I guess I'm in Yaroslavl now February 05, 2020
By A student (Willamette University) - abroad from 08/27/2019 to 12/14/2019 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Yaroslavl
How to power through things. It was a lot of powering through things.
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 very high. Classes were good because of that but it left little time to see the city I was in |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Things were usually disorganized. If scheduling decisions were made in another room I would never hear about them until like right before they applied |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Cramped but understandably so. No major incidents. |
| * Food: |
It was food alright. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
A lot of time was spent on classes, and I also had to be on call at all times throughout the week just in case I got a new last minute schedule change. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Translation of medical issues is just going to be a mess |
| * Safety: |
Nothing ever really happened. Just be careful with traffic |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I mean it wasn't great but from what Willamette had available it still seems like the best fit for me |
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 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | maybe like 50$ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I mean it's easier on Russia than in the US, necessities are cheaper |
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? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 2nd year |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Get conversant - classes won't prepare you for that |
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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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | It's somehow not going to snow while you're there, you don't need a huge coat |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
