Past Review
By Cotton McKnight (Judaic Studies, University of Hartford) for
Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Rothberg International School: Undergraduate Study Abroad Program
I think so. I learned some Hebrew, and I had the opportunity to live independently in a foreign country. The chocolate croissants were also amaaaaaaaaaaaazing.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Rothberg International School |
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2009 |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes were challenging and interesting. I laughed. I cried. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I gave a rating of 4 globes because it was better than 3 globes, but not quite as good as 5 globes. I went to Israel without a student visa, and the administration was able to set up an appointment with the ministry of interior. However, it took about 3 months to make the appointment, which is why I took a globe off the rating. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing arrangements were "cozy". I lived in the Reznik dorms with my roommate who set her alarm way too early and left the room just minutes before it went off, leaving me in a room with never ending alarm beepage. On the plus side, the dorms were very close to campus. |
| * Food: |
There was no meal plan, so in the beginning, I spent a lot of money on food, but it was delicious Israeli food, so I wasnt too upset about it. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
When I actually got the opportunity to go out, I usually had fun. I went to the Golan with a small group of people and we stayed at an awesome Hostel with mongolian tents called Genghis Khan in the Golan. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
I never had health issues, but I've heard good things from other people. I always felt safe. I followed the instructions of the administrators closely, and if there were problems in certain areas, I'd stay away. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
|
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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I didnt really keep track, which may or may not have been a mistake. I'd suggest to others that they should keep track. |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
As I mentioned before, I now suck significantly less at Hebrew than I would had I stayed at Hartford. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I would tell them to travel as much as possible. Hebrew U didnt offer that many opportunities for group travel, but if the prospective students take it upon themselves to see the country, I'd say... go for it. Israel is a beautiful country with a long and complicated history that is worth further exploration. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Winter Hebrew Ulpan |
| Course Department: | 04890 |
| Instructor: | Shira Levi, Elisa Bir |
| Instruction Language: | Hebrew |
| Comments: | This class was challenging for me, but very helpful. I still suck at the Hebrew language, but thanks to this class, I suck significantly less than I would had I not taken this class. The teachers encouraged us to participate in class as often as possible, however, due to my aforementioned suckiness at Hebrew, I didn't take advantage of that opportunity. I kind of wish that I had. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Seeing as how I am required to fill out this evaluation before my home institution can transfer my credits, it is hard to say if there were/will be any credit transfer issues at this juncture in time. I would guess that there will be problems. when dealing with college bureaucracy, you always run into problems. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Modern Hebrew |
| Course Department: | 48022 |
| Instructor: | Yehudit Warhaftig, Tamar Rechnitz |
| Instruction Language: | Hebrew |
| Comments: | This class was a continuation of the winter Hebrew Ulpan, so my comments are the same. I'll copy and paste for your convenience. "This class was challenging for me, but very helpful. I still suck at the Hebrew language, but thanks to this class, I suck significantly less than I would had I not taken this class. The teachers encouraged us to participate in class as often as possible, however, due to my aforementioned suckiness at Hebrew, I didn't take advantage of that opportunity. I kind of wish that I had." |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I am required to fill out this evaluation before my home institution can transfer my credits, so I don't know. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Archaeology of the Biblical Text |
| Course Department: | 48421 |
| Instructor: | Dr. Doron Ben-Ami |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class only had 3 students so it was impossible for me to skip. This could be good or bad, depending on who you are. The class was mostly boring with moments of excruciating agony, but at least it was long. We didn't have reading assignments. We just had two tests which, if my calculations are correct, each counted for 50 percent of our final grade. This puts a lot of unwanted pressure on the students. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | My credits won't transfer until I successfully fill out this evaluation, but I don't foresee any problems because this was the only class that had the exact title of a class back at the University of Hartford. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Psychology and Religon |
| Course Department: | 48754 |
| Instructor: | Nurit Novis |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class was by far the most interesting class I took while abroad. The teacher was quite knowledgeable and very accommodating to the student's needs. We watched two very interesting films and saw close to an entire episode of the Simpsons. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I am required to fill out this evaluation before my home institution can transfer my credits, but... fingers crossed. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
In the Community II: Israel Case Studies- Academic Internship |
| Course Department: | 48773 |
| Instructor: | Israel Von Snuffeluffagus |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course came with the internship, but it didnt actually apply to anything we were doing in the internship. The teacher was also sexist. I mean, big time. His lecture on women in the workplace made me laugh though. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I haven't yet completed my work for this class. My advisor tells me that I still need to write a 25 page paper to get credit. |
