Life Changing Experience- DO IT! Past Review
By Rachel M (MBA, DePaul University) - abroad from 07/01/2015 to 08/01/2015 with
Forum-Nexus: Ultimate Summer in Europe - 9 Cities in 1 Month
I learned that this world is even more amazing than I had ever dreamed and that this trip would be the first of many foreign adventures for me. I also learned that if I could live out of a small suitcase for over 4 weeks (and never felt like I was doing without), that probably means I don't need 90% of the junk I thought I needed in my life. I came home and donated around 75% of my material possessions to charity after this trip, and this has changed the quality of my life exponentially. Oh, and I fell in love in Rome, went back to see the guy 6 months later, and now he is moving to Chicago next week to be with me. So that turned out pretty well. :)
Review Photos
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. |
This program was the perfect blend of classroom and real world, cultural experiences. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Being a 32 year old MBA student, I wasn't sure how I would feel about administration looking over me on this trip, but they were honestly perfect. There when you needed them, but I never felt that they were overstepping any necessary boundaries when it came to privacy. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My only real issue was that the first couple of weeks on the trip meant sharing a bed with my roommate. Luckily it was a girl I knew (and came with on the trip), but I think we should have all been given our own bed to sleep in at the hotels. Sharing a room is fine, but sharing a bed is a bit silly for two 30+ year old students. |
| * Food: |
Don't stay in the hotels to eat... you are about to visit some of the most amazing cities in the world - go eat at the local restaurants! The hotel food is nothing special (until you get to Rhodes- there you NEED to make it to breakfast!). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It certainly helped having the International IQ class along the way. You forget a lot of what you learn in high school about foreign countries and cultures, but if you force yourself to go explore in your free time, you can really get a feel for how others live. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Luckily, I did not have any major health issues. The worst that happened on the trip was that I needed an antibiotic and it was available at a local pharmacy for only a few euros. From what I could see, however, the administrators on this trip were VERY well equipped in the event that a student did need help. |
| * Safety: |
Be overly cautious when you are out and about. Ladies, wear a small purse that has zippers and can be in the front of your body at all times. Carry only what is necessary and keep your guard up. This to me was no different than my everyday life in Chicago, but it is something to be aware of. I never felt unsafe, but I always had my eyes open and my guard was up when I was out in public places, especially high-tourist areas. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
This program allowed me to see the world, make friendships that will last a lifetime and truly changed the way I view life. |
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) |
What was difficult for me was not knowing how much I was going to need for the entire trip. I have taken plenty of vacations before where you know you are gone for 5-10 days and you know approximately how much you could/could not spend. This was difficult on the trip. However, that being said, there were certainly plenty of low-cost options of places to eat and visit. I just never knew if I should splurge because I was somewhat nervous about the next location and what I may want money for over there... |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Between $400-500 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save more than you think you need. Also, I paid for 90% of my meals/excursions/tours on a credit card for easy tracking and payment when I returned home. I had the money in an account ready to pay off the credit card (which earned me a ton of points!) and it was easier to track my spending this way too. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | Bring extra outlet adapters for electronics - Need less flip flops and more comfortable sandals for lots of walking on cobblestone streets in the heat - brush up on your language skills before this trip. My Spanish and French got me by for the first part of the trip, Italian was all new to me. |
