Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

On-site administration of your program

Earl is the program's administration and he can be difficult sometimes. Most of us felt that he had a pretty low opinion of Americans, which could be frustrating. He also wasn't very accommodating about mistakes or other problems you may have had. BE ON TIME! We all figured this out by the end of the program, but with Earl, and in Switzerland in general, you MUST be on time. A program center would have been nice so we would have had a place to hang out, work, eat lunch. Although one exists in Geneva for the int'l organization program, we didn't have one of our own. We did use that program's office at times for classes, and it was open to everyone during ISP period. Program size was great; there were 19 of us. Be prepared to get to know people well. It was nice to have a small number since we all hung out and traveled together. There are definitely room for improvement, but there were also no serious offenses.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived with a single older woman in a small Swiss village outside of Nyon, Begnins. It was difficult to get to Nyon because of a poor bus schedule and therefore, it was difficult to get to Geneva because you get the train in Nyon. Location and transportation were my two biggest complaints about my homestay. My host-mom didn't speak English, which was difficult at first, but I really enjoyed it by the end of the program. Being one-on-one with a single woman could be a little overwhelming at times, but I had my own space (the upstairs) so it was nice. She took me to places on the weekend, so I don't have many complaints. <br /><br />

You are provided a lunch stipend (CHF 14) for each day. You had no problem eating with this amount of money. Breakfast and dinner are supposed to be provided by your homestay, but be prepared to buy some of your own groceries if your host-parents don't buy something you like. Some host-families took their students shopping with them too. Try not to be too picky and be prepared for smaller portion sizes. The Swiss eat a lot of meat too. Try to cook for your host-family at some point too.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We could have all used more time together outside of class time. This could have been improved by better clustering the homestay locations so hanging out at night or on the weekends would have been easier.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Language usage really depends on your homestay. I had not studied French before, besides a little bit, and my host mother did not speak any English. It was difficult, but because I was forced to go home and speak French everyday I felt that I learned a tremendous amount. If you already speak French well, then your host family will probably speak to you in French. It's the beginner/intermediate students that have more difficulty speaking French if your host family speaks English.

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• Host Family

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• Americans