Most Amazing Experience of my Life Past Review
By A student (Accounting/Information Systems, Drake University) - abroad from 02/09/2012 to 07/07/2012 with
The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Wellington - Victoria University of Wellington
This program helped me to grow up a lot and be a lot more independent which I think a lot of American students don't always get from going to college like our parents did when they were our age. I also learned a lot about other cultures and learned to appreciate them from a different perspective. I couldn't have learned the things I did from reading any textbook, it just wouldn't have meant as much.
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. |
|
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were very helpful and made us all feel comfortable enough to come to them for help. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Could have been a little nicer. |
| * Food: |
Pretty similar to the food here in America, which was nice. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I wish I could have gotten the chance to engage with more Kiwi's and feel more immersed with their culture than feel like an American on vacation. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no health issues so I would say it was fine |
| * Safety: |
The fire alarms went off often in our housing and the fire department seemed to respond quick every time. |
| 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) |
Food was a lot more expensive than I would have imagined it to be, especially compared to back home. |
| * 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? | I spent about $65 USD each week on food and alcohol was a bit expensive, I should have budgeted more for than since it's not as cheap as at home. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | it's a lot easier to go in with people on food rather than to cook for yourself every night |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That the place I was living at was going to be mostly Americans. |
