Loved getting to know a new culture and making new friends. Amazing! Past Review
By Kevin E (BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES., Brigham Young University) - abroad from 01/24/2013 to 04/18/2013 with
Study Abroad Programs in Portugal
I learned more about the European Culture. I also learned more Portuguese, especially more business lingo.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I had to work a lot to get my homework done |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
We were treated very well and helped by the members even though we were sent to work in a city that did not have an employment center. For this reason we were somewhat on our own. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
While in Porto we lived extremely far away from the center of the city and most of the places that we were sent to work. |
| * Food: |
Loved the food that I ate in Portugal |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Loved the culture and was able to make tons of friends in the time that I spend in Portugal |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Didn't seem to have any issues with safety, other than the streets being very small and narrow with tiny sidewalks. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 30-40euros.......35-50 dollars |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Just need to be smart with your money and not buy things you don't need. Also eat at your house and try to avoid eating out. |
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 |
I spent most of the time speaking Portuguese |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Port 339 Portuguese Liturature |
| 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? | Speak with everyone you see. The best way to learn is by practicing with natives. |
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? | 10+ |
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 I should have bought more souvenirs to give to people. |
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. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Cultural Proofs |
| Course Department: | IAS |
| Instructor: | Vanessa Fitzgibbon |
| Instruction Language: | Portuguese |
| Comments: | This class was somewhat challenging but was definitely a blast and helped me to make the most of my international experience. It involved doing various cultural activities and writing papers on those cultural activities. This is a perfect class to take while abroad. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Contemporary Culture |
| Course Department: | Portuguese |
| Instructor: | James Krause |
| Instruction Language: | Portuguese |
| Comments: | I learned a lot from this class and loved the cultural related activities. However, I feel like the work load was a lot more than it needed to be. There was too much reading and a few papers that I felt were unnecessary and irrelevant to the purpose of me being abroad |
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| Course Name/Rating: |
Intro to International Business |
| Course Department: | Business Management |
| Instructor: | Radebaugh |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This was a great course. It didn't involve too many activities while I was abroad, but I felt like the workload was fair. It involved reading a text book and taking online quizzes on the chapters, and then writing a 10 page paper about the country I was in's economy. |
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