Not just an experience, but an extreme lifestyle alteration Past Review
By Marlena W (PSYCHOLOGY., University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse) - abroad from 09/10/2013 to 05/16/2014 with
UW-Platteville Education Abroad at St Mary's University (SMU)
I learned to be aware and respect cultural differences. I received a sense of how truly small I am in this world and am humbled when recoginsing how much there is I do not know. The experience made me grow as a person as well as gain independence, organisation and self-awareness. Was it worthwhile? Every day I learned something new and made friends from all over the world. I went caving 50 meters below the surface in Budapest, dangled my legs over the edge of a bank as I watched the rowers fly down the Thames, stood in Leicester square sipping a warm coffee from Costa while people clicked past to purchase their theater tickets for that evening, sat on the steps of Versailles tearfully cradling my broken camera after dropping it down a flight of marble steps... yes, it was completely worthwhile. Every single second.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Academics were different due to your overall grade being based on 2 or 3 large assignments overall. Once use to this, it was easy to break it down and receive high marks. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everyone was kind and willing to help |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
De Marillac hall becomes your family and the people are a large part of the overall experience. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
By the third week I was fully integrated and the areas surrounding the school also feel like home. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Most of us went to the free walk-in clinic, but what they diagnose you with was not always trustworthy or correct. However, it was all readily available for anyone, which was nice. |
| * Safety: |
Absolutely safest area you could end up in. Anytime of day or night I never felt unsafe or in danger. |
| 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) |
The USD is not worth much in England so of course expenses were more than I could have predicted. If you do want to set a budget and just limit some of the optional activities, it is possible (but difficult) to live on a strict student budget. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | It varies depending on what you do from week to week, but on average $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Walking. Try to limit transportation as many do in England. Creating a budget is one of the best ways to save because you construct boundaries as to what you do from week to week. Form one your first week there after getting a feel for the prices and stick with it. Use skyscanner for finding flights and travel with a carry on. You will not need a full suitcase for a few days in another country... it's more exciting that way and saves you quite a bit in the long run. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | Reverse culture shock is the worst part of it all. Everything cent you pay and the stress that comes before is 100% worth it. It will fly by so make the most of every single day. Making local friends will be difficult, but not impossible. Try to not clump in groups from your own country; harder to meet people that way as they feel intimidated. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
