Amazing Past Review
By A student (French Language and Literature., The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 07/07/2012 to 08/11/2012 with
American Councils (ACTR): Advanced Russian Language & Area Studies Program (RLASP)
That what Americans expound as being Russia is completely false. I garnered a completely different understanding of the country after my time in Moscow Plus.
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. |
This program was very challenging overall. Having to take all classes in Russian and have professors that only spoke Russian really forced me to learn the language. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The on site administration of the program was very good. Having a residen director that was similar to age as us really help to make the program smooth and successful. The program administration also handled the daily mix ups that one encounters in Russia very well. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was good. We had our own bathroom and shower and a large renovated room with two desks and two beds. Some parts of the dormitory were a little run down but that was alright. |
| * Food: |
The food was overall very good. However, there were some days when expired yogurt and things like that were served at breakfast and did on occasion make some students sick. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
For the most part I felt integrated into the culture because we were actually live at a Russian dormitory and going to a Russian university. However, we did not meet that many Russian people outside of our tutors and so I think the program could benefit by coming up with a way for us to meet more native speakers. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Health issues were dealt with wonderfully. On a daily basis we were asked about our health and reminded to get in touch with the administration in case something was wrong. |
| * Safety: |
Moscow is a very safe place contrary to what many people who have never been there will say. There are many police officers all around and as long as you use big city caution when walking around at night and going out it is completely safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
Overall Moscow is a very expensive place when it comes to eating out since our dinner was not provided. However, once we found local places or good street vendors we could learn how to eat on a budget. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Be sure and find good street vendors who sell good healthy meals for the night. Many times the study abroad advisors for Moscow will advice against this but this is really one of the only ways you can save money. |
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 |
We were encouraged to only speak Russian the entire time we were in Moscow. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | One summer course |
| 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? | Be open and willing to always use your Russian. Don't get frustrated and try to just remember the basic thing you were taught in class. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | That Russia is very hot in the summer and to pack more summer clothes. |
