Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Past Review

By (Philosophy., Barnard College) for

University of Haifa: Study Abroad at Haifa International School

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
The best part for me was just knowing I could actually LIVE and get by fairly well in another country. There's something about that knowledge that is just so great.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: University of Haifa
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.

learned a lot but with less work than in the US, at least during the semester- majority of work was finals the last week of classes and papers due a month after classes ended, so during the semester itself I was able to enjoy being abroad

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

They were very disorganized and did everything at the last minute but they were there to help when you needed them most. Also, different administrators were more friendly and helpful than others.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Location was great, but I was dissatisfied with the lack of kitchen amenities and the lack of wireless in my room.

* Food:

The 'kitchen' in the dorm was very inadequate, so I survived mostly on yogurt, cereal, sandwiches, etc. Cafes in the area were also great for meals if you were off-campus or wanted to get off campus.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There were a lot of planned activities for us, such as parties, dinners, day-trips, and even weekend camping trips.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Luckily I didn't get sick, but the people I know who did had bad experiences with incompetent doctors, etc.

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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

I already knew a lot of Hebrew so the Ulpan program was a great reminder and also served to get me more comfortable with it. I successfully used Hebrew whenever I went off campus into the real parts of the city/country, but most people did speak English so it was more for my own practice. Also, I was amazed at the progress of the people who'd come in knowing no Hebrew at all- by the end, they were writing short compositions and doing dialogues.

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Direct Enrollment

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • International Students
  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? You should go. My biggest complaint was the lack of religious life on campus and nearby, but if that's not an issue for you, you'll have a great time.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Winter Ulpan
Course Department: Hebrew
Instructor: Etti Pinkus
Instruction Language: Hebrew
Comments: learned a lot, got me comfortable with Hebrew
Credit Transfer Issues: no issues
Course Name/Rating:

Academic Internship
Course Department: Internship
Instructor: Zalman Gordon
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The internship itself was great- I was placed at the Haifa Feminist Center where I helped with research (in English), a lot of which I could do from my computer at the University so it didn't take up a lot of my schedule. The academic aspect was awful since it was completely unorganized- it took a month to place me and the most I heard about the paper requirement was an email over the summer saying that he hadn't received my paper yet
Credit Transfer Issues: yes- probably won't transfer but it was a good experience anyway
Course Name/Rating:

Two Approaches to Jewish Philosophy: Maimonides and Halevi
Course Department: Philosophy
Instructor: Menachem Kellner
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Interesting topic, focused more on theological rather than philosophical themes
Credit Transfer Issues: no issues
Course Name/Rating:

Introduction to Rabbinic Literature II
Course Department: Religion
Instructor: Avi Kadish
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Everything was new, so I learned a lot. Went through an entire tractate of mishnah.
Credit Transfer Issues: no issue
Course Name/Rating:

Contemporary Israel: History and Society
Course Department: History
Instructor: Israel Ne'eman
Instruction Language: English
Comments: covered all of history of Israel in one semester- from Abraham to the incident with the Gaza flotilla which took place in our last week. A lot of details about the wars, also talked about larger forces behind political change, relevant day trips
Credit Transfer Issues: no issue