Name
Host University
Semester & Year

EXCHANGE EVALUATION

ACCOMMODATION

What was your accommodation? (i.e. University housing, host family, apartment)
What did it include? (i.e. electricity, cable, internet, water, meals)

Would you recommend your accommodation to a future exchange student? Yes / No

What do you recommend that future students do, bring, expect, etc…to make future arrangements more satisfactory?
How did you make your housing arrangements?
Was housing available during school holidays? If not, what other arrangements did you have to make?
How did you get from the school to your accommodation?
How was incoming and outgoing mail handled? Could items be shipped to or from your host country?
How were incoming and outgoing telephone calls handled?
Any additional recommendations, advice or words of wisdom for future students?

SHOPPING & PACKING

Did you purchase a cell phone in the host country? If so, please provide recommendations/ instructions for how you accomplished this.
How was shopping in your host country… accessibility, ability to find what you needed?
What clothing did you find most useful? Any packing suggestions?
Any additional recommendations, advice or words of wisdom for future students?
FOOD
How did you get your meals? (i.e. dining hall, restaurant, cooked, host family)

Were you satisfied with the meal arrangements? Yes / No

Please explain:
How did the prices for food compare to the U.S.?

Did you have any choice concerning meal arrangements? Yes / No

What foods did you miss while living in your host country?
List any particular meals or restaurants you want to recommend to future students.
Any additional recommendations, advice or words of wisdom for future students?

TRAVEL (Arrival & Departure)

Was your air travel satisfactory? Yes / No

Please explain:

Was in-country travel satisfactory? Yes / No

Please explain:

Did travel to your host country require any immunizations, physicals, etc…? Yes / No

If yes, please explain:
What immunizations or physicals, if any, were required after arrival?

Did the host institution require any additional insurance coverage? Yes / No

If yes, what coverage and how much did it cost?

Did travel to your host country require obtaining a visa? Yes / No

Did travel to your host country require obtaining a residence permit? Yes / No

If yes to either, how was it obtained and how long did the process take from submitting your application to receiving your visa/residence permit?
Any additional recommendations, advice or words of wisdom for future students?

TRAVEL (Vacation)

What was the vacation time allotted?

Did the host university sponsor travel? Yes / No

If yes, what locations?
Did you travel alone or in groups? Was it easy to find traveling companions?
How did you make travel arrangements while abroad? Where did you go? When did you make travel plans (e.g. months or weeks prior to your trip)?
How much did you spend on vacation travel during the exchange?
How did you travel (Eurail, air, boat, etc.)?
Any additional recommendations, advice or words of wisdom for future students?

MONEY

How did you fund your exchange semester?

List below the percentage provided from each of the sources:

Scholarships, Fellowships, & Grants from TAMU – specify
Scholarships, Fellowships, & Grants from other sources – specify
Loans
Family
Personal savings
Other – specify
How did you handle money in the host country?

Were you required to open a local bank account? Yes / No

If yes, do you recommend a particular bank?
How did you handle money transfers, monetary exchange, paying for items?

How much did you spend during your exchange (not including TAMU tuition)?

Airfare
Travel documents
Housing
Food
Transportation
Entertainment
Textbooks
Phone
Vacation travel
Other (e.g. additional insurance)
Other
TOTAL
How much money do you recommend a future student budget per week?
What did you find yourself spending extra money on…
DAILY
WEEKLY
MONTHLY
IN GENERAL
List ways future students could better spend their money, budget, cut costs, etc…
Any additional recommendations, advice or words of wisdom for future students?

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LANGUAGE SKILLS

Please mark one category for each item below.

Language Skills / Poor / Fair / Good / Excellent
Proficiency before the program
Language training on the program
Proficiency after the program
Level of proficiency you recommend before beginning the program

Did you enroll in a language preparation class when you arrived? Yes / No

If so, which one? Would you recommend it? What did it cost?

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Did language proficiency (or a lack of it) make a difference in your experience? Yes / No

Please explain
Any additional recommendations, advice or words of wisdom for future students?

EDUCATION SYSTEM

Describe your host institutions education system. How did it differ from TAMU? Include professor interaction, class size, days in class, class scheduling, advisors, exams, books, class work, dates of the semester, outside of class help, field trips, grading system, etc…
How difficult did you find your adjustment to the differences? What would you recommend for future exchange students?
How do you expect that your grades from the exchange will compare to grades you earn at TAMU?
Any additional recommendations, advice or words of wisdom for future students?

HEALTH SAFETY

What medical facilities and services were provided at your host university?
Were the facilities and services adequate? How did the access, cost, etc. compare to Beutal?
How safe was travel within your host country? To other countries?
What travel safety measures do you recommend for future students?
Any additional recommendations, advice or words of wisdom for future students?

SOCIAL & CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

Were you satisfied with the amount of interaction with host country nationals? Yes / No

Please explain.

Were you satisfied with the amount of interaction with international students? Yes / No

Please explain.
How much contact did you have with other Americans? Was it too much? Too little? Please explain.

Were you able to witness and participate in the local culture? Yes / No

If so, how? (i.e. host institution staff helped, program structure, local students)

Did you make any close national or international friends? Yes / No

If Yes, do you plan to stay in touch with them?

Did you experience culture shock upon arrival in your host country?

If Yes, what did you experience? How did you deal with it? Any suggestions for future students?
What cultural embarrassments, if any, did you encounter while abroad? Please describe.
Any additional recommendations, advice or words of wisdom for future students?

OVERALL EVALUATION

Please mark one category response for each item below.

Strongly Disagree / Disagree / Agree / Strongly Agree
I would recommend this program to a friend.
I look forward to another international experience.
Overall, I had a good experience.
My experience abroad was worth any opportunities missed at TAMU.
How would you compare what you gained abroad with what you would have gained in comparable time at TAMU?
Any additional comments?

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FORMATIVE FEEDBACK

What do you consider the most desirable characteristic of the exchange program?
What do you consider the least desirable characteristic of the exchange program?
What are the primary benefits you derived from participation in the exchange program?
For what kinds of students, if any, would you recommend this exchange program?
For what kinds of students, if any, would you NOT recommend this exchange program?
If you were responsible for planning and implementing the program in which you participated, what changes would you make?
What do you wish you had known prior to the exchange program?
Did you have any difficulties upon returning to the U.S./TAMU?

INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT

Strongly Disagree / Disagree / Agree / Strongly Agree
I have gained better insight into myself as a result of the exchange.
This experience made me more receptive to different ideas.
This experience caused me to see the world in a new way.
I have a greater sense of independence.
I have a greater sense of self-confidence.
I have increased interest in social issues.
I have increased interest in world events.
I have increased interest in the arts.
This experience changed by career plans.
My interest in learning a language increased.
My tolerance of other people and customs has increased.
I understand myself better.
I understand the U.S. better.
I like the U.S. better.
I have increased by ability to adapt to new situations.
I am more interested in academic study.
I major will change as a result of this experience.
Any additional comments?