My Study Abroad at Vesalius College Past Review

By (Marketing., Bentley University) for

Vesalius College: Brussels - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Absolutely I grew as a person; I never had the chance to really travel before but I visited over 12 countries while I was abroad. I met new people and experienced new things, tasted a slew of different foods and went to more museums then I ever thought I'd want to. Learning about new cultures through experience is like nothing I could read about in a book and I wouldn't trade anything for the time I spent in Belgium.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks
The term and year this program took place: Spring 2008

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I learned more from traveling then I did in the classrooms at Vesalius

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

They were very helpful and concerned about our enjoyment of the program.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I stayed in a home stay, and my host mother was amazing Marie Paul completely made my experience, sadly she passed on about a year later.

* Food:

Marie Paul cooked 5 days a week, and I loved the food there! So rich and delicious!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I was able to meet and get to know people from the school without being isolated for being a study abroad student, I especially enjoyed playing soccer, although they at first didn't want me to play because it's not the norm for girls to play.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I felt safe but a lot of people had issues of theft on pulic transportation, I never did.

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

Language acquisition improvement?

I only had one class in which I took french, I learned a lot from my host family but otherwise I was on my own.

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

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
  • Other
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
  • Local Students
  • Local Students
  • International Students
  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I loved my experience, I want to live in Brussels again some day, I didn't really enjoy the course work but it was the study part of the abroad so it was necassary. I met incredible people who I stay in contact with both internationally and in the States, I would recommend Brussels to study abroad in to anyone!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Art History

Course Department: HI 200
Instructor: Martine Delsemme
Instruction Language: English
Comments: It was a traveling course, an amazing experience
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Statistics

Course Department: STA 101
Instructor: Luc Hens
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This course was treated differently then the one offered at Bentley University, it was difficult and required software that wasn't used or available at Bentley.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

French 1

Course Department:
Instructor: Kathleen Caenen
Instruction Language: French
Comments: It was pretty simple since it was basic french, and you learn the basics pretty quickly when living in a french speaking nation.
Credit Transfer Issues: Course number was different
Course Name/Rating:

Poetry

Course Department: Lit 4077
Instructor: Carlene A. Adamson
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Wasn't very interesting, and required an essay for every class
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Expository Writing 2

Course Department: EXP 201
Instructor: Watcher
Instruction Language: English
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues: She graded on a scale not recognized by Bentley University so it the grades were lower then they would have been if I took this at my home university

Comments

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susie3 April 26, 2010