ISA Morocco is the best study abroad program in existence-honestly Past Review
By Christian M (Business Economics, University of California - Los Angeles) for
ISA Study Abroad in Meknes, Morocco
Absolutely. I learned to travel with more flexibility and to be more open minded. I had a ton of fun. I learned more about arab culture, ate some great food, and made some lifelong friends. I could go on and on about all the ways this program shaped me...
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. |
Arabic classes were great. Other classes were hit or miss. Some were great, and some were a waste of time. But I really didn't care because I never went to Morocco to sit in a classroom. I went to Morocco to experience a completely foreign culture. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Phenomenal ISA staff. Can't say enough about how wonderful they are. They went out of their way to make sure everyone got everything they wanted out of the program. Because we were a small group (23 people), they practically individually tailored the program to whatever we wanted to do. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The apartment we lived in was very very very nice. We also had a very nice Moroccan lady who cooked us 2 meals a day 6 days a week, and cleaned our apartment as well. |
| * Food: |
We had 2 meals cooked in our apartment, 6 days a week. It was always very fresh, very Moroccan, and very good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Phenomenal. Riding camels in the desert was amazing, but we also had breakfast in a Berber's house, went hiking in the mountains, got a guided tour of Fes, were taken to the local hammams, etc. ISA went above and beyond in every respect. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Honestly, Morocco is about the safest place I've ever been. I think living in LA is more dangerous than in Morocco. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
The arabic classes were great. But we were learning modern standard arabic, while darija was spoken in the streets. So it was hard to put what we learned in the classroom to practical use when talking with locals. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you like to try new things and are very open minded, then there's no better program than ISA Morocco. I preferred a small group because you get to know everyone so well, and the study abroad staff gives you a lot more flexibility. Also, studying in a developing country like Morocco allows you to live like a king for very little money. In contrast, if you go to western europe, you'll spend a fortune just to barely live. In Morocco, you can experience more because a dollar will get you more. |
