Great Hands on Study Abroad May 10, 2023

By (Environmental Science, University of Montana-Missoula) - abroad from 02/01/2023 to 04/26/2023 with

Round River Conservation Studies - Botswana Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained resume builders, lessons about life, and cultural knowledge.

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.

Round River does a great job making a study abroad experience that is more than classes. Every day will be filled with work that is applicable to future jobs and you will grow as a person. You will be doing academic work every day but it will not feel that way.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The instructors do a good job preparing the program and making it go as smoothly as possible.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

At the end you can say you slept in a tent for 84 days!

* Food:

When you go out to eat the food is amazing. When you are cooking for yourself get creative it makes the program so much better.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Focused on the culture and all classes were related to the area we are in.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The instructors have medical training and Round River can contact 24 hour doctors.

* Safety:

Very safe country and we did not make any unsafe decisions regarding wildlife

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

This was what I wanted out of my study abroad and I felt supported the whole time.

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)

If you wanted to you could spend no money during the whole program.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? less than $50 a week.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? I do not.

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 wish we front-loaded the Setswana classes so we could use it more as the program happened.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? two years of high school 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? Ask Round River for language packet before program starts.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* 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?
  • Hands on aspect
  • Human connections
  • wildlife
* What could be improved?
  • research projects
  • more language classes early
  • more structured time when not in bush
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? What adapter you need in Botswana

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.