I'm a much stronger person than I realized Past Review
By Maggie M (Psychology/Anthropology, Tulane University) for
SIT Study Abroad: Jordan - Modernization and Social Change
I gained a lot. I'm a much stronger person than I realized. However, I wish SIT had let us travel during the program.
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. |
The workload was great until the last month. There really wasn't enough time (in my opinion) for the ISP and I would've preferred having more time. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were mostly really great. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Like I said earlier, I was pretty upset by the host family I was given (an elderly couple who never left the house), but I was eventually switched after I learned my host father was dying. My new host family was nice, but distant. My host brother did not like me very much since I took his room. |
| * Food: |
Again, Jordan is a hard country to be a vegetarian in. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There are a lot of great trips included in the package. I probably could never have afforded a plane ticket to Egypt otherwise. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There was a doctor, but you had to pay him upfront and I knew a few people were unhappy with him. However, I am certain that had there been any real emergency issues, SIT would've given us anything that was needed. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | They gave us a pretty great stipend, so I can't really complain. I wish there had been more knowledge of where other students lived for cab-sharing purposes. They did tells us who we were supposed to live near, but they weren't always right. I wasn't really near anyone, so I spent most of my stipend each week on the cab and buying food. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
A lot of people spoke English, but not everyone. The language partner program was amazing. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I already said them above. |
