Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Worthwhile experience now that it's over Past Review

By (Villanova University) - abroad from 01/10/2013 to 05/04/2013 with

Villanova University: Singapore - Studies in International Business & Internship Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned a lot about culture differences in the workplace and teaching standards. It was very difficult and definitely not for slacker students. Only the internship makes it worthwhile, but yes, it was worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Nowhere near what I expected and nowhere near the quality of education at Villanova. The educators did not seem truly qualified to teach nor did they seem to care about anything other than getting paid.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

AIC helped significantly on the ground. Although they were only supposed to be in charge of finding our internships, they definitely helped acclimate us so much faster than our university ever could.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Considering Singapore housing culture, we got very good housing.

* Food:

I loved the variety of food in Singapore. It was also very easy to get at very low prices.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We were left to our own devices, we had to acclimate quickly in order to get by.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

For common health issues, AIC helped a lot. We had one hopefully extremely rare issue with one student that was not handled properly at all.

* Safety:

The country was very safe. You had to work to get into unsafe situations. If you act with common sense in mind, nothing would go wrong.

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $100
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Eating at the local hawker centers is very inexpensive. Cooking for yourself can be expensive depending on what is purchased.

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

We were encouraged to pick up some "Singlish" but were not encouraged to pick up Chinese

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Beginner
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? One semester of Basic Chinese
How many hours per day did you use the language? 0
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? You don't need to know Chinese, but it definitely helps.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
  • Hostel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local 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?
  • Internship
  • Food
  • Ease of Transportation
* What could be improved?
  • Educators
  • Preparation for the program
  • Informing students of the real amount of work
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I had known about the assignments my university surprised us with. I also wish I had known that we would be graded and taught on Asian education standards rather than American educational standards, despite being told all educators would be used to teaching to American standards.

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!