<p>I couldn't find an official thread on this university.</p>
<p>This seems to be a popular destination for study abroad, but I'm interested in applying here for a full undergraduate education. Has anyone here studied at this university, either for study abroad or as full-time student?</p>
<p>If so, does anyone know what it's like living there? Going to Lebanon for college would be a huge commitment. It's hard to find a lot of information on their website, and so I'd like to hear the pros and cons from someone who's actually been here.</p>
<p>I'm interested in Arabic, and though the University seems to have a decent enough Arabic program, the most attractive feature in this area would obviously be its location, in the Arab world. It also seems to have a good reputation, but how good is the quality of the education, and how does it compare to other Universities? Thanks!</p>
<p>It is an intermittent war zone. We had to evacuate a student from there when violence erupted last time. There are safer places to learn Arab language and culture.</p>
<p>Actually lynxinsider, Lebanon is very safe. Admittedly, it is not the most stable of countries, but the risk of random violence is next to nil. Most violence is political and does not involve civilians.</p>
<p>To the OP, AUB is the best university in the Middle East and Beirut is one of the most culturally vibrant city in the Arab world. I cannot think of a better place to spend a year abroad.</p>
<p>Funny, I was just looking at their career survey report yesterday.THey had lots of people getting good jobs albeit in the middle-east lol. probably a very good place to study.</p>
<p>Also I have met quite a few in grad school actually and they seem pretty as good as any student from an Ivy or Oxbridge so they must be teaching them something</p>
<p>My friend’s nephews had to be evacuated from there a few summers ago. At first the parents were told that they’d receive a bill for the evacaution, but then the government backed down.</p>
<p>As a Lebanese, I can say it is certainly a beautiful country. I don’t know much about AUB (aside from cousins’ accounts as students), but I’m not sure how safe it is… A few summers ago, after conflict with the group Hizballah (which still resides in Lebanon), Israel bombed locations all over the country. That violence definitely affected citizens. The country is still unstable, though not to the point of that summer.</p>
<p>But honestly, although the university is the best in Lebanon and maybe in the Middle East, it does not compare to the universities in the US. Tons of people leave Lebanon to pursue a better education here in the US (including members of my family) because the universities here are much better quality. This does not just include the top-ranked US colleges. But as a study-abroad for a year or a term, just because of the opportunity to be immersed in the language and culture, would definitely be worthwhile as a supplement to your education at college in the US/England/Canada/etc.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies everyone. So is this is a better study-abroad school than a school to go to for the full four years? If so, too bad - I sort of wanted an adventure.</p>
<p>As a professor in the Mid East most of my best transfer students are from AUB. And it has a strong reputation throughout the MENA region. That said, many of those students transferred because the country, or rather Hizbollah, can be unstable. Personally I love Beirut, and could live there any time. Good luck with whatever you decide.</p>