Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

The Trip of a Lifetime Past Review

By (Agricultural Development Production, Stephen F. Austin State University) - abroad from 06/02/2014 to 07/02/2014 with

Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA): Traveling in Central Europe - American Government - Theory

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My experience abroad was entirely and completely worthwhile! I feel so confident in my ability to travel abroad again, and made a life long Slovak friend in the process. I learned so much about myself, as well as another culture. This trip was amazing.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* 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)

I planned ahead of time on not worrying about being super frugal on this trip, so I didn't live on my normal student budget!

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? Don't go to Milan! ;) Truly, just take advantage of things like free cafeteria lunches and don't settle for things you could buy back in America!

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
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?
  • Ability to travel to other countries
  • Making a new best friend from Slovakia.
  • Comparing political culture with another country.
* What could be improved?
  • Easier internet access would have been convenient, but not completely necessary. It was nice to unplug for a while.
  • Not residing so far from the University. I enjoyed that we were isolated, but in terms of using a classroom at the main campus it would have been more convenient.
  • More Slovak students in our class would have been nice, however I know SFA doesn't have a lot of control over that.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew how much the trip would affect my life. I think I had an idea, to an extent, of just how much this would impact me, especially since I paid for a lot of trip costs myself. However, nothing could have prepared me for the knowledge and experience I would gain from visiting Slovakia. I also wish I had known that a month would go by much faster than you expect. That being said, I thing I took complete advantage of my time abroad.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.