Rio de Janeiro: The bittersweet paradise. Past Review
By carl b (International Affairs And Commerce, University of the Pacific) for
Pontificia Universidade Catolica Do Rio De Janiero: Rio de Janeiro - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Yes, I learned a lot outside of the classroom. The place makes you extremely streetsmart, and the people there remind you to enjoy the smaller things in life, and cherish the things you have. It helps you disconnect from the digital world and enjoy life, love, and natural beauty.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
workload extremely light if you're taking classes in English. Grading is easy, teaching is at a reasonable pace. Attendance is not as strictly adhered to. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The office was small and poorly run. The number of staff provided at any given hour were insufficient to support the amount of students in the program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Access to nightlife, transportation, beach was perfect. Host woman was a very paranoid woman though, whenever she couldn't find something she became extremely anxious and accused occupants in the house of stealing. My experience fell in the middle of what other people had. Many people complained of having awful host families that had no interest in the student, but wanted the money. You pay about double what you should be paying in the host families house (Fixed rate). I hear many students having to switch host families or find their own living arrangements out in town. |
| * Food: |
The breakfast was of very cheap quality. The woman never left the house, so I just explored to find good restaurants. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Tours were mediocre, because they had to support a large amount of students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Many cops were in the area, but not enough to deal with the amount of crime there. Host program provided students with phone numbers location of a hospital, police station. However, private healthcare was expensive, and the public healthcare available was extremely inadequate. I had trouble getting adjusted to the food, went to the public hospital, because the private clinic was expensive, and waited 7 hours without help because it was extremely understaffed and unorganized. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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? | $130 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Shop around for better deals on food. Some places are catered towards the rich while others are catered to the not-so-rich. Do shopping for clothes, electronics, accessories in the poorer neighborhoods for a better deal. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | n/a |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
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| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Be prepared for encountering a robbery. Do not worry, they mean you no harm, they just want money. Do some language preparation because it will make things EXTREMELY easier when you first get there. Adventurous students who love the beach will love this program. |
