Mixed bag Past Review
By A student (University of Colorado - Colorado Springs) - abroad from 02/01/2017 to 05/10/2017 with
The School for Field Studies / SFS: Peru – Amazon Studies
I love traveling. I'm just not sure I want to be tied down. We were largely treated like children. Instead, many of us have lived on our own for a couple years and to enter a program with so many rules is suffocating.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The country is amazing. I learned so much, but there were so many mental health issues, stupid rules that no one follows and that make no sense, and constant changes to the program because of safety. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Really wish we had spent more time in the jungle. I was told this was based in the Amazon. It's not. We spent most of our time in the Andes - which isn't the worst thing ever. However, our home was a bit like a jail. |
| * Food: |
Often lacking for vegetarians. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
There were so many students who felt stressed from all the work, and there was really no staff available to help with that. And half the class was sick from stomach issues throughout the semester. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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
| * 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? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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?
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? | That there were so many rules. We couldn't even hike on our own for a month. |
