Too great of an experience to sum up in one line! Past Review
By A student (Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication., Truman State University) - abroad from 01/02/2014 to 06/01/2014 with
ISEP Exchange: Tampere - Exchange Program at University of Tampere
I learned that there are other people in the world who live life differently and are very happy with their lifestyles. I visited places I had never even known about before going abroad and I learned so much about how other people view things and what is important to them. It was an unbelievable experience and I am grateful for the opportunity.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I really enjoyed the courses I took and I learned a lot from them. I do not think some of them required a lot of work, yet I still learned a lot of new information from the material covered. |
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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? |
I thought my living arrangement was nice. There were some problems during the semester with people stealing food from the common kitchens, but aside from this, the room I was given was very spacious and I really got a feel for the type of life style in Europe. |
| * Food: |
My university gave me a budget every month and I was able to cook for myself or eat out. I was in charge of my own cooking which I really liked. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
At the beginning, it was difficult to meet people because of the way everything was set up. After about the first two weeks though, I began to feel more at home and I started understanding the local culture more. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not have any problems with the health care system. I had my insurance at the beginning but I never had any need to contact the health services. |
| * Safety: |
Tampere was one of the safest places I've seen. You could probably walk down the street at 2:00 AM and be fine. I think Finland in general is a very safe country. |
| 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? | It varied from week to week. I think on average it was around 75 euros. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If possible, walk everywhere. In my city, we had a bus. The card was 30 euros a month for unlimited rides. However, everything was within walking distance. If you cook for yourself you can also save money. I'd encourage future participants to look into the prices of meals at their university as well. A lunch at my university was only 2.60 and you were given a good amount of food. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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? | I wish I had known more about the European grading compared to the grading at my home university. Also more information on when I would register for classes would have been helpful. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
