Not what I expected, but so fun! January 30, 2023

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I was mostly satisfied with my classes here. I found that, like with any university, the quality of the class largely depends on the professor. Some of my professors were very engaging, and others were more boring. However, I found that all professors were very flexible, and opening to feedback from their students, which they would use the make tangible changes to their classes. At some points, I even felt like they took too much student feedback, like consulting us for when tests should be, and how much of our final grade they should count for. Also, compared to my home institution, the amount of homework was much less and expectations for students were lower as well. For example, I had a class which we had virtually no homework for, and instead would learn all the material through class lectures. On the other hand, I had a class that had required readings for every meeting, but the teacher seemed genuinely surprised when I actually did the readings.

On-site administration of your program

The university is very supportive or international students, and the staff at the IPSO office was so helpful for answering any questions both before I arrived and once I got here. They were really active and involved, and definitely got to know the students individually.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I also chose to live on campus, which had pros and cons. The rooms and very nice, and have lots of amenities. The office of residential life also puts on lots of programming for the students who live there. However, living on campus in New Cairo meant that it was a long trip to get downtown (about an hour drive). Therefore, I didn’t get to spend as much time in the heart of Cairo as I would have liked. I knew several people who chose to live downtown, which is also a viable option, but it would have meant a long commute to school everyday.

There is no meal plan, but there are several restaurants on campus, including a dining hall-style place with several food options. I mostly bought my lunches at one of these places, though lines could get really long. All dorms are equipped with fairly large kitchens, and I mostly ate breakfast and dinner in the dorms with food I bought at a grocery store and cooked myself. I found that it was not too hard to go grocery shopping, as there were multiple options near campus as well as delivery services. It also wasn't too expensive to acquire the equipment needed to cook. Delivery also worked super well for ordering food from restaurants, and there were several pretty good options to dine out in the malls around campus.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We began with an international student orientation, so most of the people I met at the beginning were only international students. It also turned out that most of my classmates were international. I do wish I had been able to be in more classes with Egyptian students. However, I was able to meet Egyptian students through extracurricular activities, and almost everyone I met was so welcoming, and truly seemed to care about getting to know me and making sure I enjoyed my time here. Campus was about an hour drive from downtown, so I didn't go into the city more than twice a week. Out in public, we tended to draw lots of attention for looking like foreigners (especially as a young women on our own). It could be uncomfortable to be stared at, but for the most part people were friendly. I met several Egyptian friends through AUC, but the people who go to AUC are not a great representation of the Egyptian population as a whole, as they tend to come from very privileged backgrounds. However, I met a couple of non-AUC people through club events and through other friends.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had mixed experiences with healthcare. AUC required us to be on their healthcare insurance plan, in addition to the travel insurance provided by my home institution and my family insurance plan. They had an on campus clinic, but going there tended to result in the recommendation to go to an actual hospital, even when it probably wasn't necessary. I had a friend who had a small infection from a piercing she had gotten and the earring back was stuck and couldn't be removed. The clinic told her she needed to go to a hospital and have it surgically removed, which was excessive. I did have to get a yellow fever vaccine for travel reasons. I went to a clinic recommended by the university, and it was a bit crowded and loud, but when I was able to talk to someone, I told them which country I was traveling to and they pulled up a list of all the vaccines I needed and got them to me quickly. I also needed to get malaria pills, and I was able to get all of them for only a couple dollars.

AUC took safety very seriously. All entrances had gates guarded by security guards 24/7. We had to swipe into campus with an ID, and all our bags had to go through a metal detector. Off campus, in the New Cairo area, it was pretty safe. Even in downtown, I never felt at risk of violence. However, I always recommend traveling with at least one other person, and more is probably better. As someone who looks like a foreigner, you get stared at a lot, and people will shout things at you and want to talk to you. As for transportation, I found Ubers to be very safe and reliable.

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

Housing on campus for the semester was about $2000, which was the largest expense. I chose to do this because it was convenient, but there were lots of students who chose to live off campus for a lot cheaper. There was no meal plan, but food from restaurants was pretty cheap, and grocery store food was very affordable as well compared to the US. I spent around $50-70 a week on food, and then up to $30 on other expenses. On a weekend trip, you could travel very cheaply for <$100 or you could go on a longer organized trip with a tour group, which could cost $200-300.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Everyone spoke English, so there wasn't much motivation to practice outside of class. The learning curve is so difficult for English speakers, and the accent is so much different, that when you do try to speak Arabic you are often met with confusion. However, people there are always willing to listen to you practice and give you tips. They are also usually impressed when you can speak any Arabic at all, which can make you complacent and stick to only a few basic phrases.

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• Dorm

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• International Students

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Administrative support and programming
• Openness and welcoming
• traveling

• logistical organization

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