Israel: too much falafel will give you heartburn, but its worth it Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

There was a lot of work, but it was very important to make sure to get the assigned work done. However, it was just as important to get out and explore the city and communicate with Israelis to practice speaking the language and living the culture. The grading system was a little different, teachers expected a lot for more than 5 weeks and tests were pretty challenging but doable. The teachers were amazing, they genuinely cared about the students and wanted each of them to succeed. Comparatively to the American education system, the Israeli system is similar.

On-site administration of your program

the program did not have many weaknesses. the only thing that was a bit of a hassle was the application process leading up to the program. it took a while to get my application approved and the new york office was not to helpful with making sure i was doing everything correctly. otherwise, the israeli side was great and very organized. for example, i started out in a lower class than i thought, but when i switched into the higher level they were very organized and accurate about placement.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The housing is a suite living situation. I had 4 other roommates, but i was in a single room. I communicated with them a bit, but not as much as i thought i would have. the problem was that i was the youngest person in the suite, while two of my roommates were already going into graduate school and had been living there for over a year. At first i felt like i was intruding a little bit so I did not use the kitchen provided or the living room, but at the end i became more comfortable and started using them.

In the student village there were no cafeterias, however, by the school they had at least 5 places to eat either meat or dairy. At the end of the day it is Israel so there is amazing food everywhere whether you go into the center of Jerusalem or eat next door to the student village. I ate everyday at the same place and the food was a amazing. the owners even ended up giving free food to us because they loved us so much.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There were many field trips provided by the program, but they were pretty basic things that I have done before so I did not go. Places like Masada, the Israel Museum, and Tel Aviv.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Health was not really addressed, they pretty much expected us to take care of ourselves. However, they did provide us with health insurance and we were able to get medical attention whenever we wanted. Safety was stressed heavily. They explained the dangers of the area and made sure we knew which areas not to walk.

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

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• Dorm

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• Local Students
• International Students
• Americans