Classes, Local University, & Internship

Blog Summary:

• The IES Abroad Rabat course load is relaxed compared to The College of Wooster
• I love my IES Abroad Rabat professors!
• The University of Mohammed V classes can be difficult to get into at first but I believe they are worth it.
• The internship program is an area of growth for IES Abroad Rabat but it is good for cultural immersion.

The University of Mohammed V

In my experience, Morocco’s culture around timing and punctuality can be defined as “loose.” I am taking classes at both the IES Abroad Rabat Center and The University of Mohammed V; I also have an internship through the IES Abroad Rabat course, Social Action Seminar. 

Compared to The College of Wooster, which has historically been ranked pretty high based on the amount of homework it gives, I find the IES Rabat program to be relaxed in terms of course load. I really only have true homework from my fusHa Arabic class and I typically get bigger, more long-term projects from my other classes. Unfortunately, most of these projects are due at the same time which caused quite the fiasco during midterm season but that happens at American universities, as well. 

The professors are all very competent and you can take classes in French and English. You are required to take a two week long darija (Moroccan dialect) Arabic course in Meknes and then take a fusHa (Modern Standard) Arabic course in Rabat. I love my Arabic professor; I find the language difficult but he makes learning very fun and I feel like I am making good progress despite only being here for three months. 

Getting enrolled at The University of Mohammed V was done completely by IES Abroad Rabat, but their class schedule does not always line up with IES Abroad Rabat student schedules which can result in delays in beginning the class or the inability to enroll in the class at all. Thankfully I was able to meet with the professor alongside my peers who also wanted to take a certain class at Mohammed V and we were able to find a time that worked for everyone. This class is taught in French but we were also given the option to take the class in English, I do not believe this option is available for all Mohammed V classes.

Getting into an internship was also quite the production. I was originally under the impression that based on the responses we provided in our pre-departure forms that I would come to Rabat and automatically be placed into an internship that was within one of the four sectors referenced in the survey. Interestingly, internships within the museum and preservation studies sector that we previously thought were available were not because they are operated by the government. It also ended up taking about three weeks to get everyone placed into an internship which was inconvenient but I believe people are satisfied with their placements. I do, however, hear several students complain that their internships do not give them enough work so they feel unwanted or give them too much work so they feel like their unpaid labor is being taken advantage of. I believe this is a growth area for IES Abroad Rabat.