Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Memories Made Worth a Lifetime! February 10, 2025

By (Neuroscience, Connecticut College) - abroad from 05/26/2024 to 07/03/2024 with

Brandeis in Mérida: Public Health in the Yucatán Peninsula

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
This trip was most definitely worthwhile. I learned so much more about the country both through the courses, and host families but also through my own adventures that I went on with friends.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

When reflecting on the courses we took, there was not an extremely high level of academic rigor involved. The assignments we were expected to do were well within everyone reaches and did not require any heavy lifting. The only challenges came from the long readings that we did. There were a few days where we had back-to-back readings that were quite involved. With that in mind, though, the readings were quite interesting, so if you are interested in public health at all, the assignments are not challenging because they are all surrounding a subject of interest.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Everyone on staff was incredibly welcoming in Merida and ensured that we were all well taken care of. The administration in Cuba the whole group found to be a bit harder to work with but because we were only there for a week it was not a deal-breaker.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I absolutely loved my host family and remain in touch with them to this day. We were all given our own rooms and the privacy to do as we pleased.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not have any health issues that needed to be addressed but for the people in the program that did I believe they were well taken care of.

* Safety:

I felt incredibly safe throughout the whole experience.

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

I thought that this was a very well-run and well-thought-out program. There were a lot of very fascinating and intentional field trips that we went on that connected our coursework to the real world incredibly well. In addition to this, the host families were amazing and I felt like they were my second family by the end of the trip.

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 50
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? I would recommend to students that they try to walk places as much as possible. A lot of my money went towards ubers and I would recommend that when possible it is best to walk not only to get to know the city better but also just to save money.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I felt as though this aspect of the program was a bit of a hit or miss scenario. If the host family was good about it then you were able to speak a lot of spanish but if you fully turned yourself off to the language you did not need to speak it at all.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Advanced
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? 300 level Spanish
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Listen to a lot of music in that language and from the country you are going to, watch a lot of shows in that language, and practice speaking with friends!

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • The host families!
  • The food!
  • The versatility of experiences offered throughout our stay.
* What could be improved?
  • The trip to Cuba could be a bit better run, I found that the only issues in the program arose while we were there.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I had been more adventurous from the start. The 6 weeks went by really quickly and I wish that I had dove right into all of the different activities and trips earlier on!

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 Adventurer
The 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.