Middlebury School in Morocco

My semester in Morocco was an unexpected but memorable continuation of my study abroad experience. I had originally gone to Jordan, but our program was integrated into the Moroccan program mid-semester due to the conflict with Iran. After transitioning from Jordan, the program adjusted smoothly, and we were able to settle into a new routine fairly quickly. Academically, the program continued in Arabic, though the structure felt more flexible compared to earlier in the semester, which allowed for more independent learning outside the classroom.

One of the biggest highlights was the amount of travel we were able to do. I visited around ten cities across Morocco, each offering something different! From busy medinas to coastal towns and mountain regions, these trips made the experience feel incredibly dynamic and gave me a much broader understanding of the country. Overall, Morocco was a unique part of the program that emphasized cultural exposure, independence, and exploration, and it added a very different but valuable dimension to my semester abroad.

My abroad semester (half) in Rabat, Morocco was unexpected, but still worth-while. I enjoyed learning a new Arabic dialect and meeting people with new cultures. I liked learning about the various cultures, languages, and identities in Morocco. I think the program administration could do a better job of enforcing the language pledge and pushing students towards Arabic language and cultural immersion. Overall, I enjoyed my half semester in Rabat, which is a beautiful and culturally rich city to live in.

My study abroad trip to Rabat, Morocco through Middlebury College was a transformative experience. When I reflect back on it, I can confidently say it was the best 4 months of my college education. Morocco is safe, cheap, a great place to learn Arabic, and the people are kind to foreigners. My homestay was lovely. I stayed in a small but modern apartment in Rabat with an attentive host-mother Hind (who was also an amazing cook), 5-year old host sister Rim, and kind host-father Reda. The apartment was just a five minute walk from the tram station where I went to class every day. The classes were challenging and I spent most of the day after class doing homework. However, the community of students (both Middlebury and local students at the university) was so motivating and fun, it felt much easier to do the work alongside them. I often got lunch with a Moroccan student who tutored me and I spent lots of time with other Middlebury students going for runs in the park and going on excursions, including trips to Tangiers, Fez, and Marrakesh.

Morocco can be a culture shock for students coming from the United States and it's recommended to dress conservatively to respect the more conservative culture. One difficult thing that I never fully adjusted to was catcalling from Moroccan men. While I never felt unsafe, I certainly left Morocco with thicker skin. BUT I would not have wanted this to stop me from studying in Morocco and it's possible to avoid the catcalling by walking with male students.

This program was really challenging because I came in with a lower level of Arabic but they were able to create another MSA class to accommodate my level. However, because I was at a lower level, my other classes and the language pledge were really challenging because those were still at a higher level. My professors were able to help me overcome many of those initial challenges because of the small size of the program. I had a really great host family who helped me practice my speaking and listening and respected my space. The city of Rabat is big enough so you do not get bored but not too big that you are overwhelmed. I would recommend this program to anyone who is looking to really grow academically and personally through their study abroad experience. However it is not a program for someone looking for an easy semester.

I had the pleasure of studying at the Middlebury School in Rabat in the fall of 2018. Due to Middlebury’s language pledge you speak in Arabic all the time, which can be a challenge, but is an incredible opportunity for increasing language skills. My professors were phenomenal, some of the best I have had anywhere. Over the course of four months I was able to see exponential growth in my Arabic skills. The administrators are also terrific. They are very involved and willing to work with students to make sure their needs are being met. Rabat was also an excellent place to study. Quieter than many of the other cities in Morocco, Rabat is much less touristy, while still beautiful (especially along the coast), and gave a better sense of Moroccan life. Additionally, as the capital, Rabat has tremendous resources in the form of libraries, museums, and organizational headquarters.

I really loved my experience abroad with Middlebury. Middlebury is a great program - the Director, the Resident Coordinator, and the professors were amazing, caring, and very passionate - the whole program felt like a family the whole time. There was definitely more work than at other programs in Rabat, but I thought it was helpful because we learned a lot. Middlebury has a language pledge which meant that we were only allowed to speak Arabic, and all 4 of my classes were in Arabic. When I was there I took Darija (dialect), Fusha, Moroccan
Media Culture, and Berber Society, all of which I liked a lot. Although the day from Monday through Thursday could be long, there was no class on Friday, so weekends were relaxing. My Arabic and Darija really improved because of the individualized focus and practice I was able to get while there.

When I wasn't in class or on program excursions, Rabat was an amazing city to hang out in! I spent a lot of time with my host family, who were very kind and fun. I also ended up making a lot of Moroccan friends - Moroccans are super friendly and will befriend you if you are out and about and talk to them, and there is a large college-aged community (go to Renaissance Cafe on Monday nights!). I liked that we weren't always with the program and that we had freedom in the evenings and most weekends to do activities that interested us - it never felt like we were being handheld by Middlebury, but Middlebury was always there to support us if we needed it.

I would 100% recommend this program for the academic opportunity and the chance to be a part of life in Rabat.

I studied in Morocco for two semesters. It was a wonderful experience. Morocco is a beautiful country where everything is relatively cheap, so there are a lot of opportunities for travel, eating out on a regular basis is doable and the food is great, and you'll meet a lot of interesting and welcoming people. The program itself offers a unique opportunity to study both Standard Arabic and Moroccan Arabic in a setting where you later have the chance to put those skills to use. The people that work in the program are always accessible and more than willing to help, and in my experience do their best to make everyone feel at home.

I have completed three language programs with Middlebury college, two summer intensives in California and the study abroad program in Rabat, Morocco. The distinguishing component is the Language Pledge, a strictly (but kindly) enforced policy which forbids use of any language other than the target language. Without a doubt, leaving your native tounge behind is the best and fastest way to learn any language, and Middlebury provides the structure and support to do just that over the course of a semester or a year. While I opted to move to a village in the Atlas Mountains in order to conduct research, but there is no way I could have do e that without the invaluable instruction I received at Middlebury. I couldn't recommend the program enough if your main goal is language learning. That said it is very challenging, so if your goal is to hangout on the beach in Morocco you will be disappointed. But if you would like to return with excellent Arabic skills, this is the program for you!