An unforgettable experience! Past Review
By Amanda Wood (Delaware Valley University) - abroad from 05/24/2018 to 06/29/2018 with
Arcadia: Australia/New Zealand - Ecology of People, Place and Adventure
I gained a better sense of the world around me and how different the world is from where I live. I would definitely do it again.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Even though we were always doing fun things, I still learned so much about the activities and places we were at. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I LOVED my admins on this trip. My professor, Stewart, was so knowledgable and fun, and Deb was an angel! They really made this trip 10x more enjoyable for me. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Every place we stayed I couldn't believe how nice the rooms were. We stayed in some really really nice accommodations. Even the hostels were amazing, and I had never stayed in one before. |
| * Food: |
It was hard to make yourself decent food because you then had to carry the groceries you bought. I ate a lot of the same things when I cooked and eating out was expensive. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Although we did go to some tourist spots, I still interacted with the locals quite a bit and it was definitely a good part of the experience. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not have any health issues on the trip. |
| * Safety: |
We were given quite a bit of time on our own to wander through the cities we were in. We always stayed in groups and in even in some more dangerous places I never felt unsafe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I really liked the amount of traveling we did to different places. Most programs stay in one place. |
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) |
Because we had to buy groceries and eat out a lot, it was definitely on the expensive side. I spent a lot of money on this trip. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't spend a lot of money on alcohol out. If you're going to buy it, get it to drink before you go out. Don't buy the most expensive thing on the menu. |
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 knew exactly how much backpacking we would be doing. I would have packed completely different if I would have known the extent to which we would be out. |
