Changing People Persepective through Internship and Experience Past Review
By A student (University of Western Sydney) - abroad from 04/01/2016 to 06/25/2016 with
The Intern Group: Colombia, Emerging Markets Internship Placement Program
The most important thing I learn during this internship is that despite working in a team environment you are still expected to complete task all on your own majority of the time. The main difference that I notice doing this internship and doing in one in my country is the amount of freedom you have when you work. Your supervisor apart from the first 2 weeks of the internship, will leave you to do the task on your own. It was a valuable experience since it taught me to learn for myself and not rely on others whenever I face a problem. This lesson help me matured and provided more freedom and responsibilities then I am accustomed to as a student. That in itself, made me appreciate how much trust my supervisor provided me in allowing me to do task that normally students like me would not do until a few more years into their career.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The internship that I did was great, it fulfill most of the promises that the company said I was going do and all the additional support they provided. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The Intern Group (Specifically Intern Latin America) was extremely helpful and provided assistance to all interns whenever necessary. They may me feel very comfortable adjusting to the new lifestyle and culture in Colombia. And more importantly made the transition of working in the company as an intern as smooth as possible. By checking up on us and our employer once in a while to see how everything is going. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Everything in our apartment was satisfactory, apart from needing to follow certain rules, we had enough space for living and basic amenities provided to us before we arrived. Accommodation may vary from people to people, since all the interns will stay at different hotels/ hostels etc. But generally during your stay you will live with up to 1-3 other people (either other interns or locals) |
| * Food: |
The food was great, where my workplace provided lunch for me every day. The local food was delicious and to some extent similar to Asian cuisine overseas. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
That is one of the thing that The Intern Group has excelled and done in a consistent bases that provided different events throughout duration of my program. Apart from them writing a list of (daily, weekly and monthly) activities and events going throughout city, they also made events specifically to help all interns get to know each other and immerse ourselves in the culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A I did not have any health related issues, so I can't give a good judgement on this |
| * Safety: |
Overall I had a safe experience in Colombia whenever I went exploring around the city. However, the one thing that future students should be mindful for is "traffic". Over here it is very busy and there is plenty of motorcycles on the roads. Just be mindful that people may not stop for you when you cross the road. Apart from that I did not feel at risk at all during my stay at the city. The city had high security everywhere with a lot of police, security and local authorities around the city that can assist you if you ever need any help. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Yes, I would love to do this program all over again and stay even longer. There was so much more things I could learn and do during my internship. There was other projects I could of started but couldn't due to how long I was staying in Colombia (very short time I stay there). The program provided everything I wanted + more with all the additional activities/ events that was offered throughout my program. |
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) |
I easily lived off a student budget since Colombia was significantly cheaper than the other possible location to do an internship in (eg. London, New York, Hong Kong, Melbourne and Madrid). You can buy your weekly grocery around $30 - $40 or less if you want to live conservatively. Apart from that other personal expenditure are relatively cheap as well eg. food and toiletries. Only thing relatively expensive is technology products. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $20 - $30 (equivalent to 50.000 pesos to 100.000 pesos) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't be afraid to spend a bit over budget the first 2 weeks. Since generally you buy all your toiletries/ amenities in those weeks + food. But after that it will be mainly just be food and at that stage you can gauge how much money you should spend each week. Also for future students to try as many different activities/ events as possible since although it can expensive, it is golden opportunity to see what is out there. |
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 |
The Intern Group (Latin America) consistently encourages everyone to learn Spanish or at the very least practice your Spanish with your workplace colleges and the locals. English is not a prominent language spoken in Colombia but despite this people are always willing to help you whenever they can, despite the language barrier. But once you grasp some conversational skills in the language, it makes the experience a lot more enjoyable. |
| 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? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I did not complete |
| 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? | Although I did not practice as much as other interns, the best way to practice is actually practicing with the locals and even other interns. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, as that the best way to improve is to make mistake and learn from them. Everyone is always willing to help and the locals are very friendly. If you don't know the Spanish word for something, using hand gestures is also another way to communicate. Take full advantage of this opportunity, since not only are you learning a new language but adapting to a new culture. And more importantly enjoy learning it and not make it seem like you are forcing yourself to learn it. |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 10+ |
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? | That I should not always believe what I hear from other people and the media. But instead visit the country and experience for yourself, since I had a lot of misconception about Colombia but now after living there for an extended period, I saw how much wrong I was in believing them beforehand. The other thing I wish I knew beforehand is to actually take advantage of all the opportunities you are provided and to make connections whenever you can. Since it took a while to do that and appreciate where I am and actually immerse myself into the culture. Once you do that, it made the experience much more memorable. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
