Not the best Arabic - but a great experience Past Review
By A student (University of California - Riverside) - abroad from 02/24/2019 to 05/30/2019 with
Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Rothberg International School: Arabic Immersion Program
I loved living in Jerusalem; I felt like I belonged in the city and there were plenty of places I could go to be exposed to Arabic and Arab culture. The convergence of Arab Muslims with other populations is an important part of my interest, so being in this city was meaningful to me; if I had been in Jordan (which I did visit) I would not have had much exposure to that convergence.
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. |
The hours are long but the work is not too difficult. I had a very small class size so we went as slow as we needed to go - too slow, in my opinion |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There was obvious confusion in this program; it is a small program especially for beginners and not a lot of time was dedicated to sorting out the kinks. I was supposed to be in a 6 credit Fusha and 6 credit Amia class, but the Amia class was cancelled at literally the last minute and I had to take a 3 credit Amia class instead. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
We were given quite a bit of information, but when it came down to it and I actually got sick I didn't feel that I had support or substantial care - except from my professor, whose job it was not. |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Because my interests are broader than just Arabic language, I would choose this program if I went back in time. However, if I wanted to go somewhere in the future *in order to learn Arabic*, I would not choose this program. I prefer an immersive learning style and this program's classrooms were not designed in that way. My two main teachers were not native Arabic speakers and that is also important to me. However, I made some trade-offs because I also wanted to experience Jerusalem and I am interested in peacemaking. If the most important thing to you is to learn [shami] Arabic, I would choose a program in Jordan. |
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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 15 USD |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Buy groceries and make your own food. Seriously budget when you go on trips during weekends or breaks |
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? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | In many Arab cultures digital relationships are ubiquitous. I am not someone who normally texts or uses social media but I recognized that unless I got people's phone numbers and texted them a lot, they would not think of me as a "normal" friend. It was also a great way to practice writing and Amia. Arabs love exchanging contact info. Just ask people for their phone numbers and say saba7 alchair |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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? | There is typically a "Foundations of MSA" four-week course prior to the start of the semester. This year, they said there were not enough students and they would not have this course. However, after the semester started I learned that a few students had insisted and were given private tutoring by my professor. This was never presented as an option to me. Although I enjoyed the Hebrew pre-semester I took, many issues that my classmates had at the start of the semester would have been remedied if we had all been on the same page by completing the pre-semester. The administration neglected to find a working solution for all the students. Another issue is that because there were only 2 or 4 beginning students in the 6 credit Amia class, it was cancelled. My Fusha class started with 5 students and ended up with 4, although the reality was more like 3 students. Why was my Amia class cancelled when it had potentially the same number of students as the Fusha class? I was promised 12 units of Arabic instruction in the Immersion Program but only got 9. For administrative issues like this, I wish I was better prepared. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
