AMAZING June 06, 2022

By (Politics and Psych, Wellesley College) - abroad from 02/08/2022 to 05/20/2022 with

Tel Aviv University: Undergraduate Semester / Year in Israel

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
So worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

For Wellesley standards, these classes were really easy and had almost no homework attached to them. In my opinion, though, the quality of the classes as a little worse because many of the students did not show up so people were not willing to contribute to discussions.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I LOVED my semester, but the administration actively detracted from my experience, unfortunately. There were almost no resources set up and it was very disorganized. They were also very stringent about sick absences during COVID, so people who used up their absences still sometimes went in sick, which was definitely not great.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Broshim dorms are AMAZING! Super clean, big, overall great.

* Food:

You cook on your own but there are plenty of options.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Lived in Israel before so for me, it was very integrated.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I do PT, so my experience was unccessarily complicated but all the routine stuff is easy. I would advise people to stay on their home insurance or Wellesley Insurance because the insurance they provided was not great.

* Safety:

In Israel, it is super safe to walk around at night and overall crime is really low. However, obviously there are terrorism threats. It can be scary when it happens but if you stay alert, its okay.

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

The program admin is not great but the people were amazing.

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)

Tel Aviv is the most expensive capital in the world.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 300?

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

If you go by yourself to explore, you'll be fine and learn a lot. If you stay with people in the program all the time, you won't.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Beginner
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Beginner
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • Freedom
  • Housing
  • Location
* What could be improved?
  • Academic Support
  • Class Sizes
  • Quality of Activities
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Most of the people on the program are Greek Life and are in huge groups of friends coming into the program.

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 Blazer
Craving 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.'