Getting Used to This January 29, 2024
By A student (History, Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/24/2023 to 12/15/2023 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Niterói
Independence and confidence in myself, I'd say it was worthwhile
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
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 |
very little response and help |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
had never hosted a host student prior, had several ongoing familial problems that made it difficult to calmly coexist |
| * Food: |
great food! |
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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? |
found it nearly impossible to find mental health specialists/help through the study abroad insurance |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
Extremely minimal support and program contact, extremely unorganized academics |
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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 300 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | What the academic scene would be like. |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
History of Colonial Rio de Janeiro |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Maria Fernanda Bicalho |
| Instruction Language: | Portuguese |
| Comments: | Had one field trip which was great, but the professor was very unorganized, graded us on one single assignment, and often cancelled class. Not conducive to participation. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not yet |
| Course Name/Rating: |
History of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Elisa Fruhauf Garcia |
| Instruction Language: | Portuguese |
| Comments: | It was somewhat challenging, interesting reading and manageable workload, multimedia utilized too! Assessed on short film reviews, and a final research project. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not yet |
| Course Name/Rating: |
History of Reparational Politics and Transitional Justice |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Angela Domingues |
| Instruction Language: | Portuguese |
| Comments: | Extremely challenging and dense academic work, found it nearly impossible to complete readings, graded on 3 group assignments |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not yet |
