Not much culture shock, still worthwhile Past Review

By (Political Science and Government., Austin College) for

SIT Study Abroad: Switzerland - International Studies and Multilateral Diplomacy

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
yes it was. I learned alot, but to me personally, I would have wanted morem of a culture shock. The Swiss culture wasn't much different from American Culture. In that respect I would have wanted a different location, but apart from that, I had a good time.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Not much interaction between the Academic Directors and the Students. Also, the facilities weren't open at convient times for studying or working.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

It had some organizational problems. I thought that there should have been some type of facility that would have been open later that wasn't too far to get to.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I loved my host mom. She was really accomadating and gave me a lot of opportunities to talk to her and get to know her and her friends and family.

* Food:

The food wasn't bad at all. I just got a little bit bored with pasta, bread and soup all the time.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

WE had 3 trips: to Bern, Switzerland. Paris and Brussels and then to Croatia. Each place had its own distinct flavor and culture.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Safety was a high priority during thsi trip

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

Finances

* 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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
Language acquisition improvement?

Most people did speak English, yet I attempted my French skills whenever possible. It was a little difficult because I was in beginners French with no prior knowledge of the language beforehand.

If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? If you have a fair amount of interest in political science, I would highly consider this program.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Field Studies Seminar

Course Department:
Instructor: Aline
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The purpose of this course was to get a chance to experience Swiss culture. It allowed for the students to get a little interaction with the locales. I found this course useful and helped me gain more of an understanding of how the culture and traditions of Switerland.
Credit Transfer Issues: Nope.
Course Name/Rating:

French 101

Course Department:
Instructor: John
Instruction Language: French
Comments: I truly enjoyed this class. I had a blast learning about French customs as well as learning French in general.
Credit Transfer Issues: No
Course Name/Rating:

Inpendent Studies Project

Course Department:
Instructor: Me
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This was a project done individually on a subject matter of our choice. We had to conduct interviews and obtain research for a 30 paged paper.
Credit Transfer Issues: No
Course Name/Rating:

International Studies Seminar

Course Department:
Instructor: Various
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The problem I had with this course was that some times the lecturers didn't know what the students know, and vise versa. Sometimes the lectures weren't related to the topics we were reading about either. There wasn't a clear framework for how they correlated.
Credit Transfer Issues: Nope