Jet-Setting for a Semester Past Review

By (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Fordham University) - abroad from 01/13/2012 to 05/05/2012 with

St. John's University: Traveling - Discover the World, Europe

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained the confidence to travel to completely foreign places and meet new people, away from anything and anyone familiar. It was completely worthwhile, and I plan on continuing this type of travel in the future.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

All of the staffs were good, but Paris definitely was the most organized.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Noise problems in the Rome building. The RAs should be more proactive in keeping the noise down late at night.

* Food:

Food in Paris was generally good! Food in Spain was not so good. I liked the meal tickets in Italy! And of course eating out was always amazing.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Definitely felt the effects of being in an island program.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

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)

Paris and Rome are expensive cities. Sevilla was more manageable.

* 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? $200
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Cook for yourself when you can. Stay in hostels! There's no reason to ever pay more than $15-30 per night (depending on how popular that week/weekend is in whatever city) to stay in a safe, clean, fun hostel.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the 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? none
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
  • Hotel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • The number of places I got to visit
  • The classes that brought us out into the cities
  • The trips/excursions planned at each campus
* What could be improved?
  • ResLife on each campus
  • Meal plans
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Not the typical study abroad experience-- not better, not worse, just different. It's about traveling throughout Western Europe and getting a taste of many cultures, not living and getting to know any single city in depth.