"Brazil: Becoming A Local" Past Review
By Lauren V (Undecided, Western Washington University) for
ISA Study Abroad in Florianopolis, Brazil
I gained independence, maturity, and a whole lot of cultural awareness. Being abroad actually teaches you a lot about the US.
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. |
Extremely easy course load. Practically no grading system. Teachers had the students teach class. Didn't show up most of the time. Classes were canceled 1-4 times a week. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Slightly unorganized, academics were lax. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Buffets Livres!! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Soccer games and all of the trips! Iguacu Falls! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Host city felt very very safe. Traveling outside of it was a lot more dangerous. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most spoke only Portuguese and I could practice no matter where I went. |
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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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? | Over-estimate your budget!! Be extremely careful when traveling without your program to other places. |
