Center for International Programs
Study Abroad Participant Survey 04-05

In our continuing efforts to assess the Kalamazoo College education abroad programs, the Center for International programs asks for your cooperation in completing this questionnaire. It is not necessary to identify yourself by name. We encourage you to respond to all of the questions. Thank you for your cooperation. Joseph L. Brockington, Ph.D. Associate Provost for International Programs Kalamazoo College Directions: You will need approximately 30 minutes to complete this survey. Do not submit the survey until you are satisfied with your responses. Once you submit the survey you will not be able to revise your answers. Individual responses will be kept confidential.

1. Please complete the following information

Graduation Year
Major
Minor
Concentration
Study Abroad Program
Year of Participation

2. Gender

Male
Female

Pre-Departure

3. How many semesters or quarters did you study these languages in HIGH SCHOOL (count summer study as one)

	None or less than 1	1-2	3-4	5-6	more than 6
French
Spanish
German
Japanese
Chinese
Latin
Ancient Greek
Other

4. How many semesters or quarters did you study these languages in COLLEGE (count summer study as one)

	None or less than 1	1-2	3-4	5-6	more than 6
French
Spanish
German
Japanese
Chinese
Latin
Ancient Greek
Other

5. If you indicated “other” in questions 3 or 4, what language(s) did you study and for how long?

6. Indicate the highest language level achieved prior to study abroad for the language(s) you studied at "K"
7. What was the most important factor for your choice of which language to study?

Useful for future career
Challenge
Interest in the country or countries where the language is spoken
Family background (heritage learner)
Required for study abroad at a particular program
Other

8. What was your own assessment of your ability in foreign languages prior to study abroad (check all that apply):

	1 - Excellent	2	3	4	5 - Poor
Chinese
French
German
Ancient Greek
Modern Greek
Hebrew
Italian
Japanese
Kiswahili
Latin
Spanish
Thai
Wolof
Other

9. Specify "other" language from question 8.

10. At the end of your program abroad, how well were you able to communicate in your host country’s language?

Very fluently (people thought I was a local)
Fluently (I made some mistakes and people thought I was from a neighboring country)
OK (I got by, but it usually wasn't very pretty)
Not very fluently (I would start to say something and they would ask me in English)
does not apply, I spoke English

11. Why did you choose to study abroad? (Check as many as apply)
12. Why did you choose this study abroad program? (Check as many as apply)
13. How helpful were the following orientation sessions in your preparation for study abroad?

	1 - Extremely helpful	2	3	4 - Not at all helpful	5 - Does not apply
Health Services, Financial Aid, Registrar and Business Office information
Transportation, Customs, Immigration & Visas, Homestays
Physical and Mental Health, Safety Issues, Academic Requirements
Meeting with former participants
Site-specific meetings
Women and Study Abroad Meeting

14. In retrospect, what additional pre-departure information would you have found useful?

15. How worthwhile was your on-site orientation after arrival?
16. What was most helpful?

17. What was least helpful?

18. What was the most difficult thing that you dealt with on study abroad?

19. How did you cope with this difficulty?

20. How did you use your Study Abroad handbook?

Read it once and that was all
Referred to various sections only once in a while when I had questions
Referred to it frequently
Never read it

21. If your program had a program guidebook, how did you use it?

Read it once and that was all
Referred to various sections only once in a while when I had questions
Referred to it frequently
Never read it
My program did not have a Program Guidebook

Program Abroad:

22. Overall, how worthwhile was your study abroad experience
23. What was the best part?

24. What was the worst part?

25. Would you have preferred to have participated in a longer program?

Yes
No
Not applicable -- I was on an academic year program.

26. If yes, please indicate the primary reason you did not choose a longer program,

Academic requirements (major/minor/concentration)
Worried about my security in an unsettled world
Family commitments and/or concerns
Athletic commitments
Longer program not offered or available
Other

27. Did you come home for a visit during your study abroad

No
Yes (how often and how long did you stay?)

28. Did members of your family visit you during your study abroad experience?

No
Yes (how often and how long did they stay?)

