Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Loved learning the language Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/24/2019 to 05/04/2019 with

SIT Study Abroad: Madagascar - Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I loved gaining perspective on how people live in a completely different part of the world. Speaking French and Malagasy was a blast.

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.

Education consisted mainly of long lectures on general topics or lists of scientific names.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The program director was controlling and patronizing. Everyone involved in logistics was great.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Staying in a homestay was a mixed bag. It helped us gain a real glimpse of the culture and be well taken care of in a new country, but some families saw their students as children and it made it challenging to get out and experience things outside of the home.

* Food:

Food at the center was delicious. Food while traveling was often greasy and hard to digest, esp while driving long distances. Breakfast with homestay families was much less than Americans are used to,which made it hard for us to concentrate during the day.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Loved learning Malagasy and speaking to people around town. Going to dance and English clubs helped a lot, but the program actively discouraged this kind of engagement. Our friends from the local university who studied with us were essential in making us feel integrated.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I got quite sick (maybe typhoid) a couple times and the program staff drove me to the doctor, picked up medicine, and stayed with me for days.

* Safety:

I felt very safe, but I was often not allowed out after dark, which felt frustrating. Antalaha felt small enough that I knew my way around very well.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

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)

Very easy to spend close to nothing, Madagascar is very cheap and you live in a homestay.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
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? Advanced
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

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

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
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?
  • Speaking other languages
  • buying fruit in the streets
  • teaching English (though the program director told me I was not allowed to)
* What could be improved?
  • More opportunities for students to get out and explore the area
  • Don't move the program to Antananarivo
  • Discussions in classes
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? It is hard to adapt to a new diet, bring nuts and familiar foods for when you feel sick/low on non-animal protein

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 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.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

French
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: It doesn't matter because the program is moving and abandoning the professors who were working when I was there.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Malagasy
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: The Malagasy professor was amazing, but the director did not like it when we socialized with him.
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Course Name/Rating:

Field Ethics
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: Did we do this one??
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Course Name/Rating:

Some kind of science
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: Lots of long lectures, some field stuff, not much else
Credit Transfer Issues: