Past Review
By Alynn B (Business Administration, SUNY - Binghamton) for
SUNY Binghamton: Utrecht - Study Abroad at University College Utrecht
My experience abroad was very worthwhile and necessary for me to gain additional international experience in order to pursue my future career. I understood a lot more about geography and various European cultures after traveling Western, Central and Eastern Europe.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2010 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Very good environment but a bit too relaxed for me to motivate myself to study sufficiently. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Strengths: Professors were very helpful Weaknesses: Confusion at the beginning of program (orientation) due to weak admistration communication with exchange students |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
City centre, private room with private bathroom, shared kitchen with 5 foreign international graduate students attending various schools. Close to several amenities and the Centraal Station. <br /><br /> Great location but got a bit too loud at night. |
| * Food: |
Boring food, too many carbs and expensive. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The university provided a lot of extra curricular activities to engage us in. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt safe most of the time but at night, the area where I lived turned into a big party and there were a lot of drug dealers and prostitutes in the area that would occasionally follow or harass me. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About $200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Do not eat out and try to cook for yourself to save money as well as alcohol. |
Language
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Great program, great school but it is a bit small and therefore you get to know a lot of people fairly well and establish good relations with your professors. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Beginner Dutch |
| Course Department: | ACC 099 |
| Instructor: | Paul Heuvel |
| Instruction Language: | English and Dutch |
| Comments: | Interesting and pretty effective in teaching the language to beginners. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No issues so far... |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Criminology |
| Course Department: | SSC 226 |
| Instructor: | Alexis Aronowitz |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Very interesting material but the exams and papers did not reflect the class discussions well. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not as of now... |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Social and Economic Geography |
| Course Department: | SSC 241 |
| Instructor: | Jan van Weesep |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The instructor made the material informative and enjoyable. Good course. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not now... |
