A semester's worth of experience within one of the best weeks of my life. Past Review
By Conor P (Mechanical Engineering., The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 03/09/2014 to 03/15/2014 with
The GREEN Program: Iceland - Sustainability and Renewable Energy Abroad
The GREEN Program does an excellent job of teaching its students about sustainability and energy resources in the modern world. The Iceland program was very good specifically with hydraulic and geothermal energy sources. In addition to classroom material, the GREEN Program also allowed me to gain a network of 25+ friends with whom I have similar interests and experiences with, and an alumni network of even more like minded individuals in industry.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Introduction to all aspects of sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy while touring real world examples. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The GREEN Program staff were passionate about the advancement of the student's as well as truly believing what sustainable energy stands for. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
From Icelandic hotels to guest houses, the living arrangements were fantastic. Comfy beds, warm cabins, what else could you want! |
| * Food: |
Fresh food at all the guest houses were a top notch way to start the morning. The GREEN Program tried to really show us Iceland's culture through a variety of the food we ate including going to a bakery utilizing geothermal heat to bake its bread. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
A lot of the program was spent with our group touring different facilities and learning at Reykjavik University. We did spend some time in a hostel/restaurant/bar where the opportunity to meet other people was presented as well as various trips to downtown Reykjavik to shop. There weren't too many opportunities to integrate with the local culture only because we were so busy traveling about and seeing other things. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
No healthcare issues |
| * Safety: |
With any of the high adventure activities we also completed during the trip, safety is a concern, that being said, the GREEN team and their affiliates in Iceland did a great job of letting us know what safety requirements were needed and how to proceed in a safe way. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Iceland's economy is quite inflated so everything was a bit more expensive than a typical college student would normally purchase. That being said, little outside purchases needed to be made. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Duty-Free purchases are your friend. Know what you want to get and make a budget before you go so you dont end up buying cool things that you just randomly find. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I had done this program earlier in my college career so that I could either come back and do the Peru program or return to Iceland! |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
