Beautiful Months with Beautiful People Past Review
By A student (Environmental Science, Colby College) - abroad from 09/20/2013 to 12/13/2013 with
Round River Conservation Studies - Patagonia, Chile Program
My goals were to learn more about and become a competent field researcher, learn about the ecology of Patagonia, become a more flexible person and better at group living, relish in living in the outdoors for a semester, be outside always, and question what I thought I already knew about management and conservation. Round River not only helped me to meet my goals, but vastly exceed them! The only thing I can recommend for this program would be more cultural and language immersion. Because while it is not the main goal of the program, and we all expected what we got, it would be cool and beneficial to interact with the people and culture more.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
our two leaders were the best and coordinated everything that needed to be done |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
tents for 90 days ohhh yeahhh |
| * Food: |
we cooked for ourselves most meals since we were out in the field/camping. It was awesome because we actually learned a lot about cooking, unexpectedly! Everybody was very dedicated to making good meals because we relied on each other so heavily. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Since it is a field based program, we did not have a ton of interaction with the local culture and language. However, we all knew this going in, so it was no surprise. We got to know the land and the plants and animals all very well and we did befriend some of the people who worked within the park. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
no major health concerns arose on the program |
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I bought lunch for myself every other week and that is all! I was traveling after so saving money for that. |
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? | 0 |
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? | It gets seriously cold at night! (esp at the beginning of fall semester/their spring) |
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. |
