Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Globetrotting Sprint to Amazing Places, Little Sleep, Great Memories Past Review

By (Chemistry., Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/21/2013 to 05/18/2013 with

SIT Study Abroad: IHP - Cities in the 21st Century: People, Planning and Politics (Fall 1)

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I actually did learn a lot about myself. Honestly, stuff I learned in the classroom was just a bonus, most of it was traveling around, getting to know the cities, having fun, hanging out with friends, learning about these 31 strangers I now had as friends.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

They say this is supposed to be a more intense program. I feel like our Program Schedule was much more set than others and we had our time more planned out.. We were able to do a lot and see a lot and I thought it was a good balance.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Great, we had Country Coordinators in each country and they were locals that knew their way around.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Mostly homestays the whole time. Great way to experience the culture.

* Food:

So good.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

See above, the homestays helped. Not knowing the language was a bit of a problem, but you're only in each place for a month. That'd be the downside, not staying long enough to learn to communicate and only talking mostly to your IHP group, but I still enjoyed myself.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Delhi was a bit of a problem, given the recent gang rape. India in general was a little more problematic. For any of these countries, safety of women should always be a concern, but I think we were okay. There were quite a few incidents where people got pickpocketed, but that can happen anywhere.

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

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)

These countries were pretty affordable. The program is costly, but as far as everyday costs, India and Senegal were reasonable. Argentina was like the US.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Hotel
  • Hostel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Places Visited
  • Comparative Aspect
* What could be improved?
  • Some "emergency language" lessons
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I'm pretty satisfied with my study abroad experience. Aside from the program glitches that couldn't be helped, I enjoyed it.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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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.