Enlightening Past Review
By Malcolm T (International and Intercultural Communication., Ithaca College) - abroad from 01/04/2012 to 05/18/2012 with
IES Abroad: Quito - IES Abroad in Quito
It was worthwhile.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | IES Abroad Center and Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I did not enjoy the classes in the IES Study Abroad Center. The professors were frequently unorganized and I was not given much information on the classes available at the university, which made my academic experience less enjoyable and enriching than it could be. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administrators were very compassionate and concerned with any issues we were having academic, with our host families etc. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was very nice and treated me like family but there were issues like not having hot water on certain days and no wifi. |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There was an overall inevitably high safety risk in Quito, however I was fine having taken proper precautions. |
| 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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| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50-$60 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Form a reasonable weekly budgets and keep track of how much you're spending. |
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 |
They claimed that speaking English was prohibited but we spoke English all the time. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Advanced Spanish Grammar SPAN 306 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | 10+ |
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? | To pack certain products since they may not be available in the host country |
