Israel: Exploring a Misunderstood Country Past Review
By Zachary G (Government, English, Hebrew, The University of Texas at Austin) for
University of Haifa: Study Abroad at Haifa International School
It was worthwhile. I got to practice my Hebrew and it made my future plans more clear--it definitely made me sure that I want to move to Israel after graduation.
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. |
Professors maintain their distance more; students didn't get to know them or interact with them as well. However, classes are more informal, students engage with professors as equals and debates are very common. Most Israelis do very little work during the semester and just cram the reading during finals, and since advanced courses just have final papers, they can often get away without doing any work during the semester. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
program took us on hikes in the north and south of the country and we visited cities and other locations throughout Israel |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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? | Israel has very high inflation--everything costs a lot. I wouldn't recommend going to bars very much. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | A student willing to "get his feet wet" by engaging on his own with Israelis and making sure to plan stuff on his own and not rely on the administration or other int'l students to take trips. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
War and Peace |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Benny Miller |
| Instruction Language: | Hebrew |
| Comments: | International relations course |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Radical Nationalism and Radical Islam |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Dan Shiftan |
| Instruction Language: | Hebrew |
| Comments: | course on radicalism in the Muslim world |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Laws of War |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Michael Gross |
| Instruction Language: | Hebrew |
| Comments: | course on the rules governing armed conflict |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Literature of the Shoah |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Miriam Sivan |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | literature course on many works that relate to the shoah (Holocaust) |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
