SFS Australia- Best Decision I Ever Made Past Review
By Anne O (Environmental Studies, University of Southern California) for
The School for Field Studies / SFS: Australia – Rainforest studies
It piqued and kept my interest in environmental education.
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 very manageable, definitely peaked during the directed research month, but totally worth it. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Their support services were great. We were in the middle of rainforest, 20 minutes from the nearest town. One night I needed to see a doctor, and they drove me all the way to Atherton. Their knowledge about our surroundings was incredible. For actual administration, I felt like we were being treated a bit too much like children. Our average age was around 20, and yet our time to leave site was limited to the weekends, with a curfew. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We lived in cabins in the rainforest, with about 8 people to a cabin, separated by gender. (We had 22 girls and 8 boys). Very short trail walk to the classroom/kitchen/main area.We did not have buy any items to settle in, but on the packing list, they did include sheets/sleeping bags, so we brought out own. |
| * Food: |
Ask for mac n cheese for Friday/Saturdays, it's wonderful to come home to at night. They definitely had vegetarian options, I think it was a little bit tougher for the vegans, but they got creative with the peanut butter. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
They arranged for us to volunteer at this fair so we could get free admission. Organized a home-stay where we stayed with a local family for a weekend. I stayed with a lovely older couple who owned a farm and fed a calf. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The program definitely helped me seek healthcare when I needed it. It was about 40 minutes away, but they were open all night. I don't recall any specific vaccines that I 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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Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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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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? | If you're looking for hands-on learning, this is it. I was an environmental studies major, but had never experience nature in this way. |
