Living Art Every Day Past Review

By (Fine Art Photography, Utah Valley University) - abroad from 05/07/2012 to 06/04/2012 with

Utah Valley University: Traveling - Art History & Photography

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
This was one of the best experiences of my life. Our group was fabulous and we all wanted to work and learn, so we pushed each other. I learned more respect for different ways of doing things. I learned to make art a part of my life and view of the world.

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.

The program was great! The teachers (John Rees and Courtney Davis) were fabulous. We spent a lot of time touring museums and seeing the sights, while still finding time to shoot quality photos (non-tourist type shots). Both Courtney and John were available to answer any questions and help us in any way. In-class lecture time was limited and we spent much more time out seeing and doing things, which was great.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

The food in Paris especially was fabulous! :) I will miss it immensely when I return to the States.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We spent a lot of time out wandering the streets, meeting people, and shooting photos. We saw many culturally important sites as well in the cities where we were staying.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I never felt unsafe at any time during the program.

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)

London was especially difficult to keep costs down simply because it's an expensive city with the British Pound being worth nearly double that of the dollar. But I know that other students were much better at budgeting their money than I was (I wasn't that mindful of budgeting)

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I spent between $175-200 per week, I'd say.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? create a budget for yourself and stick to it. Especially in London, where the flat had a kitchen, doing grocery shopping and group dinners at home saved a lot of money. It helped a lot that we had some great cooks in the group.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
  • Hotel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* 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?
  • We were so immersed in art that it wasn't difficult at all to see art everywhere and in everything. It was inspiring and it forever changed the way that I will view the world around me.
* What could be improved?
  • Part way through, John started giving us more assignments to help us break out of the box so to speak, I think that could have happened sooner. A few of us were just hurting for more knowledge and experience.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I would have researched each city a little more than I did before this trip. We had more free time than I had expected, so it would have been nice to know more about what I should be seeing while I was there.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Special Topics

Course Department: Photography
Instructor: John Rees
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The class was great. We each picked our own topic of photography to pursue and John worked with us one on one to get our photos up to the standard that they needed to be at. At the end of the course each of us was required to present a portfolio of 10 images to John for a one-on-one critique. John is very knowledgeable and has a lot of real life experience in the field and he really wants to see the students succeed and grow. His number one concern was that we were getting everything out of the experience that we wanted to.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Advanced Photo Studies

Course Department: Photography
Instructor: John Rees
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This class was more focused on real-life work of a photographer and how to handle model and location releases and contracts. We focused on travel photography while we were in Europe and each of us turned in 10 finished images in a portfolio to John at the end. Definitely recommend taking this class.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Twentieth Century Art and Architecture

Course Department: Art History
Instructor: Courtney Davis
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This course was probably my most challenging on the study abroad as far as home work and testing, but it was fabulous. Courtney is so passionate and has such a wealth of knowledge that it makes the class work lively and fun. Seeing the art in person is amazing! Especially the Pompidou Center in Paris and the Tate Modern in London (when speaking of 20th century and of course). We spent time in lecture, but mostly we spent time actually going out and seeing the art in person, which was really fabulous. I would highly recommend any class from Courtney.
Credit Transfer Issues: