Great City -- OK program Past Review
By A student (Political Science and Government, Barnard College) - abroad from 08/19/2015 to 12/11/2015 with
Syracuse University: Strasbourg - Syracuse University in Strasbourg
It was definitely worthwhile! I learned the most, not from class, but from the experiences I had exploring Strasbourg and traveling around Europe.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were interesting to an extent, but definitely not the same rigor as my home institution. Professors were knowledgable, but not necessarily the best at teaching. Low workload was nice so that we still had time to see Strasbourg and travel. They do have a really great internship program with the Council of Europe. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Mediocre administration. They didn't know how to handle problems that arose and tended to blame them on the students even when the problem was out of the student's control. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I totally loved my host family! They were so kind and made living in Strasbourg so easy and fun. |
| * Food: |
Great food in Strasbourg! Good balance between eating out and eating with our host families. The one problem is that there are not a lot of lunch options around the Syracuse center |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Living with a host family helped with this, but I was basically with American students the whole time. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in Strasbourg! Never an issue to be out late at night. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
The course options were too limited and the program didn't have enough french options for someone who is better than beginner french, but not at the level where they can take classes at the university level. I would do this program again if I was at the level where I could take classes in the university. I also highly recommend their internship program with the Council of Europe. |
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? | $200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Get lunch at the grocery stores and stay in Air bobs when you travel! |
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 |
Only had one class in french |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate II |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | I wish they would've told us who our host families were going to be. |
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 NetworkerAn active student leader, it was important for you to network abroad as well. Once overseas, you sought out student clubs, volunteered with local organizations, or attended community events. You encouraged your friends join you, and often considered how you could reflect your international experiences in a resume. |
