Worth the $$$ Past Review
By Julie G (International Business, Economics, St. Cloud State University) - abroad from 05/15/2012 to 07/17/2012 with
St. Cloud State University: Alnwick - St. Cloud in England
I gained friendships that will last a lifetime, a new appreciation for history, an insight into another culture, and much more. Of course it was worthwhile! It was undoubtedly the best way possible I could've spent my $10,000.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Prof. Mitchell (history) and Prof. Young (contemporary Britain) were both phenomenal! I got to experience two very distinct educational styles (lecture with Prof. Mitchell and discussion with Prof. Young). Each professor knew their field very well and really got to know their class. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Wade Sherman does a fantastic job running the program in Alnwick. At times things felt a bit disorganized, but he always was able to pull something fabulous together for us to do. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
You live in a castle in a gorgeous town in England. |
| * Food: |
Our meals were served to us in the Hotspur restaurant and were superb. There was a mix of British and American foods and we always had dessert with supper! |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Even though you don't take classes with local British people, you take classes from them. Living in a castle, you get to know the staff quite well. Going out in town was a good way to experience the local culture. Also, you can volunteer and get to know people that way too. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The NHS can sometimes be slow and apparently was not very professional when dealing with some of my peers but it got the job done. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
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) |
Meals (except for weekends and some Fridays), housing, etc were provided. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 175 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Plan out meals for the weekends, use cash, use your pound coins! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
|
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
|
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | / |
