Challenging and Rewarding Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 07/29/2019 to 10/30/2019 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Valparaiso
Language near fluency, loving host family, a few local friends and friends within the program, much more knowledge of history and culture of the country, and learning to live more independently.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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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? |
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| * Food: |
A little lacking in variety and protein (I am vegetarian) |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
very safe up until the beginning of protests |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I truly enjoyed the program. It was a bit more academically rigorous than I anticipated, but I found it very much improved my language skills, I loved my host family, and thought I was able to learn about the culture very easily. |
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? | $40 |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 326 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | You have to actively attempt to make connections with people, they won’t just happen to you |
