Amman, Jordan Past Review
By Elizabeth B (Arabic and IR, Tufts University) for
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury In Amman
I certainly got a huge amount out of the academic portion of the program thanks to the amazing teachers that we had.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I cannot say enough good things about the professors I had. They were incredibly interested in my progress, kind, available and willing to go above and beyond to do anything and everything to make my experience better. There was generally less work assigned, but it was our responsibility to study outside of class so we could understand what the professors were lecturing on in class. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
decline to comment |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
There were very serious problems for the girls with the first living arrangement and had to be moved to a private apartment half way through the semester. The neighborhood was not very safe and there were several instances of crime, as a girl it was very uncomfortable leaving the residence after it got dark which was pretty restricting. |
| * Food: |
Bread and olive oil are incorporated into every meal so people with allergies to either should be prepared. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
All of our trips had significant extra costs and you must pay for your own food as well, so budget for that. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The university area is just not very safe after the university closes and we were constantly reminded of that. I had to go to the hospital twice for food poisoning and there are definitely good facilities in Amman. In both cases I was seen relatively quickly and prescribed effective medication. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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? | Between $50 and $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | The girls were hit with a huge utilities bill right at the end of the program that many girls did not have funds to pay. Also some excursions required money not just for "special events", but participation itself. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Arabic 4 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
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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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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? | Students going on this program should be incredibly flexible and willing to work hard, as well as independent and willing to do almost everything for themselves. |
