A Summer in Brussels: The Best and Most Rewarding Experience I Could Have Asked For! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classes that I took while abroad were definitely the hardest I have ever taken, and time consuming. There was not much work that made up your grade and they don't give you instant feed back. Definitely different than the American system in regard to length of classes and class structure however, I would not consider this a reason not to study abroad.

On-site administration of your program

The program directors that we had were better than I ever would have imagined. They were beyond helpful, always there if we needed something, and knew a ton about Brussels! They also planned the best excursions and were fun to just hang around and talk to. They weren't there to tell us what to do, they were simply there to be helpful. I honestly couldn't ask for them to be any better.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was really lucky that the program set up our housing in apartments or homestays if that was what people wanted. I didn't really need to provide anything except for toiletries (toilet paper, paper towels etc.) and my food. I felt really safe and lived in a great neighborhood and had pretty good neighbors. We weren't really close to school or the downtown area but more in the middle of the two which was still convenient.

I pretty much chose what and where I wanted to eat. I recommend just trying new things and especially going into little shops and cafe's and things like that.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Our program planned GREAT excursions and I recommend you go on all of them id you can! And just explore the city of Brussels. Go to museums, and outdoor concerts and anything else that is going on. You can gain a whole new perspective and learn so much from doing simple things. Make sure you actually get to know the city of Brussels, but take a weekend or two to travel to another country, they're all experiences that can't be beat!!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I felt very safe and didn't run into problems. I would just recomment being cautious, smart and aware and you will be fine.

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

You could practice the language with anyone in the area, however many people spoke English so you could get by without knowing French or Dutch

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• Apartment

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• Americans