Study Abroad at The American University in Cairo

Before leaving for my trip I was excited and fearful at the same time. I could not wait to embark on all of the adventures that I knew Egypt could offer, but I was afraid of not knowing anyone, being alone, and missing out on all of the events that would go on at home while I was gone. Looking back now I feel silly for allowing these worries to cloud my mind. While missing things at home with loved ones did make me feel sad from time to time, I continuously reminded myself that no one back at home was experiencing the new and amazing things that I was in a foreign country. One of the most incredible parts of studying abroad was the opportunity to make new friends from all over the world. I now have some of the best friends of my life. Having the opportunity to spend time with people from all over the word opened my eyes to the way that things are done in other countries. Prior to studying abroad I only really knew what it was like to live in the Audan, but now I have a greater knowledge of the cultures, governments, and customs of various countries throughout the world.In addition, the campus is very beautiful and staff is very professional which makes things more interesting and much easier.

My semester abroad at AUC has been an amazing experience. The city of Cairo is intruiging, and living there has definitely helped me in achieving personal development goals. As for AUC, I have had the opportunity to study the language and the region, and those courses were of good quality. Professors are passionate about their classes and are always willing to help you in any way. Foreign students can count on an extensive support network from AUC as well, with lots of activities being organised to integrate them into the community and meet Egyptian students. However, there were some logistical problems related to visa procedures, among others, which for a lot of people (including myself) has been an annoyance throughout the semester. All in all though, I can definitely recommend other people to go study here, as I think it is a once in a lifetime-experience.

With No Arabic knowledge yet being an African, the AUC experience was one that was worth it and definitely worth for self exploration to decide what Egypt means to you! The media shows a whole different side of Egypt, Moreover the negative side is what is shown as compared to its natural beauty. The AUC is a great institution with one of the most beautiful infrastructures that I’ve ever studied at! Extremely huge means traveling from one end to the other could take 10-15 mins. The courses and programs offered are interesting and valuable in terms of content. I came to pursue Journalism and Television, I enjoyed the theory and practical work that we learned through out the semester! I enjoyed the Egyptian natural beauty from the desert to the Red Sea to the night life in Zamalek. Other than language as a barrier, the Egyptians can somewhat seem friendly but the ignorance against race and ethnicity still exists.

I am without a doubt very grateful for the chance to have studied in Cairo for the semester. The campus is beautiful, I felt safe, things generally ran rather smoothly (other than visa issues), the gym/pool and food options were great, and Cairo/Egypt was of course incredible. As far as academics, I didn't really feel challenged by my seminars to think critically or to really learn much new information (except for my one graduate-level course), so that was a bit of a downside. I found the classes were a bit too easy and yet they required a lot of busy work from me. Thankfully though I took the graduate-level seminar which was fascinating and I learned so much from that! So perhaps consider doing that yourself? Also, I study literature and communications, so perhaps it differs for each program. All in all though, I'm still very glad I came and would recommend it.

AUC has a beautiful campus with traditional style of architecture. it almost seems like a castle. and this was why i chose this university for my exchange program. and i don't regret my choice to be here.
faculty was also nice generally. even though i suffered a hard time with a team work, since they spoke arabic each other, i managed to it for asking help for my professor. as far as i experienced, my professors were really nice and tried to speak and teach us in 100% english. however, i heard from my other international students that they sometimes speak in arabic and never translate.
i lived in dormitory. i at the beginning registered for the on-campus dormitory but it was overbooked that some students were obliged to move to faculty housing(off-campus dorm). it is located near gate 4, which is 10 minutes far. the facility of off-campus dormitory is actually really nice, nicer than on-campus to be honest, since it was built for faculties. and i paid the same amount money with the on-campus dorm. i think both have pros and cons. I've never imagined that 10 minutes walking (or even more depending on which building) is harsh for me cause it is scorching in the summer. but fortunately AUC provides shuttle bus for us.
nearby campus, there is a big mall called "point 90", and i literally went there everyday to have meal. it is quiet good place and we can grab some food and things. However, i could say there is nothing to join without this. there are some other malls near auc but not better than point 90. and new cairo is kind of rich place that it is hard to feel the "real egypt". if you want to feel it, you gotta go old cairo, located 1 hour far from new cairo. you guys actually can also live in downtown or other hot place rather than new cairo. auc provide shuttle bus. but you have to pay a little amount for it each time. among the all, one big good point of living in new cairo is that it is really quiet.
the price here is affordable. to be honest, i don't really feel that new cairo is that cheap, but when it compares with the quality of food, you might admit that it is cheap actually.
Consequently, i really enjoyed the semester here in auc, i could make a lot of international and local friends. Egyptians are mostly friendly. it was also really nice to see the pyramids and other great places where i could see through the trips provided by auc at the beginning of the semester. it was super great. through the whole semester, i could say i experienced a lot of different things that i have never experienced before, and broadened my perspective. you guys should come here and enjoy your study-abroad life. just chill out here!

Living the AUC experience is not limited to leading an academic life on campus and getting some credit hours. Aside from the academic support and great opportunities in the field of my study, one can find AUC campus an environment in which one is stimulated to undergo the experience of social and spiritual growth. As an international student, I get tons of emails about new opportunities, trips and activities to be done outside of the academic sphere. Aside from that, the campus is diverse. I do not only mean students from different countries, but Egyptian students from different backgrounds who actively encourage you to understand where they come from and set you up with worthwhile adventures. Egypt is a place of deep historical, societal, and religious values. It sure is a place worth discovering and if you are interested in getting a taste of such values and you do not know where to start, I recommend giving study abroad at AUC a shot to visit a place of great academic experience that also emphasizes on your identity growth and presents you with the opportunity to discover the birth place of the world's oldest civilization.

Overall I had an amazing and extremely rewarding experience at AUC. The campus looks like a resort, and support services are great. Going through the student-visa process can be a bit annoying, but that's just Egyptian bureaucracy I guess.
Education wise it's good to do some research before booking your courses, as there is a great degree of variability in the quality of courses. I did some research on professors through the facebook page of "Rate AUC professors" and asked AUC about the quality of professors. I ended up taking a total of three courses, and 2 of them were simply amazing, whereas 1 was just average.
Regarding housing, I would advise students to live in downtown and not in New Cairo. There's a lot more going on and a lot more to discover. Additionally it's also much more authentic than the recently built and very artificial New Cairo.
Overall I can highly recommend going to AUC. Your time in Cairo will be full of new adventures and new experiences. My 5 months here were nothing short of impressive and extremely rewarding.

My stay in Cairo was a controversial one, however, not due to the AUC. The cource selection here is immerse, and instructors are both passionate and professional.
I took a course “Contemporary Israel/Palestine” by Prof. Molavi, which was one of the best during my entire academic experience.
Additionally, I have managed to improve my Arabic significantly. Prof. Abdel-Wahab encoraged me to speak the language all the time and use it in my everyday life.
Moreover, a coure “Development politics and International cooperation” taught by Prof. Elnur can be if great interest to those who would like to know more about the Global South.
The only drawback was university administration which didn’t assist the international students until we started to conplain.
Please, keep in mind, that visa application process might be confusing and exhausting as well.