A Bird's Eye View of Lisbon Past Review
By A student (Social Work., Loras College) - abroad from 01/29/2013 to 06/30/2013 with
University Institute of Lisbon / ISCTE-IUL: Lisbon - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I became much more patient after living in the local culture, which is less organized and has a slower pace than America. I gained independence when traveling around the city and other cities alone. I was able to stay outside of my comfort zone and find ways to make myself happy.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The school was very unorganized and it was difficult to find and access resources. We also were unable to secure an internship, which was supposed to be part of the program. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administrators were friendly, but sometimes it took a while to hear back from them. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The school's residence exposed us to other international students. |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I would have appreciated more opportunities to learn the local culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A: did not need healthcare during my stay. |
| * Safety: |
While we had no negative incidents, men are very forward and often catcall at women which is uncomfortable. |
| 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? | 40 Euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Lisbon is much cheaper than many of the other European cities I visited. I saved money by buying groceries and making my own food instead of eating out a lot. Pay everything you can with cash. Plan ahead for travel and stay at a hostel with a kitchen so you can cook your own dinners. Take advantage of student discounts. |
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 |
All our classes were in English and many of our new friends were speaking English as a second language so they wanted to work on that skill. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Learn basic phrases (spoken and written) before you leave, like hello, thank you, excuse me, help, exit, etc. A good time to practice is when ordering food. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | We wouldn't get internships. We lived 45+ minutes from campus and the bottom level of the Residence was an elderly community. Most of the other students we lived with were 25-40 years old. Knowing some of the language would have been really helpful. Men are very forward. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
