Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

A Semest of New and Different Past Review

By (Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/07/2012 to 01/18/2013 with

CIEE: Sharjah - Business, Engineering, Arts and Sciences

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained definitly a different perspective after living in a country that wasn't predominantly Christian, where I was the minority. I felt that cultural experience was worthwhile, but I wished I was able to use my Arabic more often.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

Food options included eating at the small food court or fixing your own food in the dorm.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The only time I was in the on campus clinic was for inprocessing at the begining of the semester and it went fairly smoothly.

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

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? 80
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? You can save a bit of money taking the metro versus the taxi, eventhough taxis seem to be the more prevalent way to get around if you don't have your own car.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
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? Second year Arabic
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Great friends among local and exchange students
  • The IXO office at AUS put forth a good effort to have activities and cultural experiences for the International students especially during that first week.
* What could be improved?
  • The only option was to live in dorms and this was an unpleasant experience because there is little to no activity on campus in the dorms. It's very much you need to get off campus to do something and have fun. Because of AUS's location its also harder to do so, when you don't own a car.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Do not take this program to further Arabic language skills. Despite the official language being Arabic, Dubai's focus as the shopping capital causes the language of business(English) to dominate.

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 Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!