One of the best learning and social experiences of my life Past Review
By A student (Biology, General., Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/22/2013 to 05/05/2013 with
Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS): South Africa - African Ecology and Conservation
I learned a huge amount about ecology which has helped me direct my future career plans. Incredibly worthwhile!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Academic rigor and intensity are very high- you will learn a lot! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Be prepared for a lack of privacy- most housing arrangements have all twenty plus students in one dormitory style room |
| * Food: |
Gets a little bit repetitive, but overall very good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Besides the three-day village homestay, the program is not integrated with local culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
Very easily- the only time I spent more than I would have liked was when we had our Spring break in Cape town. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50 |
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? | That ecology is a messy science sometimes! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Conservation and Protected Area Management |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Ashley Pearcy |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The lecture material was interesting, but the lectures were a bit disorganized. The group research project and public speaking assignment both were great. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
South African Ecosystems |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Laurence Kruger |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The lectures were informative and interesting. The course culminated in a final independent research project that allowed us to use the skills we had learned throughout the semester. |
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| Course Name/Rating: |
Field Research Skills |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Gareth Hempson |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course taught incredibly useful skills in research design and statistical ana |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
South African History through Culture |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | David Bunn |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This was one of my favorite courses; it provided an excellent background on SA's history and the research project allowed us to individually explore a topic of interest |
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