A roller coaster of a life time! Past Review
By A student (Nursing., Franciscan University of Steubenville) - abroad from 08/26/2011 to 12/16/2011 with
Franciscan University of Steubenville: Gaming - Austrian Program
I learned to not give up on my goals. I gained some self respect. I learned a lot about different cultures, countries, saints, not to mention the information I learned in my classes... although it was a rough and challenging semester for me, I would still do it over again, so yes, it was definitely worthwhile!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff in Gaming were wonderful and really made our atmosphere like a family! It was so great getting to know everyone and their families! The RDs and RAs were amazing and very helpful too! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved our housing, it was like if we lived in a hotel for a semester! |
| * Food: |
some days were great... other days not so much... but I can say I have never been so adventurous as when my stomach was hungry! lol |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved our 20th Anniversary party... it was a great way to experience the Austrian culture along with other events that also took place throughout the semester |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had to go to the hospital for female issues one night. Our RD, Allison took me to the local hospital and was very helpful throughout the whole event. At first there was some language barriers since it was late at night but they were finally able to find a doctor that spoke some English who was able to help me. Honestly, I think the doctors in Austria did a better job than back here in the USA because I had the same problem this past spring after arriving back in the states and I was very unpleased by the hospital that I went to here in Steubenville. I was also very pleased with how my University conformed to my needs for my mental health (anxiety and depression) during my time in Austria. They took extra measures to make sure that I could stay and finish out the semester in Gaming, and I am very thankful for their help! They helped provide me with counseling sessions via skype and also allowed me to drop my class load to part time for the semester, which had never been allowed before, so I am very thankful that they were willing to negotiate and be flexible with me regarding this issue. |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | overall about 3,000-3,500 in total costs for the semester of studying and traveling |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | definitely buy the Eurail for the European train system and shop around for deals online instead of buying the first price you see. |
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 |
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| 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? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | That it is a very challenging semester in multiple ways- trying to juggle studies with travel and with my health was very difficult for me. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Philosophy of the Human Person |
| Course Department: | Philosophy |
| Instructor: | Professor Wolter |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class was awesome! I loved the information! Although it was challenging, I found the class very rewarding. I would consider a class successful if a student can still remember the material after a year.... and I can specifically remember quite a bit from this class and hope to always keep this knowledge with me! Definitely would take over again because I know I would learn that much more the second time around! I also loved how Professor Wolter took the time to personally invite each of us from her class in small groups over to her house for tea and scones which made for wonderful memories! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
