Learning Arabic at Amman's Qasid Institute Past Review
By Michael C (Near and Middle Eastern Studies., The College of William and Mary) for
The Qasid Institute: Amman - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Studying abroad enables you to live independently, enhances your street smarts, and gives you a set of eyes that you would not otherwise attain. By throwing yourself into a radically different environment, you have the opportunity to grow and learn about yourself. It sounds cliched and to some extent it is, but it's also true and even the challenging, frustrating portions of study abroad are still instructive and worth it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
| The term and year this program took place: | Winter 2010 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I was very impressed with the quality of the education I received at Qasid. The teachers had a masterful knowledge of their subjects and where able to make topics as dry and complex as Arabic grammar fun, a significant accomplishment. Beyond enjoying the education, I can say that I learned a lot about Arabic grammar, listening, vocabulary, discussion skills, and culture through Qasid. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The strength of the administration was its helpfulness in virtually every area of need - academic, residential, travel. Honestly I can't think of any major or even any minor weaknesses. The administrators were unfailingly polite, caring, and helpful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Living with English-speaking students wouldn't help one's Arabic as much as living with a host family (which I later got the chance to do) but I was still satisfied with the location of the apartment, which was actually within 30 min. walk of the language institute. The price and size of the room were fine and it was clean and fairly well furnished. The only downside was the lack of heating in the winter, but we could solve this by buying gas heaters. |
| * Food: |
Restaurant food is generally cheap but we found ourselves cooking most of our food in our own kitchen because it was cheaper and you had more variety and control. The kitchen is stocked with enough implements and cookware for most meals. Be prepared to wash your dishes yourself (no dishwasher). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's chief merit is that it allows you the freedom to pursue the social and non-academic avenues of your choice. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
When I got sick I was able to quickly get to a doctor, receive good treatment, find medicine, and heal. No problems. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You can keep your expenses pretty low if your split taxi rides amongst many people and eat in (or find really cheap restaurants). Most of your expenses will come from traveling or from buying gifts and such. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Arabic 301 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The most important thing is to practice everyday and in a variety of contexts - formal Arabic through news broadcasts and literature and the local dialect through daily interactions. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Go for it. I had an amazing experience and highly recommend it to students desiring to learn Arabic in the Middle East. Education was great, staff was very helpful, and I have no complaints. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Modern Standard Arabic Level 3 |
| Course Department: | MSA 3 |
| Instructor: | Hiba Bassam & Fadi |
| Instruction Language: | Arabic (and some English) |
| Comments: | Excellent for intermediate students of Arabic who want to get a strong handle on grammar and the case ending system of Arabic in addition to a solid foundation of spoken and reading skills. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No issues with transferring credits to my home institution. |
