<p>I'm still a junior in high school, but I really want to go study abroad in Israel at some point in college.</p>
<p>I've basically narrowed down my decision to the University of Haifa,because as for their international program, they have the most varied courses.</p>
<p>I was wondering if I could get some feedback on the University and International school.
Things such as
-activities on/off campus
-food (there's no meal plan)
-finding a job (for an international student)
-dorms
-party scene
-quality of courses in international program
-the people there</p>
<p>My name is George Yoav Khasin . I currently live in Cambridge MA but am originally from Israel (I moved here from Jerusalem about three years ago).
As for your questions, well, first, are you Jewish? The reason I am asking is that if you are Jewish you can apply for citizenship in Israel. Israel automatically grants citizenship for Jews who make an “aliyah” -immigration- to Israel.
If you are not Jewish, you can of course still go study in Israel.
I personally recommend, if your grades are good enough to apply to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv University. Both universities are great according to any international standard. Also, the Hebrew university has a special school for international students [Rothberg</a> International School ? Hebrew University of Jerusalem](<a href=“http://overseas.huji.ac.il/]Rothberg”>http://overseas.huji.ac.il/) in which all courses are taught in English (as opposed to Hebrew).
If you want to major in science, you should probably try Weitzman institute. All the courses there are taught in English and they have an amazing faculty. In fact, only several years ago a professor from this institute won a Nobel-prize.
Another advantage is that Israeli universities are incredibly cheap compared with universities in the US.
But note - universities in Israel are NOT liberal arts- that is, you must choose your major before you apply . This is why students usually get their undergraduate degree after only 2-3 years.
The people are really nice. Many of them continue to graduate schools in the US after getting their bachelor’s.
Haifa University, by the way, is considered to be much less prestigious than other universities in Israel.
The food is cheap and great.
You can probably work but I am not completely sure.
The dorms are dorms.</p>
<p>yes, i am jewish.
but i don’t want to apply for citizenship there since i’ll only be staying for a semester most likely. </p>
<p>really?
from what i’ve read the university of haifa is internationally acclaimed. sixty something in the world.
at the moment i think im interested in majoring in communications and they offer that in the international school in haifa. </p>
<p>also, i went to israel once, and although jerusalem is beautiful, i feel like it could be a little more dangerous to live in that haifa. i actually have family in haifa so i think that’d be beneficial too.</p>
<p>I’m a Toronto lawyer who studied at the University of Toronto, but studied abroad at Haifa University for a year in the overseas program before going to law school. If you are considering studying abroad in Israel for a year, I highly recommend Haifa’s overseas program. First, the classes are fantastic - there is a good variety of courses in English, but if you are fluent in Hebrew, all the courses are available to you. The dorms that the overseas students are in are very new and clean - truthfully, the best dorms at any school I have ever seen. You get to live with 4 Israelis and one other overseas student, but you each have your own bedroom and bathroom (shared kitchen, living area, etc.). I loved living with Israelis because I learned Hebrew much better than had I attended Hebrew U or Tel Aviv U and lived with only students from abroad. Also, two of the Israelis and the girl from abroad all became my best friends and have visited me in Canada many times, and I have visited them and their families many times.</p>
<p>There isn’t a meal plan, but there is a little shopping market on campus and cheap, subsidized food options on campus. </p>
<p>Haifa University has the benefit of being in a gorgeous location, on top of a mountain, but also only 15 minutes from the beach. There is a direct bus.</p>
<p>I found the social life excellent and loved it…the city of Haifa doesn’t have the same sort of party scene as does Tel Aviv, but it’s a small country, and you probably will sometimes go to Tel Aviv for the weekend anyways.</p>
<p>I was able to work, but I’m not sure what the requirements about that are.</p>
<p>I hope you go to Haifa U! I miss it and visit every two years…</p>
<p>yeah, the variety of courses was what really captured my attention initially when looking at the international school courses. i’ve heard that tel aviv has the best night life but they have very little variety in their international program. i feel like jerusalem would be a little to conservative and somewhere where i could just go occasionally.</p>
<p>i’ve heard from various people that haifa isnt regarded as the best college,but i guess its not about the quality of the university as much as it is about the international program and immersion!</p>