Amazing Study Abroad Experience in Cairo (socially but not academically) January 29, 2026
By Danish A (Arabic Language and Literature, Brandeis University) - abroad from 08/01/2025 to 12/01/2025 with
Study Abroad in Egypt at the American University in Cairo
Gained a lot of perspective on what living is like outside of US
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Didn't like how a lot of the classes were structured, none of the professors recorded lectures or even had slides. It would entirely be lecture based. IF you miss a class, you miss all of the material. attendance policy is strict too, miss 6 classes for any one class and you'll fail that class |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
A lot of the admin things are very slow and takes time, such as registering for classes |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Off-campus living arrangements in building 1 was really good |
| * Food: |
On-campus food options were good and cheap for US students |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I would try to enroll in an Arabic language intensive program as the regular Arabic classes were too easy |
Finances
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* 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 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
When I went in 2025, it was very affordable. As a first-gen, low-income student I was living comfortably from August - December where most days I would order food or go out |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Around 30-50$ on food |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save some money before you start your program and use cash for the most part since you get charged a lot of international fees |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | n/a |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
