Fun Past Review
By A student (Environmental Studies., Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/16/2012 to 12/14/2012 with
Round River Conservation Studies - Namibia Desert Program
I learned a lot about Namibia and conservation but I also learned a lot about myself. It was worthwhile but it wasn't always easy.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It wasn't difficult academically, but it was a difficult semester in terms of cultural shock, being in a small group, camping the whole time, not having much contact with home, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everything ran pretty smoothly. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I love camping! |
| * Food: |
The food is fine. The program isn't about food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
This is part of the program that lacks if you're interested in the culture. I would have liked to have more regular interaction with a broader spectrum of local people. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
There were never any major issues that I was aware of and all of the minor issues that came up and that I observed were taken care of well. |
| * Safety: |
Over all, I felt pretty safe. You just follow their instructions and it should be fine. |
| 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) |
I barely spent any money while I was gone and I could definitely have spent less if I had wanted to. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent about $300 the whole time (3 months) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | In terms of booking airplane tickets, don't do exactly what flights they tell you to do. Definitely do your own investigation to find cheeper stuff. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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 you don't get very much internet at all. |
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 AdventurerThe 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. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Natural History |
| Course Department: | N/A |
| Instructor: | Vehihama Kasupi |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The course was challenging because there was a lot to memorize from plants to animals to scat and spore. Vehi, the instructor, was extremely knowledgable since he is local and knows a ton about the area. We were assessed by one final exam at the end where we walked around outside and had to identify things. We also had a long slide show and had to identify what was in the slides. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I haven't transfered the credits yet, so we will see ... |
