Great to be in Israel but Haifa wasn't what I was hoping for Past Review
By Asia M (Political Science And International Studies, Pace University) - abroad from 08/06/2012 to 06/06/2013 with
University of Haifa: Study Abroad at Haifa International School
Being abroad was very worthwhile but the program wasn't. I recommend Tel-Aviv.
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. |
Save for two professors, most were extremeist or simply obtuse. The Peace and Conflict Honors program wasn't a program but rather a course which was dull and lacking in depth. Most students from the Fall peace and conflict honors program were very disappionted with the course and the professor. However, the head of the program has since been changed and the new professor for the program is lovely. The best program on the campus is any lead by Yisreal Neeman. His study tour was fantastic!!!! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Staff were great however I was concerned with the way they casually delt with the outbreak of conflict in November. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Do arrange for off-campus housing. Multiple times a week, the university will shut off the lights, water or wi-fi for "maintenance". Also, the dorms, I stayed in the nicer dorms -Talia, are FILTHY, and have lots of bugs! Talia dorms also do NOT have A/C and fans are of little help in the heat. |
| * Food: |
Not much on campus and EVERYTHING is far off campus! Remember that Israel shuts down from Friday afternoon - Saturday night and you will have to have food. The kitchen in the Talia dorms is horrid. Our refrrigerator literally blew-up, and there isn't a stove only a hot plate for the whole apartment. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Students mainly stay on campus and hang out with other international students or the guards. There are trips which if you've been to Israel before, aren't much. Most of the trips are hikes so if you're not into that you won't get much out of it. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The healthcare provided is poor if you have any pre-existing issues. Also, the hosiptals that take the insurance are very far away. |
| * Safety: |
There was an outbreak in conflict November with rockets flying all over Israel including Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv. Hizbollah (which btw you can see Lebanon from your dorm) was threatening to hit a chemical plant in Haifa (which you can also see from the dorms. The adminstrative staff treated it as nothing new. We had to go to loads of meetings which had little useful information. Rather we were told that if Haifa was under threat we would be evacuated to Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv or Beer Sheva. However, these cities were under rockets which left all of the students guessing um... One student left due to feeling unsafe. Whereas students from Tel-Aviv went to London... |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
The program is VERY cheap. However, the cost of living in Israel is not. There isn't a meal plan so you have to buy groceries which if your smart are around $50-100 a week. |
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 |
The Hebrew and Arabic program is HORRID!!!!! It is a waste of time!!!! The book to teach Arabic is in Hebrew and for Hebrew, what they teach isn't very practical and the teachers that I had except for Sarah were just simply uncaring. I began to live with my fiance in December which is how I have picked up my Hebrew. I showed them my text book for Hebrew and they said it wasn't useful Hebrew. |
| 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 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | If you choose to go to Haifa, then live with an Israeli family. You will actually learn the language and won't have to live in the hot, moldly, cockroach infested dorms with no lights, A/C, or wi-fi. |
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? | 10+ |
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 came to Haifa for the internships and peace and conflict honors program. Haifa doesn't provide worthwhile conflict internships. They say on their website that they offer internships with the National Security Studies Center which is FALSE! I had to find my own internship. |
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! |
