Nowhere without an escort Past Review

By (Environmental Biology., Barnard College) for

The School for Field Studies / SFS: Tanzania - Wildlife Management Studies

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was worthwhile.

Personal Information

The term and year this program took place: Fall 2009

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The academics were not the best. More feedback would have been extremely useful

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The SAMs were great as were the site staff. They kept things running and the students happy.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

very small 1 room houses with four students/building. <br /><br /> The place was interesting, but we were never allowed ANYWHERE unescorted. Ever. Never once could we walk into town or back, nor did we get a full day off free to make our own plans. This limited our experience of the community and the country as a whole.

* Food:

It was boring and repetitive, but there was plenty of it and it met our nutrition needs.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I'd go again in a moment.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

We had easy access to the doctor, and he was very knowledgeable.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? not much, maybe an average of 5-15 USD per week.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? None.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Advanced

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? The lack of freedom and some of the academic peculiarities can get to you, but it's still fun. Make sure you travel afterwards.