The most extravagant experience I have ever encountered! Past Review

By (North Carolina A&T State University) - abroad from 06/07/2017 to 07/05/2017 with

University of Nicosia - Global Semesters: Nicosia - Semester in Cyprus

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned that Cyprus treat their agriculture animals better then America. It was definitely worth while seeing how much different agriculture can be in other countries.

Review Photos

University of Nicosia - Global Semesters: Nicosia - Semester in Cyprus Photo University of Nicosia - Global Semesters: Nicosia - Semester in Cyprus Photo University of Nicosia - Global Semesters: Nicosia - Semester in Cyprus Photo University of Nicosia - Global Semesters: Nicosia - Semester in Cyprus Photo University of Nicosia - Global Semesters: Nicosia - Semester in Cyprus Photo

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.

I enjoyed the educational aspect of my abroad trip. I loved that the program implemented field and vet clinic visits for us to get a view of another countries agriculture. The reason I gave the topic 4 stars is because the lecture were not so enthusiastic, and too long to sit in a lecture just to hear the professor talk for ours what was already posted in the power-points. Some of the time could have been utilized to study more at one or do fun activities.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Program administration was so friendly, I will miss all the coordinators, professors, and whoever else worked for the program so much. They really make you feel welcomed to the country, provide assistance as much as possible, and give us different activities to engage in. And just visiting the study abroad office was so welcoming, I have had many conversations in there with the workers.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I loved the apartment style living arrangement! Never had the experience of living in a apartment, so I was ecstatic to experience it in a different country. Also, I appreciated that the program provided the cooking utensils for us to do our own meals instead of having to go out and get food all the time.

* Food:

I did not like the food we had for the welcome dinner when we first arrived to the program. The food was to bland for my taste buds, but me and my friends in the program found some good eating spots close to the university to eat at such as this nice gyro spot, crepe land, 24 hour bakery, ice cream shops, and more. And the food was at a decent price as well!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt integrated within my abroad program, the Cypriots however are not the most welcoming all the time to Americans. Also if you are of melanin color you may also get a few stares from the locals just because they don't see many minorities in their country. But I loved the people in my program. We had a VERY diverse group of people and no matter the skin color, religion, ethnicity, or different personalities we had; we all got along with each other and looked out for each other. And that mattered most to me.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not have any health care issues or circumstances. But I know that we were given a lot of contact information and insurance papers just incase something was to happen to any of us.

* Safety:

For the most part, the country is a safe environment. However, me and my roommate had about 2 encounters where we didn't feel so safe walking in the streets at night. just men trying to be too friendly and hang out with us at our apartments, or trying to give us rides back home. Sometimes the cats can be a little frightening as well since they roam the streets constantly. But whether your in Cyprus or somewhere else in the world, you should always have a friend or walking buddy with you at night. Never walk alone!

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

Yes, I would do the global semesters program, but I would not go back to Cyprus. The people there are not all that welcoming or friendly, and it gets to hot later in the summer for me.

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)

I decided to put myself on a student budget starting with a low amount the first week, and increasing it every week after that. I was not allowed to go over my budget and if I did then I could not take anymore out until the new week started or touch my next budget. Reasonably, I had money left over every time I started a new weeks budget, I say about $100-$200 left depending what I did during the week. You can honestly live off of $100 a week depending on your circumstance. Me and my roommates put in for groceries at the mall, and week cooked some nights instead of going out to eat so that saved us from spending more than we needed to. I even went to two different countries on different weekends and still had money left over from my budget.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I say I only splurged about $100-$150 a week, but it depended what was going on that week or weekend.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Set up a budget before you leave! Trust me it will help you so much, and you will be thankful you did so. When you set the budget start off really low and work your way up, because you will be fed a little bit by the program between the welcome dinner, pizza, and other things provided by them. And if you plan to travel to other countries while your abroad, set higher budgets for that of course.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • The people in my program
  • The weekend excursions
  • My professors
* What could be improved?
  • Class times (Too long)
  • Mention to students that it is best to travel to other countries after the program so they have more time to experience other places
  • nothing
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That it is better to travel to other countries after the program is over to avoid missing out on the cool weekend excursions with the rest of the program.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.