Rio: The Best City in the World...Cidade Maravilhosa! Past Review
By Giselle Z (Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin) for
Pontificia Universidade Catolica Do Rio De Janiero: Rio de Janeiro - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Absolutely, studying abroad was the best thing I have done. I learned more about myself in those 7 months than I would have ever thought possible and I experienced the best semester of my life!
Review Photos
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There was a lot of emphasis on getting the exchange students to know each other. It was a pretty large program of about 200 exchange students. I wish we could have had some programs with brazilian students as well, and perhaps a trip to another city or state. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Since my family is brazilian, I was living with my grandparents in Copacabana. It was very close to a lot of the other exchange students, which was convenient. It was also right by bus stops and the metro, which made going around the city much easier. |
| * Food: |
Brazilian food is fairly simple - rice, beans, vegetables, and a protein. If you are at PUC for lunch, eat at the cafeteria downstairs - it is 5 reias (about $2.50) for a huge plate of typical brazilian food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I met the most amazing people, visited the most incredible beaches, and was a part of, in my experience, the most beautiful culture I know. The events are all full of life, dancing, and music. The most memorable experience for me was Carnaval, which takes place in february. I HIGHLY recommend anyone going abroad to arrive early and go! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There is definitely a significant amount of violence in many places around Rio. However, there are many ways to be careful about this and avoid a lot of this violence. For example, do not walk around by yourself in areas you do not know, try and limit the amount of english you speak in areas that do not seem as safe, and always be conscious of your surroundings. The biggest problem is robbery, mainly by kids that will snatch things out of your hands when you are not paying attention. I did not come into contact with the local healthcare system. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Set money aside for transportation. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none - spoke Portuguese at home |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The Portuguese program at PUC is extremely strong, with very good teachers. We were only allowed to speak portuguese during the course, and I found myself speaking in portuguese with many of the students outside of the course. Also, I definitely used portuguese for most of my everyday interactions with brazilian students, my host family, and other everyday interactions. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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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Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Introducao a Filosofia |
| Course Department: | FIL1000 |
| Instructor: | Joao Manuel Lins |
| Instruction Language: | Portuguese |
| Comments: | The course was not very challenging. The professor loved philosophy, but spent the majority of the time discussing his philosophical views rather than teaching about different philosophers. It is a required course at PUC, so the class was filled with students of all different majors and backgrounds, and I was able to meet a variety of different students. There were only 2 grades, both take home essays. I participated in class less than at my home institution, but that was mainly due to the language barrier as he asked plenty of questions every day. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | It has not transferred yet, but I assume it should not be a problem since it is a very general 'Introduction to Philosophy' course. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Historia Economica Geral 2 |
| Course Department: | HIS1609 |
| Instructor: | Gabriela Carvalho |
| Instruction Language: | Portuguese |
| Comments: | I thoroughly enjoyed this course. The teachers was very attentive, and really made an effort to make sure I understood what was going on. It was very interesting to learn about American History between world war 1 and world war 2 through the eyes of non-Americans. The grade was based on two exams and a presentation. We were allowed to bring our own notes (but no books) to the exams, which was extremely helpful. Many different topics were offered for the presentation, and mine was over 1920s American culture (given the fact that I was American, the students and teacher urged me to do this one as I could give a unique insight). I was the only exchange student in my course and I have not taken a history course since high school, which made somethings more difficult, but in all it was definitely worth it. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not sure yet. |
