, but perhaps not quite up to Wellesley standards. But classes that meet only once a week will never be as time-consuming/demanding as Wellesley classes that meet two or three times a week (especially in Economics). |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The program doesn't give housing, which is hard. The options the university suggests also in my opinion aren't the best, so keep that in mind. Where you live can have a big impact on your experience. |
| * Food: |
Food is expensive in Geneva, but good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I very rarely talked to/met any Swiss people, as the culture in Geneva is very international! The university does very little to integrate with you with the other students (but because it's a grad school there is also just less integration in general). If you're willing to go out and meet people, though, (especially the Erasmus students), you can find a good community! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
n/a |
| * 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $80 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook at home, and bring lunches to the institute! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None for French |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
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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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | That it would be academically less intense than I thought it would be. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
