Study Abroad will be the best experience of your life! Past Review
By Libby N (Finance, Bentley University) - abroad from 01/16/2013 to 05/17/2013 with
Vesalius College: Brussels - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Yes it was worth while, I would do it again in a heartbeat
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
If given the choice, I would not live with a host family again. I saw no benefit to it. All they provided us with were 5 dinners a week and if you were out of town on a day they offered dinner but in town on a night they didn't you could make up for it. I was served store bought food and only saw my family at dinner. It was not the ideal experience. I found myself being very careful around them. I felt like I was in high school again. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
I spent too much money on food, transportation and other living costs, much more than I do at my home university. The school should at least include a transportation stipend to and from school in their package |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100-200, not including travel |
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 |
Bentley should not require us to learn a language. I learned nothing in my French class, the professor spent half the class talking about Belgian culture. I wasted one of my electives |
| 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? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 4 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
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? |
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? | Host families are not as fun as people say they will be |
