Once in a lifetime Mediterranean adventure Past Review

By A student (Chemistry., SUNY - College at Geneseo) - abroad from 06/01/2012 to 07/07/2012 with

SUNY Geneseo: Traveling - Mediterranean Roots Summer Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned countless personal lessons and so much about ancient Mediterranean history and culture. Mediterranean Roots, was an absolutely incredible life experience. Extremely well organized and planned by the esteemed humanities and philosophy professor Dr. Elias Savellos, this program takes you all over Greece, Italy, and most recently, Spain in five weeks packed with adventure and world famous sites. I would go again in a heartbeat, it was truly life changing

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.	Mediterranean Roots is a program not to be taken for light summer course work. Incorporating both Humanities 220 and Philosophy 222, Med. Roots involved serious amounts of critical reading and involved discussion, along with 3 hour lectures a few days a week. Internet access was almost always available, though often slow, and was sufficient for the work necessary. If you are interested in being fully exposed and educated in Mediterranean culture and philosophy, this is definitely the right program.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	all housing arrangements on this trip far exceeded my expectations, they were excellent hotels and apartments that were always welcoming and accommodating.
* Food:	The food was excellent in every location in every country, though I personally enjoy many types of food. Good food for every budget was almost always available, and many apartments we stayed in had kitchens available for cooking.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Though I always felt welcome in each culture I was exposed to, Med. Roots is a very mobile program, a unique aspect of the program I really enjoyed. This mobility made it difficult however to become quickly integrated with the culture
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	The program director, Dr. Elias Savellos, always made safety his top priority, and as a result I always felt safe.
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)
* Was housing included in your program cost?	Yes
* Was food included in your program cost?	No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	highly varied depending on some included meals, but typically about $150-200
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Cook food in the kitchens as much as possible when available, choose food options with your budget in mind when eating out.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm Apartment 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?	10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	highly mobile-traveled extensively through Greece, Italy, and Spain gained extensive knowledge about many Mediterranean cultures FOOD
* What could be improved?	Internet access laundry access inclusion of more meals in the program cost
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Just how forceful some gypsies can be and how to find the best restaurants and shops in each location.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Philosophy 222
Course Department:	Philosophy
Instructor:	Dr. Elias Savellos
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Both this philosophy course and the Humanities 1 course which was also incorporated were challenging, but highly enjoyable on location in the Mediterranean. The professor was extremely knowledgable and well-prepared for every lecture; his efforts were evident and very much appreciated.
Credit Transfer Issues: