Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Gender Studies in Europe: The life of a nomad Past Review

By (Women's and Gender Studies, Wellesley College) for

Carleton Global Engagement: Women's and Gender Studies in Europe

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Definitely more culturally aware, more prone to travel in the future, met two new feminist friends that are now two of my closest and I will definitely keep in touch with.

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.

I think it had a lot to do with the European lecture style. I felt that we were talked at most of the time, instead of being talked to. Also our program director was not great at facilitating discussion, but I think the problem was more with the students. DIfferent people took the work more or less seriously and it led to a lot of hostilities.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Seminars were painful to sit through, the environment did not feel like a safe space to speak in because some of the students complained that the discussions were too "elementary" for them. I don't really know how this can be solved, unless it was just a bad batch of people. I think the Professor could have tried to fit it though, instead she seemed to just wait it out until it was over. Some of the lecturers were really great, but others were awful. You never knew what you were going to get from day to day.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

La Alhambra in Granada Spain, Wawel Castle and Rynek Glowny in Krakow Poland,Auscheitz-Birkenau Concentraion Camp, Berliner Dom and the Reichstag in Berlin Germany, Anne Frank's House in Amsterdam, Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque and Turkish Bathhouse in Turkey. Most of these events we had to plan on our own with our friends, which I preferred to group trips with the director.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I got very ill while in Turkey. My throat/tonsils were more swollen than I had ever thought possible. The director walked with me to the hospital everyday for a week and eventually sat with me when I had to be admitted. She brought me food and helped me get antibiotics. It was incredible. The language boundary was definitely a struggle, however.

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I'd say like 60 dollars a week. In addition to the per diem that we were given. But that was with being very careful about my money.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? My medical expenses for antibiotics/hospital stay were unexpected. Also eating out was expensive. And alcohol adds a lot to any bill.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Apartment
  • Dorm
  • Hostel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I would suggest that you speak with me before making any decisions. All in all, it was great and I learned a lot about myself and was exposed to a lot of ideas that really opened my mind. I am a different person than I was before I left. But it definitely had its drawbacks and it was challenging at times.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Independent Research Project
Course Department: AWS 396
Instructor: Iveta Justova
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Fine. I wish we had been given more time to work on the research while we were abroad.
Credit Transfer Issues: Not that I know of, yet.
Course Name/Rating:

Feminist Methodologies
Course Department: AWS 250
Instructor: Iveta Jusova
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Very helpful. I feel like I came out of it with a real understanding of what it means to be a feminist researcher.
Credit Transfer Issues: Not that I know of, yet.
Course Name/Rating:

SItuated Feminisms: Socio-Political Systems and Women's Lives
Course Department: AWS 240
Instructor: Featured Lecturers
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This course was the best out of all of them. I got to hear about the situations of women in every country we visited and different/similar issues we all face.
Credit Transfer Issues: Not yet.
Course Name/Rating:

Comparative Feminist Theories
Course Department: AWS 350
Instructor: Iveta Jusova and other select lecturers
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Slightly boring. The readings were dense and hard to get through. I suppose that is true for most theory courses, however.
Credit Transfer Issues: not yet.