DTW expanded my comfort zone Past Review

By (Government and Politics, St. John's University) for

St. John's University: Traveling - Discover the World, Europe

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Studying Abroad was the best experience I could have every asked for, it expanded the way that I thought of every aspect of my life. I learned that tomorrow is a new day but I have to enjoy today before I can enjoy tomorrow.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

When you think of studying abroad one thing that most people forget is the "study" aspect of it, this is something that is not the case with this program. You are in classes that are set up in increments of 5 weeks each, and you are in classes four days a week. You do have the workload of a semester length course in those five weeks. Do not get me wrong you have a enormous about of time to explore the cities that you are living in and enjoy the places that you visit on the weekends but you still have homework/classwork that needs to be completed. The professors that are in the classrooms are ones that live in the countries where you are studying, they are an amazing resource to have!

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The program is small enough that you are able to get to know everyone that is taking part but it is large enough that there is an incredibly diverse group of students. The on site staff try their best to plan activities that everyone will enjoy and they are always willing to get suggestions from the students about what they want to do, want to see, or what they hope to gain from the experience and they make this one of their goals.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

When you are taking part in this program you are going to be living on two of the St. John's campuses, there for you are living with students that are in the program and those that are taking part of the semester programs in both Rome Italy and Paris France. Another aspect of this that I think is important is the fact that it is a St. John's campus, therefore they have the ability to control the security and it is kept at the same level of security that we have on our NY campuses.When you are in the Spain rotation of the program (or when I went the Dublin rotation) you live with local students that are studying at the university that St. John's has a connection to in that country.

* Food:

You are going to be in countries that are known for their food, go out and explore the area. The food on the Paris campus is amazing, and on when in Rome you have a kitchen that you are able to use.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There is always something to do no matter what country you are in, they want you to be able to see the city and the country that you are in. There are excursions that vary from places to have dinner all the way to the hidden gems of the city

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

When taking part in the program as a St. John's student you are given full health coverage. I am one of the people that needed to take advantage of this, I broke my foot when I was in the last rotation and every aspect was covered by the insurance. The on site staff was able to help me make the appointments with the doctors and they also knew which one to go because of my injury. It was extremely helpful that they were able to help with everything.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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?

In each of the countries that you are studying in you have the ability to take a course on the language that is native to the country. The only difference between taking a language course here in the US and over there is that the world around you is your textbook. The professors teach throughout the cities and use the backdrop of that country as your main resource and textbook.It is the best way to learn a language, you are not just learning form a textbook but rather you are using everything in a real life setting on a constant basis.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Other

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The diversity of the countries that you study in.
* What could be improved?
  • Make it longer.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Live every moment without thinking about the next, the program that you do will go by so quickly! Everything that happens will force you to grow as a person and it will be an amazing adventure.