Friends in and out of the program, will make your experience Past Review
By Ryan T (Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literature, The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 01/08/2016 to 05/15/2016 with
IES Abroad: Quito - IES Abroad in Quito
The overall experience was worthwhile, it's what you put into it. I learned the significance of balancing outside life with school/program obligations
Review Photos
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Kind of all over the place from start to finish. Individual administrators themselves very friendly and caring, overall administration and organization of program not catered to all students. |
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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? |
Pretty racist and only have one idea or desire to interact with one type of American abroad student. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Had a bad stomach reaction to some bad sushi, called emergency number and connected me with someone and resources locally. Overall good process and fast reaction/response time. |
| * Safety: |
Most likely someone on your program will get robbed. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
Would choose different program, might choose same country though. |
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? | $30 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Using cash instead of card payment helped organize and keep myself on track |
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? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Highest level Spanish course offered in proficiency track |
| 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? | Music and local students in program/university will definitely help if you interact with them outside of classroom setting. |
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? | Approach any and everyone, you never know who could/can be your friend or ally |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
ES Environmental Diversity of Ecuador |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Dr. Hugo |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Very unorganized, easy to put off till last minute, not very guided with course topics, professor not as dedicated as apparently advocated to be |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
