EMLYON Business School
  
Grenoble EM
  
ESADE Business School
  
Rouen BS
  
ESSCA
 
Other names:
Catholic University Pontifica
Contact: (021)529-9922

Pontificia Universidade Catolica (PUC-RIO)

Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 225, 22453-900 Gávea, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 38097 Brazil
4.34 / 5 based on 60 reviews.

Reviews
International Partners
Programmes
Accreditations
87% of students recommend
60 reviews
Housing
4.6/5
 All experiences (60)
Student life
4.5/5
 5 stars (42)
Academic
4.0/5
 4 stars (12)
Languages
4.8/5
 3 stars (6)
Expenses
3.9/5
 2 stars (0)
Overall
4.5/5
 1 star (0)
“Go for it!” Read Review
Christopherthomas, United States

Pontificia Universidade Catolica review by Christopher

Review by Christopher, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, United States
Business Studies, Independent
HOUSING    
Personal assessment
Cost
KEY:
Couldn't have asked for more.
Pretty good.
Could've been better, but didn't lessen the overall experience.
Disappointing.
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Type of housing: With a family
Arranged by: Independently - My choice
If returning, I would choose: With a family
Why? It was a great experience and added substantially to my emmersion in the Brazilian culture.
Personal comments:
I chose to live with a family who I had previously met and enjoyed. The university offered housing with families in the area, of which I heard mixed reviews.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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STUDENT LIFE    
Personal social experience
Activities
KEY:
Amazing! Hardly had time to study.
Plenty to do when I had the time.
So-so.
Did not get involved.
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Describe host city: Students equally interact with the local and student community
Nightlife, Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Activities: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal comments:
Most cafes, bars, and clubs of Ipanema, Leblon, and Lapa.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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ACADEMIC       3.0 / 5
My academic experiences
Quality of courses
KEY:
Fantastic.
Pretty good.
Could've been a bit better.
Disappointing.
Variety of courses
Availability/access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with other international students
Interaction with local students
Course recommendations:
The courses I chose were those for which I would recieve credit in my home university. I very much enjoyed the majority of them.



My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
KEY:
Liked it.
It was alright.
A bit annoying.
Didn't like it.
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course.
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Personal comments:
A smoother registration process would be beneficial.

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Language difficulties
Social
KEY:
No problems.
I coped pretty well.
Sometimes it was difficult.
It was a constant struggle.
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Language of instruction: Portuguese
Was learning Portuguese a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my Portuguese
How much did you improve your Portuguese?
My level before: At ease in most situations
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
Personal comments:
Upon arriving in Brazil for my program, which was not my first experience, I was speaking Portuguese at an intermediate level of fluency. Throughout my experience, I was able to learn very much and I now speak and write at a superior level of fluency.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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EXPENSES    
The accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
KEY:
Very easy.
Minimal effort.
Accessible but required effort.
Almost impossible.
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Family
Work opportunities:
It was not legal for me to work
Personal spending habits:
Food, housing, nightlife, and travel are cheaper in Brazil than in the U.S. However, all types of telefone usage are more expensive, and my tuition in the university was about the same as what I paid in the U.S.
Telephone: was more expensive than at home.
Food, Travel, Nightlife, Overall, Housing: was less expensive than at home.
Personal comments:
I ended up paying about %15 more for tuition towards the end of my stay due to changes in the exchange rate between the American Dollar and Brazilian Real. Because of the fact that my university did not have a program with the university that I chose in Brazil, I was paying tuition directly to the Brazilian university, month by month. I would recommend trying to study abroad through a university in your home country in which you continue to pay your regular, home university's tuition in order to avoid exhange rate fluctuations.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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OVERALL    
Important to choosing this university...
Academic reasons
KEY:
Very Important.
Important.
Not really important.
Unimportant.
Culture
Costs
Activities
Campus life
Party / people
Weather / Location
I wish I had known...
I feel like I was pretty well prepared.
In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!



During my experience abroad, I ...
Became familiar with another culture
KEY:
Happened all the time.
Happened quite a lot.
Happened a bit.
Didn't happen.
Traveled
Improved language skills
Met people from other countries
Became more independent
Partied a lot
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies/career
Personal recommendation:
Great university, many fun people to meet and a lot to learn.



FINAL COMMENTS

Go for it!
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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