Europe is fun and interesting but I still hate people that think its so much better than the U.S Past Review
By Tom B (Philosophy., SUNY - College at Geneseo) for
SUNY Geneseo: Traveling - The Artist in the Third Reich
I appreciated my time there and it was interesting the various museums and to be immersed in a totally different culture. However, I think the real benefit for me was taking that risk of spending three weeks with strangers. The fact that I was able to get a long with everyone on the trip and foster some real friendships was a great self-esteem boost and an important step in my personal development.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Professor Reynolds and Professor Hall were great both in fostering interesting discussions but also on building strong personal relationships with the students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We had problems with bed bugs at the hostel in Germany, but we were able to find alternative lodging in these really nice apartments. That was the only real issue, for the most part the housing was great. |
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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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| 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? | Everything was much more expensive than we had anticipated, even with a depreciated euro. Amsterdam was especially expensive. Many of us also ended up having to buy clothes because of a heatwave at the time and we packed too lite. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There was a heat wave when we went, so many of us ended up having to buy clothes there as we needed to wear multiple outfits in one day sometimes. I think we ended up spending more money on drinks than was anticipated (and I bought a fan so that I could sleep at night). |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | This program was able to incorporate many different areas of study and think that anyone in the social sciences or with an interest in humanity, art and society could really benefit from it. |
