Ecuador: Environmental Studies and Amazing Places (Galapagos, Amazon etc.)! Past Review
By Julia W (BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES., Wellesley College) for
SIT Study Abroad: Ecuador - Comparative Ecology and Conservation
It was worthwhile because of the language component, and the places I got to visit. It was interesting because I got a different perspective on environmental studies.
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. |
There was a much greater emphasis on group projects as opposed to only writing papers and taking exams. The grading was varied and comments on assignments ranged from very helpful to not useful. The lectures were interesting because they were given not by the same professor but by experts from the area. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The directors knew a lot about the country and had a lot of contacts which made our lectures and trips interesting. The program had 19 students which was a good size. Things got done in a relatively timely manner. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
When we were in Quito we lived in host families for most of the time. Travel to class varied between 45 minutes to 15 minutes depending on where you lived. My host family treated me like part of their family. During excursions to other parts of the country we lived in a variety of accommodations. |
| * Food: |
If you live with a host family tell them what you like and don't like otherwise you will end up eating things you hate for the whole time. At the same time you have to do it respectfully. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
my host family showed me parts of the city and taught me a lot about the culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Don't attract unnecessary attention to yourself and whenever possible don't walk around by yourself especially at night. |
| 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? | It depended on the week. My homestay provided all of my meals but if I wanted to go out with friends I was on my own. Many weeks I spent money on public transport, a few cabs, a dinner or two so about 30 dollars. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | N/A |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | SPAN 241 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I learned the most spanish from talking to my host family. I spoke english with my classmates and the with the academic directors I spoke a mixture of english and spanish. Some of our lecturers spoke English and others spoke only Spanish. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you want a program that is science all the time then it is not for you but if you want a mix of biology and social sciences then it is definitely worth looking into. |
