Scoping out Scandinavia Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/20/2016 to 12/14/2016 with
DIS Stockholm Semester
I learned about how Americans are viewed on a global scale. So interesting to hear the Scandinavian's impressions of Americans.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Wasn't as hard as my Middlebury classes, but I definitely had work to do. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
They were great! DIS did a wonderful job pairing me with my host family. |
| * Food: |
Very bread and meat heavy, not very many cooked vegetables. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I only felt integrated through my host family. Only met Swedes my age at bars. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
There was a meeting that was optional, and most people took that time to set up cellphones instead of go to the meeting. |
| * Safety: |
Always felt super safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Instructors were great, friends I made are great, classes were great, and family I lived with was amazing. The only hard thing was that I had to leave after 3 months and live in Denmark for 1 month, which was cool but also difficult. |
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) |
Barely spent any of my own money- really only spent money on lunch (occasionally) and drinks at bars. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Around $30/40 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Ask for leftovers from your homestays to bring with you for lunch! And alcohol is super expensive and not really that prominent unless you're going out to bars. |
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 wanted to use it more because I was in a homestay. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| 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? | 0 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | I had a friend whose host family decided to speak Swedish with her 75% of the time that she was home, and now she's almost fluent! I wish I had asked my host family to do the same. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| 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? |
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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? | I wish I knew how my diet would change, how to speak Swedish, and that I wouldn't make many Scandinavian friends outside of my host family. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Positive Psychology |
| Course Department: | Psychology |
| Instructor: | S. Salman Ahmed |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Challenging, but was a 3 hour class that met once a week, so hard to sit through an entire session. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Hopefully not! I was in touch with the head of the department, and it seems like my classes were approved. |
