Truly a once in a lifetime experience. Past Review

By (BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES., Wartburg College) - abroad from 08/12/2012 to 12/05/2012 with

IFSA/Alliance: Manipal - Global and Public Health

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
This experience was definitely worthwhile. I learned a lot about myself as well as what another culture is like. I learned that there are certain things in my life that were important that are just not as important anymore.

Review Photos

Alliance for Global Education: Manipal - Public Health and Indian Studies at Manipal University Photo Alliance for Global Education: Manipal - Public Health and Indian Studies at Manipal University Photo Alliance for Global Education: Manipal - Public Health and Indian Studies at Manipal University Photo Alliance for Global Education: Manipal - Public Health and Indian Studies at Manipal University Photo Alliance for Global Education: Manipal - Public Health and Indian Studies at Manipal University Photo

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Although I enjoyed the classes offered, some of them were not to the same standard as my home school. I also understand that teaching/learning styles are different, but there was no homework and very little assessments which made it hard to gauge where I was at in each class.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

There were several aspects of our program director that I found to be difficult to deal with. The first being the lack of communication. She seemed to be unable to communicate important pieces of information with my group in a timely manner. I am not sure if this is just how she is usually, or if there was some other factor that was influencing this. Also there was a lack of organization which may have also been a factor in the lack of communication. I would suggest finding someone who has more patience for other cultures and someone who is always willing to communicate no matter the time or situation.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I thought the housing was really nice. It was well kept and was in a very optimal location when compared with the academic buildings and the cafeteria.

* Food:

The food was very good for the most part, there were plenty of options. Towards the end it got kind of monotonous and bland but overall I was very pleased with the food selection.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

With several of us having Indian roommates it was nice to get integrated into the local culture. However, if I was to base it off being with Indian students in our classes I would feel somewhat opposite. In class it was harder to get to know people and feel as though we were a part of the local culture. The trips we took increased our knowledge of the culture and I would definitely recommend that future students go on as many trips as possible to learn as much as they can about the local culture.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I needed to use the healthcare system only once. It was fairly complicated actually. There were many steps that I wouldn't have been able to figure out had my program director not come with me. She was there with me through the entire process from filling out the necessary forms to the actual meeting with the doctor. The process was not straight forward there were separate cards and forms for me because I was not from India, obviously that's fine but the healthcare workers assumed I knew what to do and where to go. It was different from health care in the US in that there was little privacy and formality was not an issue. I had the meeting with the doctor in a small library room. In India some of the main health issues include Malaria and TB. I needed to take Anti-malarial medication the entire time I was there as well as for a short period after returning to the US. TB shots are required for schooling in the US so that was not an issue prior to my leaving for India. Other than that I did not get any specific vaccines.

* Safety:

My city/town was fairly small with the university making up the majority of the town. Had the university not been as big it was, the town would have been even smaller. There was an enforced curfew of 11 o'clock which also aided in the safety. We were not allowed out passed that time therefore we rarely felt unsafe.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Most, if not everything, was much cheaper than it would be in the US allowing my budget to go that much further. I think for any student who could afford to go abroad on this program would find it no problem to be able to afford living there for a semester.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? No more than $20 a week. Money there went much farther.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Just keep track of what you spend in general. Make sure you understand how the money is converting and knowing how much you have allotted yourself to spend each month.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
  • Hostel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • Weekly field visits.
  • Travel Week!!
  • Traveling somewhere every weekend.
* What could be improved?
  • Class structure
  • Assessments
  • Communication/Organization
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I didn't need nearly as much as I thought I did. Also that I should have tried harder to meet people from the beginning instead of saying, "oh I have plenty of time left, I can do that another day". Before you know it the time is up and barely any close friends have been made.