Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Experiencing Amman and Jordanians through Arabic Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/30/2019 to 12/19/2019 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury In Amman

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained a lot of connections with individuals and I grew a lot, became more independent.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

There was one class that was very very poorly organized and the professor was very ineffective.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

The supports were great, most of the professors were great, my host family was amazing.

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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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? The equivalent of two years
How many hours per day did you use the language? 10+

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Host Family
  • Staff and Faculty
  • Project Week
* What could be improved?
  • Some course planning
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? How expensive Amman is; more information about dealing with taxis.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Gender in the Arab World
Course Department: Arabic
Instructor: Amani Al-Serhan
Instruction Language: Arabic
Comments: Professor Al-Serhan was not great at teaching in Arabic to language leaners and the language level was either too high or too low. The course was very poorly planned; all of the major assignments came at the end and we got little feedback on the major assignments.
Credit Transfer Issues: No, I am a Middlebury student