International Experience in an International City Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The program is pretty rigorous in comparison to some other study abroad programs. There are two tracks of study. Track A (the one that I did) includes 3-4 courses at the Smith center (including a french language course and a seminar on humanitarian organizations), a 20 page independent research project, as well as a part time internship at an NGO (~20 hours a week). This is a great program for any student interested in international relations and wishing to get hands-on experience working in an international setting.

On-site administration of your program

The program is very well managed. The director and assistant directors of the program are both extremely experienced, supportive of the students, and very organized.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I had the opportunity to stay at a women's hostel in the historical Old Town District of the city. It was a great experience to live in that area and experience the culture of the city around me. The residence hall itself is well-managed, although due to the fact that it is an old building, had some maintenance issues.

As Geneva tends to be an expensive city to live in, I pretty much always cooked for myself. I found that grocery stores like Migros or Coop offered decent prices and I was able to buy most of the things that I needed. That being said, it is more difficult to find ethnic ingredients and spices in Geneva.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Geneva is a very international city in that many of its residents are there to work in international organizations or are international students. As an international visiting student myself, I felt like I was mostly integrated into this culture. As a student of Asian-descent, I did feel like I was a minority studying in Geneva, however I did not personally experience any incidents of blatant racism or insensitivity for this.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Geneva is relatively safe as a city, however there are cases of petty theft or pickpocketing on public transportation. I would advise that future students be cautious and use common sense when navigating the city (same as they would any other city).

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

We were given a stipend of little over 3000 USD for food and personal needs in Geneva by the Smith in Geneva program. This stipend was more than sufficient for groceries and I would say that I spent about 75 dollars a week on food. This was also due to the fact that I was carefully budgeting my funds as Geneva is a very expensive city overall. For instance, we would travel into France (about a 30 minute bus ride) to buy meat and dairy products as it was cheaper there. I hardly ever ate out as restaurants were rather pricey (~20-30 dollars a meal). Instead, I chose to spend the majority of my budget on cultural excursions or small trips around Europe (which could be fairly inexpensive if you do some research and look for good opportunities with budget airlines and airbnb).

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

We had to take a French course and were encouraged to interact with our program directors and each other in French.

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• Hostel

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• International Students

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• International Students

• Internship at an NGO
• Being challenged academically while also having opportunities for travel
• Living in Switzerland

• More information about interning in Geneva during the application process

The Academic or Linguist