A great experience with some bumps along the way Past Review
By Courtney N (Accounting, California Lutheran University) - abroad from 05/20/2014 to 06/10/2014 with
International Business Seminars: Summer Europe
I had been to Europe beforehand when I stayed with a host family in Germany for a month. I traveled with a group of 30 Americans and we all had a German brother or sister there when we arrived. I had zero complications and a ton of fun. Unfortunately, my experience with IBS was not like the former. The students on my trip (particularly the girls) were very clique-like and for some reason decided to make me miserable for no apparent reason. No one had even brought to my attention why they disliked me and I never did anything to them. It was like I was in middle school again, except without the lockers and without the actual age. Long story short, I ended up spending most of the trip alone which was not very memorable. If I wanted to go alone in the first place, I wouldn't have signed up for a group trip. Also when my phone got stolen because of lack of responsibility on the staff's end, I lost all of my photos, of which I will never get back. The only reason I am not as bitter about my loss of what could have been a good experience is because I paid for the trip's cost through school loans of which I will not have to pay back. But, the point is that my experience was less than favorable and I did not find it worthwhile to say the least.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
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 |
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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? |
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| * Safety: |
As far as safety goes, it was very uncomfortable the whole time because it was not pressed upon me beforehand to get a special money pouch to keep my belongings safe from pick pocketing and in the end, my phone ended up getting robbed because I forgot my debit card in Germany at a gas station and had to make my way (direction-wise) to a Western Union where my family wired me money, alone. No supervisors or staff bothered to care that I had no money in my pocket for expenses OR food so I had to go hungry when certain places didn't accept my other back-up credit cards. When someone has a situation like this, the supervisors that come on the trip need to jump in and fix the situation, not expect a 20 year old college student with lost items to be able to fix it themselves. Because of this, I won't be recommending IBS to anyone I know and I regret going through this company when I conducted my travels. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
It was a very expensive trip; I had to skip out on a couple activities in Austria because of my lost debit card incident. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 400 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try to save when eating out; it adds up very quickly. Also, save your money for the outdoor activities in Austria as they are very expensive and don't buy things you can buy back at home because it will cost you ten times as much abroad. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | 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? | Get something safe (a money belt) that goes under your clothes for your belongings such as your phone and money. Do not travel by yourself or make yourself look overly touristy. Do not hold your phone in your hands and stare at it, looking confused because you will be spotted and taken for a lost tourist. |
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! |
