A great intro into freelance journalism from abroad Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/29/2017 to 05/12/2017 with
SIT Study Abroad: Morocco - Human Rights, Social Justice, and Cultural Transformation
Competency as a foreign correspondent. Good friends. Confidence in my journalism abilities. Great clips for my portfolio.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
|
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Academic Director was great. The journalism mentors were very helpful but largely only available over email (with exception of one week during the semester when they arrive in person). Still, I found them to be a tremendous resource. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
|
| * Food: |
|
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Being surrounded with American study abroad students didn't help me integrate--and the fact that we learned Fusha rather than Moroccan Arabic in our language classes didn't help me navigate the country. I would have been happier and better able to integrate into Moroccan society had I taken Moroccan Arabic classes, I think. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
|
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I was intent on doing freelance journalism for U.S. or European media outlets from abroad. This program provided me with the mentorship and contacts to make that happen. It was great. |
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. SIT's an expensive program, which means all of your necessary costs are covered while you're in the country. However, if you hope to do additional traveling, you should bring an additional $200/week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Street food and share lodging with other students from the program.. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
|
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
|
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Advanced Spanish, but that's not really relevant. I did beginning Arabic and intermediate Arabic, too. |
| 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? | Host families. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I'd strongly recommend that people go in knowing that the program is a tremendous opportunity to get your freelance work out there, but that it won't happen without above-and-beyond effort. You have to be thinking on a different level if you want to produce work on a different level! |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Independent Study in Journalism |
| Course Department: | SIT |
| Instructor: | Aida Alami |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Aida's a great journalist and provides good feedback if you give her good work. If students are expecting that she'll be present in person throughout the semester, they should know that they'll be able to contact her by email, but she won't physically present for the majority of their time in Morocco. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | N/A |
