It's cold over there Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/09/2019 to 04/24/2019 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Irkutsk
It was incredibly worthwhile, but the program in Irkutsk is best suited to a specific kind of person, and I don't think that aspect of it was particularly well advertised
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Academic rigor was lacking, though this is mostly a function of the Russian education system. The largest disappointment was how long it took to appropriately sort students into language classes. We wasted a lot of time with people not being in the correct classes.. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Ilya is a rock star. Give him a raise |
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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? |
Ilya was a real lifesaver when we were sick, but the real sticking point for me was the vaccine. If you're going to require students to get vaccines in-country, at the very least tell them about it so they have a chance to do it in the United States. |
| * Safety: |
Russia is as safe as you make it. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I knew going in that Russia would not necessarily be a 'fun' experience, but more so an incredibly rewarding one. I certainly didn't enjoy every day in Russia, but now that I look back on it, I'm incredibly thankful I had the chance to go to Irkutsk and see the things I saw and do the things I did. It's an experience that I'll carry with me forever. |
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's a cheap country. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | ~$150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It's generally difficult to spend a lot of money in Russia. Everything is cheap. If you want to save yourself some hassle, bring lots of clean $100 bills from home to pay rent. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Advanced Russian at Middlebury |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Talk to people. Separate yourself from the program as much as possible and spend time soaking in real Russia. The program is great, but to really expand your language skills, you need to strike out on your own. Talking to other people who are learning Russian isn't helpful after a point. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | 10+ |
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? | I would have chosen to live in an apartment by myself had I known what my social life was going to be like in Russia. Other than that, not much |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Siberia in International Relations |
| Course Department: | MIEL |
| Instructor: | Mikhail Rybalko |
| Instruction Language: | Russian |
| Comments: | The course was generally not helpful, covered seemingly unrelated topics vis-a-vis the course description, and was taught in such a way that none of the students enjoyed it. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
