Washington DC: Only the Strong Survive Past Review
By A student (Emerson College) - abroad from 08/31/2012 to 12/15/2012 with
Emerson College: Washington, D.C. - The Washington Center
I gained great contacts from my internship, and a great experience.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Again, my internship was fantastic. However I found the TWC experience to be awful. Additionally, while the Emerson course was interesting, as a journalism major I found it difficult to keep up with the professor at times. The course was much more intended for poly-comm and comm-studies majors. There were times when I felt lost. The professor did pose interesting discussions though. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
In this case, I'm assuming the Host Country is The Washington Center. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
There was no overhead lighting, and the power went out frequently if more than 3 electronic devices in the whole apartment were being used. |
| * Food: |
What food? |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was interesting to meet so many students from other countries, and other schools. However, TWC did not have any meet and greet events or anything like that. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
There was a clinic two blocks away. The concierge directed all health issues there. |
| * Safety: |
The Residential and Academic Facility was in pretty bad neighborhood. I did not feel safe walking outside alone past a certain point in the evening. At least once a week the block would be taken over by cops as they arrested someone. Though TWC offered a shuttle bus, it only came around every 40 minutes, and it didn't make sense to wait that long when you can walk back to the RAF in 10. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
Unpaid internships are not very student-budget friendly. Between the internship and classes, there was no time for a second job. Many people have to rely on savings or parents for money. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Maybe $100 max? It depended on the week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Pack lunch, make your own coffee, get a re-usable water bottle. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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 just done the internship on my own over the summer. |
