Study Abroad Program in Switzerland Past Review

By (Biopsychology, Tufts University) for

Kent State University Geneva

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
ABSOLUTELY! I can't stress enough that if you even think that you might possibly want to go abroad, you should just do it. It's worth it. Also don't be surprised when your friends at Tufts who haven't gone yet or aren't going get all needy and want you to talk to them all the time--just remind them that you are spending half your time on trains and you will catch them up when you get back!

Personal Information

The term and year this program took place: Fall 2008

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Most people thought the coursework was almost insultingly easy. I found it to be very light compared to Tufts, but the subjects were really interesting to me and I felt like I learned a lot as I had never really taken political science before. There was much less reading than I was expecting, plus a midterm, final, presentation, and 8-page paper for each class. Absolutely take Kostecki's class or Low's class--they are pretty smart people. Even if you don't have the Econ background, you can audit.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The Program Director was absolutely useless, but the Assistant Director (Dr. Peters) was amazingly helpful.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

We stayed at the John Knox Centre in Grand Saconnex. The rooms were TINY. The doubles are the same as the singles, just with bunkbeds--absolutely go for a single, it's sufficient for one person. The walls are paper-thin, so you will not be able to keep any secrets. You can also choose to live with a host family, but all the action (meals, parties, movies, classes) goes down in the Knox Centre, so I would still opt to live there if I had to do it again. It was pretty awesome living approximately 20 feet from my classes. <br /><br /> The location was very convenient for the internships (i.e. a five-minute walk from the WHO). There were several close bus lines, but none really close. It would have been an experience to live in the city, but I actually really enjoyed the added safety of being a little bit out there (I could run late at night, for example). It was also nice to live someplace a little quieter, while still being within 20 mins (walking + bus) from downtown Geneva. There were also a couple bars within walking distance.

* Food:

Jose is a good chef, but he only makes one dish (main and side) per meal. If you tell the helper chefs early on if you have any dietary preferences (vegetarian, don't eat fish, etc), they will take care of you. If you live at the Knox you have to get the meal plan which is three dinners and one lunch per week. You can also buy individual meals which are 12.50 CHF each (i.e. a ripoff). Be nice to Jose and he will be nice to you.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We had a really fun group. You could always find someone to hang out in the lounge with. The homestay kids sometimes felt a little left out, but I mean they also tended to know more Swiss people and find their own fun. The two field trips (Berlin and Brussels) were a ton of fun. When else do you get a briefing at NATO?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I always felt really safe. As for health, my best advice is don't get really sick. The doctors are just kind of a hassle. If you have any issue, just talk to Dr. Peters and she'll do whatever you need.

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 probably spent about 40-50 francs on food and groceries per week, more if we went out to dinner (which happened maybe twice the whole time). You learn to live and eat cheaply so as to save all your money for traveling. Geneva is expensive (especially drinks!), but brie and clementines are dirt cheap compared to the US.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? We mostly got Yallo cell phones or SIM cards, which had great rates when calling other yallo phones, but really gouged you internationally. Calling from Switzerland to the US was 35 cents a minute, but from elsewhere in Europe to the US was like $4 a minute. The Knox is so close to France that sometimes the phones would jump to a French network, so that posed a bit of a problem.

Language

Language acquisition improvement?

You don't really need to speak French. You can get by in English, but most of the people who didn't speak French felt a little isolated out in the city.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? It's really what you make out of it. You can throw yourself into the internship and end up with a career, or you can just take a few classes and visit 15 other countries on your off days. Either way, it's great.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

European Politics

Course Department: POL 30520
Instructor: Peters
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This was a pretty straightforward course, and a lot of the political science buffs liked to hear themselves talk. I really appreciated learning about Europe and its history. Overall, not that challenging.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Problems of International Organizations

Course Department: POL 30511
Instructor: Peters
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I enjoyed this less than European Politics, but it still covered interesting topics. The problem was that by the end of the course I still wasn't totally sure what I was supposed to have learned.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Human Rights

Course Department: POL 40995
Instructor: Jimenez
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The most challenging part of this course was just getting through the class. A lot of people had problems with Professor Jimenez, but if you just respect her and realize she knows what she's talking about you'll be fine.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

French Composition

Course Department: FR 33212
Instructor: Monnet
Instruction Language: French
Comments: I learned little in this course, but it counts for French 22 at Tufts (6th semester). Mme Monnet can be aggravatingly absentminded. The reading is really easy--all short stories.
Credit Transfer Issues: