DUE DATE: Monday (Tuesday if Monday is a holiday) of 9th week of the quarter prior to your departure.

Directions: Choose two books from the "Recommended Reading" list in the EAP Student Guide for your country (located in the CIE Resource Library, your EAP Packet, and on the EAP web site). With prior approval from your EAP Counselor, you may choose a book that is not on this list, provided it deals with the history, culture, politics, literature, etc. of your host country (a travel guide is not an acceptable book). Write a critical book report on each book you read. For each report, describe the salient points of the book as they pertain to your host country. Explain how you think this information will help you adapt to your new surroundings. Each book report should be approximately 2 pages in length (4 total), typewritten in correct English*.

• We strongly recommend that you interview either a native of your host country or an American who has lived in your host country. If you do not know who to contact, refer to the Contacts List . The Contacts List contains contact information for both students who have returned from abroad and international (EAP Reciprocity) students from abroad who are currently studying at UCI. These students are eager to share their stories or answer any questions you may have about your country and program. Many of the international students who are here will be returning to their home country at the end of this year (possibly to the same university to which you will be going), allowing you to make friends with students there before you go. Connecting with these students NOW is the perfect way to get an "insider perspective" of living in your soon-to-be host country, and will make the transition into your "new life" abroad that much more enjoyable.

• You may want to incorporate what you learn from your interviews into your Country Report (do not transcribe the interviews word for word).

• The How to Prepare link to the left contains a lot of web sites you can use to learn about your host country, which can help you to complete your Country Project, especially Know Your Hosts and Travel Issues.

Back to Country Project Options.