It’s completely natural to want to play hooky on the first day of school when it’s raining and first period Trigonometry is meeting in the old cafeteria, but when your campus overlooks the Old City of Jerusalem and your meal plan revolves around freshly-made hummus and kebab, what could be better than the student life? A growing number of students report that studying abroad is the highlight of their learning careers. If you’ve never studied abroad, you don’t know what you’re missing—and, if you have studied abroad, you do know what you’re missing.
Study-abroad programs range from basic language and culture courses to university-level classes, often for college credit (sweet, right?). In order to choose a program that best fits your needs, research as much as you can before making your decision—determine costs and duration as well as what kinds of students participate in the program and what sorts of accommodations are provided. For those coming to Israel or the Palestinian Territories, you’ll also want to decide if you’re more interested in getting to know the Jewish parts of the region, or the Arab Muslim and Christian areas, as well as whether you want a more traditional urban university program or a unique local setting, such as a kibbutz.
In programs that have large groups of students who speak English, there is a trade-off. You may feel more comfortable in the community, but you will not have the same opportunity to practice a foreign language or to befriend other international students. For accommodations, dorm life provides a better opportunity to mingle with fellow students, but there is less of a chance to experience the local scene. If you live with a family, you could potentially build lifelong friendships with natives and experience day-to-day life in more depth, but you might also get stuck sharing a room with their pet iguana. Conditions can vary greatly from family to family.
Most university-level study-abroad programs in Israel and the West Bank are conducted in English, although those with decent Hebrew or Arabic skills can also enroll in regular courses with local students ...more
Old lady making snarky comments to you in the market? Impudent cashier at the falafel joint? Cute moped girl that is totally into you? To communicate is to be human, and without the local language in ...more
A fantastic way to get off the common tourist track and to see Israel from a unique perspective is to participate in one of the following environmental or ecotourism programs. In addition to learning ...more
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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