The end to an amazing chapter of my life Past Review
By Genesis Guzman (University of Hartford) - abroad from 09/18/2017 to 12/16/2017 with
American College of Thessaloniki (ACT): Thessaloniki - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I gained language skills, people skills, and most importantly a new way of seeing life. There is so much more to life. Traveling across the world allows you to look at it with a different mindset. It was worth every second of it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
American institutions prepare us for finals by giving us work throughout the semester. Abroad, I realized work was crammed in at the very end while also having to prepare for finals. Also, you are unaware of what your grades are until you receive your course credits when you come back to America. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Loved living in a traditional Greek apartment style. The things I would change would include, having house appliances already included (since the housing fees are already very expensive) and perhaps providing cleaning twice a week. |
| * Food: |
LOVED! There is nothing better than Greek home made food ... found EVERYWHERE near us. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
AMAZING! In order to talk to others you had to somewhat learn Greek, which is exactly what I wanted in my experience. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Super safe, went out at all times and not once did I feel not secure. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
It was an amazing experience that can only be described by actually going through it. From the second you land in Greece to the second you leave, the memories made are forever. The people are so welcoming and kind, the food so tasty, and the professors so kind. You leave the program a new person. |
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? | 100-150 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | YES! Plan ahead for weekend trips, save money for them! Buy those flight tickets ahead of time (make group chats before meeting everyone and plan for those weekends) OR do it spontaneously like I did, but look for the cheapest flights. Also, budget yourself by finding out how much you will spend on groceries/eat weekly. |
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 |
The classes were taught in English, but in order to get around the community/transportation some sort of Greek was needed. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Learn the basics before going like hello, bye, how are you, my name is, what is your name, how do i go to _____, what bus goes to ____, etc. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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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? | How much money I would be spending |
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 UrbaniteA 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. |
