75 reviews
4.42 / 5 based on 75 reviews
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Luisa G
Overall
I wish I had known...
Well, I wished someone had told me that I am going to expect -30°C in February - very very very cold.
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In my opinion:
Most people loved it.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
The campus of the Michigan State University is one of the biggest, it is a city full of universities and students and dorms.They have their own busses, their own cash - not required to have it,it is a different and amazing experience. You got involved in their lives, football games, hockey and this enthusiams they have for sports. They are like a huge community, dressed in green and white like their football team. It is amazing.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
The first week was a really hard one, I had to fill out a lot of administrative documents, buy books, pay a lot for housing and meal plans and so on. I was really stressed and I missed my family and my friends. Neverthess, I made a lot of new friends from around the world, I quickly got used to the systems and to the environment. I spent 1 week in Miami for Springbreak and would recommend everyone to travel there.(remember to book it early and through a travel agency - like Statravel as most online-booking services to not accept foreign issued credit cards).University is hard but it is a really good education. Don´t take it too easy as you must represent your university appropriately - which includes academic and social life. Don´t forget that this is an unique opportunity so enjoy it and have a lot of fun. If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact me.
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Luisa G
Academic
Course recommendations
There are actually 2 courses I would recommend.The first is MSC310 - Prof. Griffith is the very engaged, very enthusiastic, competent and funny professor. He readjusted Lenin´s speech, danced to the music of Walt Disney´s Pocahontas through the hall...incredible. The second course was GBL460. Prof. Stenzel requires a lot from her students but at the same time offers them so much opportunities to enrich their understanding and learning. I took part in a teleconference with India, we had a lot of guestspeakers who gave us insides in today´s business world. She has a lot of experience as she is travelling around the world and gives her experiences to her students, she does not teach from books but likes class discussions and accepts every opinion and perspective. Definitely worth it!!!
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
Academic life was something I have to get used to, because the last time I got courses 2 times a week was 2years ago.You have less time to go on a sightseeing tour or to travel to other cities. Springbreak was too short for that. I would prefer courses that are held once a week for 3 hours rather than twice a week for 90minutes.
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
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Luisa G
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Was learning English a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my English
How much did you improve your English?
My level before: At ease in most situations
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
The first week I was struggeling a little bit, because the professors were speaking with a slang and really fast. However, the second week was no problem at all. I got used to it and after 2 weeks I was fully able to listen and write at the same time, like in German. You are confronted the whole time with English and therefore you get really fast into it.
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Luisa G
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings<br>
Other
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
Well,the telephone bills almost didn´t exist. I was talking much less to someone by phone, because calling someone from campus is free and talking to my friends in Austria was free through Skype. I probably saved 400euros. The food was more expensive, especially fruits and vegetables.Moreover, at MSU you are not able to drink the tap water, so you must buy mineral water which was around $140 for 4 months.Housing was expensive for me, as I have my own appartment in Vienna and consequently do not have to pay for it. Coctails are much more expensive - up to $10. According to travel you must not forget to book everything around 4months in advance.
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Nightlife, Travel, Food, Housing, Overall:
was more expensive than at home.
Telephone:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
As I mentioned before,plan and book your trips 3 to 4 months before - you can safe up to $400 and if you travel with a friend you safe $600. I would suggest you not to pay with credit cards, or your students ID because you lose sight of your bills. Although it is more convenient - don´t do it. Moreover, there are a lot of second-hand text books which are in pretty good condition, neverthess they are really expensive - I paid $560 for 4 books and 2 of them I hardly used.I would recommend to ask native students where to get everything, as they know the cheapest place.
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Luisa G
Housing
Type of housing: On campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
Because you can do whatever you want to,you would have cooking facilities and would not be dependent on the cafeteria as american tastes are much more different than I thought, more space, more freedom/independence
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Personal comments
Actually I thought it was bigger,nevertheless I felt really secured and if I needed help there was always someone at the front desk to help you. If you are living on campus you it is easier to get in touch with other students and it is of course nearer to the business college.
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Luisa G
Student life
Describe host city:
Student life dominates the city
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Travel, Nightlife, Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
There were hardly any cafés there, which surprised me, but there were a lot of bars with different music-styles. The problem was that hanging around in bars was "IN" when I was 16, there are hardly any quiet bars for talking and relaxing. However,these bars, that can be reached by feet in 10 minutes, are full every weekend - you are never alone :-)
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