Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Everything you need to see in four weeks Past Review

By (Texas A&M University - College Station) - abroad from 05/16/2016 to 06/12/2016 with

AIFS: Travel Program – European Art and Architecture

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained an appetite for travel and the things I want to do and places I want to go with my life. Very worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classroom hours and workload was very limited, but the program included mostly contact hours and exposure.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Staff was very helpful and informative about the cities we visited.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

We stayed in very nice hotels in most of the locations, however the location for Paris was inconvenient and felt unsafe. We let the AIFS staff know at the time.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Almost all of the time spent on the trip was with the group.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

We had the chance to a great deal of western Europe, and went to a lot of places I didn't even know about.

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)

Everything was incredibly expensive.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Probably around $500
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Try to get food at local grocers to save money. Do not eat out for every meal.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Hotel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • Seeing Italy and Switzerland
  • The food
  • Being at the center of so many different cities
* What could be improved?
  • Housing in Paris
  • Amount of time spent in Paris
  • Location in Rome
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I didn't know anything about public transportation or subway systems. I also didn't know about a good deal of sights and places to see in the cities.

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.