Would do it all again in an instant Past Review
By Leah F (Dance., Columbia University) - abroad from 01/28/2013 to 06/07/2013 with
University of Haifa: Study Abroad at Haifa International School
I learned a lot more outside of the classroom than inside, but it was absolutely worthwhile. I loved seeing Israel from a non religious perspective, because I'd only ever experienced it from a Jewish perspective before this.
Review Photos
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. |
Compared to Columbia, the courses were much easier. That said I still learned a lot. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were good at answering questions and helping when necessary. They were very responsive which was nice. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I'm thankful that I didn't only live with international students, but I'm glad that we all lived really close to each other. |
| * Food: |
I mostly made my own food in the kitchen in our dorm, but the food on campus was easily accessible and fairly cheap. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I definitely felt more integrated with the international students, but the program did have programs to encourage integration with Israel students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never needed healthcare help, but my friends who did received it without any problems. No vaccines were needed to travel to Israel. |
| * Safety: |
I felt completely safe both on and off campus. |
| 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) |
Food and living expenses were fairly cheap, but going out could get costly. You just have to budget well. |
| 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? | Set a budget and stick to it. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | 2 semesters |
| 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? | FInd a local and speak with them often. |
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 I had known how the Arabic program would have been there. It was not as impressive as I expected. |
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! |
