My time in Greece was not what I expected: beautifully different Past Review
By A student (Northwest Arkansas Community College) - abroad from 05/24/2018 to 06/06/2018 with
NWACC: Study Abroad in Greece
I learned an entire new culture and lifestyle. This was very worthwhile.
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. |
During my time abroad, we visted numerous amounts of historical sites, which always included a tour guide who in detailed explained Greece's history. Overall, I learned a lot but would have liked to have done more group discussions with my professor. I feel like there was more potential to learn. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
NA |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Prior to the trip, we were told that we would be accommodated with a hotel, but rather, upon arival, we were told we would be staying in a hostel. The hostel was not clean and well kept up, standards that would be assumed to be worth living in for two weeks. The living arrangements made for a very stressful and negative time during the trip. |
| * Food: |
I loved the meals that we ate when we got to get dinner on our own. However, the meals picked out for us during the trip were not so good. I would have preferred to chose my meals rather than pay for ones that I didn't ever eat. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Every excursion we took allowed us to be submerged in the local culture and feel apart of the Greece lifestyle. I loved being exposed so much to something so new and different. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did get sick at one point on the trip but not badly enough to need medical assistance. We were also never given our health care cards for travelling internationally, so if we needed those, we did not have access to them. |
| * Safety: |
Overall, Athens is a very harsh and unsafe environment. Our professors and leaders of the trips could have prepared us more for how different this culture was and how we needed to always be aware of those who would steal from us. The night out excursions were not closely supervised which left many students feeling uncomfortable and unsafe. Like previously stated, there could have been more preparation and a closer eye kept on one another during the trip. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
There was enough preparation for this trip. I would want something that would leave me feeling more safe and comfortable. |
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) |
I drastically went over the amount I should have spent while abroad. The almost $4000 did not cover all my food, transportation, and overall necessities that were not provided because we stayed in a hostel rather than a hotel. There was no informing of the students on how much more they would have to spend while abroad, which even resulted in some students running out of money. This was very upsetting because of how much money was already put forth for the trip. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Have way more money in your bank account. |
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 |
Each day we were encouraged to learn more common phrases and speak with the locals in their native language. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | I would encourage the students to use the internet to learn as much phrases as possible. Simple thank yous and hellos will go a long way. |
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? | 0 |
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 would have known how different it was going to be from what we were told. The information we were given was not the same experience we had. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
