Loved Geneva with KSU! Past Review

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Kent State University Geneva

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Very worthwhile! Got to experience a lot of Western Europe

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The academics program is very well arranged at KSU. There was no class on Friday for anyone and I only had class Monday-Wednesday, which made it really feasible to have an internship and to travel. I found the professors to be very understanding of the overall abroad experience as a whole. They are very aware that you're not just in Europe to study, and that experiencing the culture, traveling, and working are all equally as important as class work.As a result, I found them to be extremely flexible when it came to previously arranged travel obligations or work needs. As far as grades go, if you put in the time for the tests and papers, I believed they were generous graders.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Administration was accessible and were as helpful as they possibly could be. They provided a list of all sorts of contact numbers in case anyone needed anything. My only complaint was that a girl's computer was stolen from the building and Kent State made the reimbursement process extremely difficult; however, that is probably more of a problem with the administration in Ohio than the administration in Geneva.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The KSU building is pretty new, so it's actually is nice and has VERY clean bathrooms. They have a maid service come in once a week to clean the whole building, including everyone's room, which really helps keep the mess to a minimum. The kitchen is small -- only two stoves and two ovens for all 29 people in the program, but it is enough if everyone can not eat at the same time.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The first few days of the program, KSU takes you on a walking historical tour of Geneva, to Lausanne to see the Olympic Museum, cathedral and to get authentic Swiss fondue. Very cool introduction to Switzerland!

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I felt very safe in the program's building and in the city at large. Geneva, I felt, was a very safe city.

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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
Language acquisition improvement?

Most people speak English in Geneva, so I didn't practice too much outside of the classroom. But I did practice my french in class, when I traveled to France, and with some of the locals.

If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? GO! Geneva is amazing!