Challenging, enriching, and well-worth the experience! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The quality of education at the American University of Beirut is in the hands of each student. The more effort you put into your education--meeting with professors, researching, studying, and asking questions--the more you'll get out of your experience. I was privileged to have two advisors that put hours into my education, ensuring I had exhausted all angles of a research question and constantly encouraging me to work harder and obtain a higher standard of learning. As a result, I was able to present my research at a conference in Amman, Jordan held by the Arab Academy of Sciences.

On-site administration of your program

The administration for the school, at times, could be difficult and frustrating to navigate. However, the administration for my department (Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management) was organized and effective. Any time I would walk in with a question, someone was able to either answer it themselves or find the answer and report it back to me in a timely manner.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

During my first semester I lived in the graduate female dormitories. This was nice because as a foreigner, I had a lot of friends in the dorms who could help me when I had a question or needed guidance. During the last three semesters of my AUB graduate studies, I lived in an apartment on Bliss Street that faced the Mediterranean Sea. This was nice because I was able to cook and live with other foreign students.

Lebanese food is delicious. I would encourage anyone visiting Lebanon to try as many of the different foods from different restaurants as possible.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The people of Beirut are used to hosting foreigners from around the globe. When I first arrived to the country, I continually asked locals what I should and shouldn't do so as to show respect. The response I received was that I should simply be myself and would be fine. Thus, it seems that even if you act like yourself, you'll still be welcomed and integrated into the cultural mosaic of Beirut. With this said, it still pays to be well-dressed, fashionably late, and bearing sweets, flowers, or a drink when visiting someone's home.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I felt very safe while living in Beirut and traveling throughout Lebanon. When walking around during the day, places are safe, but when traveling at night, it's best to travel with someone else or take a taxi. Also, it is always good to get the advice about traveling to different areas of the country from a trusted local before departing.

It was a great learning experience. My time at AUB pushed me to my educational limits, but I survived and maybe even thrived.

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

Excluding rent, I was usually able to spend around $100 per week on food and personal expenses. This amount would increase if I took a lot of taxis or traveled outside of Beirut.

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• Dorm
• Apartment

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• Local Students
• International Students

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• Local Students
• International Students

• The time that professors took out of their lives (their dedication) to develop and enhance my learning.
• The beautiful campus.
• The non-stop way of life.

• The library is too small for the number of students the university enrolls, it could be expanded.
• There could be less paperwork needed from international students--especially in terms of visas. It would be wonderful if AUB could directly issue FREE international student visas.
• The campus cats could be put in separate areas, away from the student eating/studying spaces. It was frustrating when eating a snack on the picnic table and they would either jump into your lap or onto your table.

The Academic or Linguist