Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Summer by the Beach Past Review

By (Political Science and Government., University of Maine at Orono) - abroad from 05/28/2014 to 07/29/2014 with

USAC Brazil: Florianópolis - International Business, Environmental/Conservation Management, and Latin American Studies

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned to become more independent, more adventuresome, and learned a new language! It was by far the greatest summer of my life, and I doubt it'll be matched.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Cramming a full semester of Portuguese into just 2 or 3 weeks meant studying every night just to keep up, but the professors were always willing to help.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

John, Aline, Laura, and Ceci were all super helpful in making us feel welcomed and getting acclimated to our arrival in Floripa.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I loved my host family, they were very helpful both in learning Portuguese and learning more about Brazilian culture.

* Food:

Churrasco is to die for. I ate so much sometimes I felt like I would die. It's just so good. And cheap.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt like I was pretty acclimated with Brazilian life after a few weeks.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Only got sick once, didn't need health care. But it did make me miss a trip to Iguazu Falls.

* Safety:

I never had an issue personally and never saw any issues first-hand. Just be careful crossing any street. You take your life into your own hands to get to the other side.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Food and transportation was very cheap.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? R70-100?
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Use your bus card! It saves 7 cents per trip, and it adds up.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I was constantly encouraged to try to speak Portuguese from day 1.

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? Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Fluent in French (not through class)
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? Stay with a host family! Seriously they were awesome and so patient with my language needs, plus they made me feel proud when they would compliment my advancing, but still bad language skills.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • Location
  • Friends
* What could be improved?
  • More Pre-departure info
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? What the class schedules were like. It wasn't bad, just wish I knew ahead of time.

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 Linguist
You 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!