An intensive language learning experience in a beautiful country and culture Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

On-site administration of your program

The program administration in the host country was excellent and managed the various bumps associated with a program's first year expertly.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I had a great experience with my host family first semester. My host mom made sure to include me in their daily lives, giving me exposure to Moroccan culture that I could not have gained otherwise. Second semester I lived in an apartment with another student which gave me the opportunity to learn how to navigate the city and day-to-day life on my own. I'm very happy for having had both experiences.

Moroccans are known for their food and it does not disappoint. I will say, however, that coming from an American perspective, there is much less variety than what we may be used to. I also think that it could be a little difficult maintaining a vegetarian diet here, although my understanding from other students with dietary restrictions was that host families were quite accommodating.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I think that most people coming into this program, like myself, will not have had a lot of exposure to the local dialect prior to their arrival. While MSA can help you to pick up the dialect more quickly, communication with most Moroccans, at first, will be quite difficult. Furthermore, students in this program do not directly enroll in university classes as most lack the necessary language skills and the classes, for the most part, are not of high quality. The combination of these factors means that it can take some time to feel integrated in the local culture rather than just an onlooker.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I can't speak from personal experience, but the program seemed very helpful when my peers had health issues and needed to see a healthcare professional.

Overall the city felt quite safe. As a woman I would avoid walking alone very late at night, but otherwise felt comfortable navigating the city on my own. Women face harassment but I never feared for my safety because of it.

This program pushed me to make major linguistic gains, my ultimate goal in going abroad. While the academics were not as intellectually stimulating as those at my home university, I expected that going in and benefited in many other ways from the cultural experience.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Life in Morocco is cheap. It's quite easy to get a full meal for around $5. Calling and 5gb of data will cost you around $10 per month. Tram tickets are 60 cents and taxis rarely run more than a couple of bucks.

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

In this program you will sign a pledge to speak Arabic as much as possible, with the expectation that you will not speak English, or any other language, except to speak with people at home or in case of emergency.

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• Host Family
• Apartment

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Americans
• International Students

• The program staff was excellent

• Some of the professors were neither as organized nor as engaged as one would have hoped.

The Academic or Linguist