Studying in Lima, Peru has made me much more competitive as a future business leader Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was marginally less than what I am used to. Professors were tremendously qualified, interesting, and accomodating. Grading was fair and clear. However, halfway through the semester, the internet access in the classrooms was revoked. Apparently, too many students were preoccupied with facebook or whatever. Either way, this was a surprising and insulting change that hindered my abilities to participate in class, as I would often look up topics of Peruvian relevance that I would otherwise have no way of knowing anything about. We are not children, and if students can get away with paying no attention in class, the exams aren't hard enough.

On-site administration of your program

The administration was great. Very helpful, competent, and organized. They could do a little better job of explaining the extraordinarily confusing class scheduling regime, and issue reading material about navigating departments. But other than that, I loved them!

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The school provided me with a great selection of host families to contact, and I found a perfect one that could not have possibly been better.

The food was very good, but often risky to eat. Peruvians have the stomach of New York City pigeons. The stuff that they eat made me violently sick many times, including salmonella poisoning. I've always hated it, but now I really never want to see Mayonaise again.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I did everything from hiking Machu Pichu, to drinking with random old men at the Plaza de Acho before the bull fights, to speaking with protesters at the bull fights. None of this was arranged by my school, but there is so much in the city of Lima that is easily accessed by tourists. I had a host family, so this sort of thing was especially easy.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Peruvians are rather paranoid. Perhaps with good reason, I don't know. I was not around for the decades of violence, terrorism, and crushing poverty they endured. But now, Peru seems very safe, stable, and increasingly prosperous. One can never be totally careless, but I never felt that my safety was even remotely threatened. Even when wandering through the ghetto in Lima, by myself at night, I did not feel endangered. This may have been a foolish assumption, but I did not see any evidence to validate the fears that Peruvians still hold on to.

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

Almost no one spoke English anywhere I went. All of my professors spoke English, but I never heard it.

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Host Family

• The experience was much more memorable than any component of the program.

• As mentioned above, a little better prep with the class scheduling. It is terribly confusing.