Great time Past Review
By Baxter Richardson (Millsaps College) - abroad from 02/06/2016 to 06/15/2016 with
ISEP Exchange: Brussels - Exchange Program at Vesalius College
It's hard to quantify. Studying abroad is exhausting. It makes you grow as a person because you have to change your entire perspective in order to attempt to understand the culture.
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. |
Compared to Millsaps, the education in Belgium wasn't as good. Since Millsaps is a small college, the classes are discussion based instead of a daily lecture during my experience abroad. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The organization and orientation of international students was non-existent. One orientation party was held, and that was they only organized event the university did for exchange students. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had a great apartment that I found through the university's website. Very nice landlord and in the center of the historic district. |
| * Food: |
Really good beer. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Belgians take a while to get to know, so after about a month I was finally able to talk and hang out with local students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I had an amazing time. The only thing is that I should have focused more on learning the language. |
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) |
2. Belgium is fairly expensive, but I received a stipend of about 20 euros per day. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 50 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try and buy groceries/beer/tobacco at the grocery stores open during the day. Small night shops are available but more expensive. |
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 |
None really. All the courses I took were taught in English. Even the Belgian students were enrolled in the English courses. |
| 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? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
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? |
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? | The complete isolation one feels being away from friends and family. You move past it though |
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 NetworkerAn active student leader, it was important for you to network abroad as well. Once overseas, you sought out student clubs, volunteered with local organizations, or attended community events. You encouraged your friends join you, and often considered how you could reflect your international experiences in a resume. |
