Impossible to express in words- you have to experience it yourself! Past Review
By A student (Global Studies and Spanish, Providence College) - abroad from 02/26/2013 to 06/10/2013 with
SIT Study Abroad: Argentina - Social Movements and Human Rights
I learned a lot about myself, how I handle situations, why I get frustrated and when I get happy. I learned to appreciate little successes and little instances in my day. I gained an entirely new perspective on another culture and OF COURSE IT WAS WORTHWHILE! Times a million :)
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I liked the fact that what you put into this program academically, that's what you got out of it. I thought that the other students would be a bit more dedicated to the program, but I was still able to get a lot out of it. I wouldn't say it was as academically "hard" as a semester at PC, but that's because there's a lot of other things we have to adjust to by being abroad so I wouldn't want it to be otherwise. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program directors were amazing and always there to help us or answer any question we had. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Loved my host mom!! |
| * Food: |
It was definitely hard to get used to knowing how much money to allot yourself for food, getting used to where to buy food and when to buy it, what you would need to it, and making sure to let your host family know if you weren't going to be there for dinner. But the food wasn't too different from the U.S. and not hard to get used to at all. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I would have liked the program to help us meet locals more although I know this isn't their responsibility. We had classes with all U.S. kids so there was always the temptation to speak English which I didn't like. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have any issues. |
| * Safety: |
I just made sure to ask my host mom or one of the directors what they thought was safe, and took taxis late at night to get home. |
| 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) |
It was hard to get used to it especially since my schedule was always changing with traveling/being out of the city so I never quite knew. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $300 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It helps to keep track of how you're spending your money! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I definitely would have liked it to be mandatory that we speak Spanish, a lot of the students were reluctant to and I didn't like this- I would try to speak Spanish but they didn't want to talk back to me in Spanish. It's frustrating but it's part of the learning experience to be frustrated expressing yourself in another language! |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | SPN 321 |
| 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? | speak Spanish with your program from the very start!!!! And ask people for directions, make small talk with people on the streets, be more outgoing solely for the purpose of practicing. |
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? | It goes by sooooooo fast! Enjoy every second of it |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