29. Did you have any serious illnesses or injuries during your study abroad experience?

No
Yes (please specify)

30. Did you have any financial hardships during your study abroad experience?

No
Yes (please specify)

31. During your study abroad, how often did you feel

	1 very often	2	3	4 rarely	5 never
Happy
Depressed
On top of the world
Lonely
Angry
Anxious because of the world situation
Fearful of a terrorist attack in your program city
Confident
Part of a family there
Part of a close group
That you’d be glad to get home

32. How often did you feel you were

	1 very often	2	3	4 rarely	5 never
Safe and secure
In danger
Subjected to negative stereotyping
Sexually harassed
Harassed because you were an American
Subjected to racial discrimination

33. Were you ever

	No	Yes
The victim of a property theft
The victim of a street robbery
The victim of verbal abuse
The victim of a physical assault
The victim of a sexual assault

34. To what extent were each of the following parts of your study abroad experience worthwhile

	1 Very Worthwhile	2	3	4	5 Not very worthwhile	Does not apply
coursework at your host institution
living in a student dorm
living in a homestay
excursions for your program
traveling in your host country
traveling in other countries
relationships with host country nationals
being away from your family
immersion in another culture
your ICRP or field study

35. To what extent did study abroad

	1 a great deal	2	3	4	5 not at all
confirm your career goals
make you reconsider your career goals
give you a more positive view of people in your host country
disrupt a previous romantic relationship
lead to a new romantic relationship
make you glad to be an American
contribute to your personal development

36. Compared to Americans, I found most people in my host country to be (check all that apply) 37. My language skills improved while abroad.
38. My global awareness improved while abroad.
39. How often were you in communication with the following people while you were abroad?

	Once per day or more often	Once per week	Once per month	Once during the program	Not at all
Parents
Other family members
Friends from home
Friends from ''K''
Significant Other
Professor
Academic Adviser
CIP Staff
Registrar
Housing Office

40. What was your most common method of communication?
41. Other comments about your program abroad?

42. Based on your interactions with your Resident Director or Program Director, how would you rate his/her helpfulness, accessibility, and rapport with the students?
43. Comments about your interactions with your Resident Director or Program Director?

44. What sort of classroom environment did you have abroad? (check all that apply)
45. In comparison to your coursework at "K", the courses at your program

	Strongly Agree	Agree	No Opinion	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Not Applicable
Were more difficult
Were about the same
Were easier
Required more study time
Required the same amount of study time
Required less study time

46. Additional comments about your coursework or your instructors abroad:

47. Please describe your ICRP/Fieldstudy experience (where applicable):

Extra-Curricular Activities

48. What activities did you pursue outside of class?

49. How did you get involved in these activities?

50. How often did you participate in extra-curricular activities? (choose one)

Money

51. Not counting program costs (tuition, fees, room and board) or a Eurailpass (where applicable), approximately how much money did you spend during your time abroad?
52. Of this amount, approximately how much did you spend during the time classes were in session?
53. How much money do you recommend that a student to your program site take (not including a Eurail pass)?

54. How did you take your money abroad? (Check all that apply)
55. Do you have other suggestions on how to access or take money in your program site destination?

Travel

56. When did you do most of your independent travel?

Following the end of the program
During vacation times
During the program
Other (specify)

57. How much did you travel during the academic program?
58. How much time did you spend traveling (in days) during

Vacations
At the end of classes?
Other (specify)

59. How much of your travel time (percentage) was spent

	less than 25%	25-50%	50-75%	more than 75%	None
within fifty miles of your program
within the country of your program
in other countries

60. After the end of the academic program, did you

Return to the US immediately
Remain in the program city
Remain in the program country
Travel in neighboring countries
Travel to countries in a different region
Other (please specify)

61. How long after your program ended did you stay to travel or do other things?

(Number of days)

Housing at the Program

62. Were you housed in a

Homestay
Dormitory
Apartment
Other

63. What did you like best about your housing?

64. What did you like least about your housing?

65. What problems, if any, did you have with your housing?

66. If you had problems, did you discuss these problems with the on-site director?

Yes
No

67. If yes, what response did you receive?

68. Should Kalamazoo College continue to use this housing situation?

Yes
No

69. Why or why not? NOTE: if you feel that the College should not continue use this housing option, please indicate the name of the homestay family or address of the dorm or apartment where you stayed.

Returning to Campus

70. How easy or difficulty has it been to readjust to life back at K College
71. Please list three new skills, attributes, and/or attitudes that you acquired during your study abroad experience:

72. How would you like to make use of the experiences you've had now that you are back on campus?

73. What opportunities or programs would you like to have made available to you on campus?

74. What difficulties in adjusting to life in the USA have you experienced since you returned?

75. How have you dealt with this?

76. Any additional comments?

Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey. If you have additional comments that you would like to tell the staff of the CIP personally, please phone 7133 (269-337-7133) for an appointment or send email to "cip@kzoo.edu".
Do not submit the survey until you are satisfied with your responses. Once you submit the survey you will not be able to revise your answers. Individual responses will be kept confidential. If you wish to review your responses, you can use the links below under "REVIEW" to navigate through this survey.When you are ready to submit your survey, please select "I'm done" in the box below and then click on the "Submit Survey" button.

77. (Because of a quirk in the survey software, certain keystrokes will accidently submit the survey. This box prevents this.)

I'm done.

customer satisfaction surveys