An okay exsperience Past Review

By Megan W (Industrial Engineering, Florida State University) - abroad from 05/06/2019 to 07/26/2019 with

Florida State University: Panama City - Florida State University at Panama

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

My time spent in panama was spent mainly with the locals because learning about there culture was the best part of this program I believe. Everything else was not as fun. School was harder than other study abroad programs and the city was not somewhere you could adventure around. There was also little to no opportunity to travel.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The campus provided lots of classes, including necessary STEM classes that were needed for BS majors to stay on there 4 year track. The school did not have tutoring help though and it would have been hard to find one on your own if you were not fluent in Spanish.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	I don't even remember who the administration was.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	They were like regular dorms. You had to pay for laundry. The kitchen was on a different floor. My shower grossed me out. How ever someone did come clean once a week and the rooms were very big.
* Food:	You have to get your own food.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	This is the best part of the program. You are living with locals and learn all about there culture and world views because of it.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	I personally never had a health problem but my friends did and they said the doctors there were helpful.
* Safety:	If you leave the City of Knowledge than you are not in
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No I did both the FSU Valencia program and the FSU Panama program and I would recommend the Valencia program every day over the Panama one.

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)	Food alone was almost $200 a week and if you went out, traveled, or bought other things then it was more.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$230
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Go to the cheaper grocery store, not the one that the program takes you to.

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?	Beginner
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program?	None
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	Spanish 2 from high school
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?	Tell the students you want to learn and befriend the central american residents.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
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?	Living with the Locals
* What could be improved?	Area that we lived in. Class Trip Price
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	How little we were getting for our money.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Central American Film
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The class was the most difficult class I took broad. It did cover a lot of the liberal arts requirements which is why I took it but if you are not a film major and you don't need to still fulfill all the requirements I would not take this class.
Credit Transfer Issues: