Study Abroad in Europe: Absolutely amazing! Past Review

By (Marketing, Clarion University of Pennsylvania) - abroad from 12/28/2015 to 01/10/2016 with

International Business Seminars: Winter Europe

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Absolutely worthwhile. I learned about different businesses and different cultures and, as a business student, that was absolutely wonderful.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

I know that I am not a typical student. I get a lot of help from my family and I work hard as a waitress at school. I still found it hard to budget while over there. Mainly because the mentality our group had was "when is the next time we can do..." so we all did everything that we wanted.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $600
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Save save save. Do everything that you want to do while you are over seas because who knows the next time you will be able to go and do those things. Money did not get in the way for me and I would have been really upset and embarrassed if it did. If all of my friends went and did something awesome and I couldn't, I would feel really bad.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

The professors encouraged us to try as much as we could and that made everything very fun.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Beginner
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Spanish 3 French 3
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? Get the basic phrases down such as Hello, how are you, my name is, please, thank you, where is the bathroom, and get to know names of food so it is easier to order.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Hotel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Other
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?
  • The people
  • The travel
  • The Professors leading
* What could be improved?
  • More businesses to visit
  • A week longer
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That I should have journaled every night to make writing my paper easier.