A wonderful experience January 26, 2023
By A student (Political Science, Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/28/2022 to 12/11/2022 with
SIT Study Abroad Mongolia and Siberia: Nomadism, Geopolitics, and the Environment
Insight into another culture.
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. |
Wonderful professors, very rigorous classes |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Very satisfied. Enjoyed both of my homestays. |
| * Food: |
Made accommodations for my vegetarianism. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Very- homestays helped. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Easily accessible, program helped me get there and ensured insurance paid for it. Needed a negative HIV test to apply for a visa. |
| * Safety: |
Very safe city. |
| 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? | $20 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | No- you live with a homestay family and eat their food |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | Learn Cyrillic alphabet prior to arrival |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | I wish I had known that it would be helpful to start studying Mongolian language prior to arrival |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Geopolitics and Development Trends |
| Course Department: | Political Science |
| Instructor: | Professor Ulziijargal |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Challenging, competent professor. Small class size. 1 paper, 1 small presentation |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No, Middlebury counted it as a political science credit. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Mongolian |
| Course Department: | Mongolian |
| Instructor: | Professor Maralaa |
| Instruction Language: | Mongolian |
| Comments: | Very challenging. Patient professor. Assessed via presentations, homework, and exams. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No issues. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Independent Study Project |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | N/A |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Excellent support in helping me start my project. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
