Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

It was ok Past Review

By (Illinois State University) - abroad from 01/22/2016 to 05/27/2016 with

University of Nicosia - Global Semesters: Nicosia - Semester in Cyprus

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned so much about myself and about traveling. Even though I feel like I didn't learn as much in my classes, I learned so much about overall life skills. I learned patience, being independent, working with others and so much more. Although my program had some rough patches, I do love Cyprus and the people here. I wouldn't change where I studied and it was absolutely worth while.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I wasn't really challenged at University of Nicosia. There was no homework, quizzes or readings that ad to be done so I felt like I didn't get that much out of the classes.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Our apartment (gabriele apartments) were definitely not as nice as some of the other apartments that students in our program were staying it. The condition of our apartment was not very clean when we first came and we had to keep buying things for our apartment because things kept breaking. Our kitchen was super small for four people and while other apartments had an oven, ours did not.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Cyprus is a very safe country so my parents and I were excited about that. I never felt unsafe here compared to some of my friends staying in other countries this semester.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

If I didn't make the friends that I did and had my own traveling experiences, I don't think I would have liked this program is much. It was just very stressful before coming here because the course list was not correct. About half the kids in my program had trouble with classes/registering. Global semesters lost my friends $1,000 check in the mail. Global semester just isn't organized and some serious changes need to be made. The weekend trips that they planned for us were great. I just wish we had more information before coming to Cyprus. We give a huge deposit before we even pick our classes. The only supervisor we can call doesn't know much about the logistics of the program.

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)

I would spend about 30 euros on groceries every week. It's hard to say how much you spend because some weekends you would be traveling so you would obviously spend more.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $50-100 depending on the week
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Save before you come.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • Weekend Trips
  • Amazing weather
  • Relaxed people
* What could be improved?
  • Communication
  • Information
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That we were not living right by the beach :) I also wish we knew more about the weekend trips that were being planned for us. I also wish we knew that we had a two week spring break AS WELL as a study week right after spring break. We could have added on some extra traveling.

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 Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.