Past Review

By (Environmental Engineering, Columbia University) for

The School for Field Studies / SFS: Turks and Caicos Islands - Marine Resource Studies

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I came into this experience knowing where it would fit into my interests, and it ended up doing that and more. As an Environmental Engineer with a minor in Economics, I had at Columbia treated as numbers in equations a lot of the things that I saw here on a human level. It wasn't as much a cultural awareness of Mexico as it was a class awareness of these fishermen on the front lines between human consumption and a collapsing environment. I made a connection which I converted into an internship opportunity while there; not enough time has passed for me to know what the full impact of this on my future plans.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload is concentrated in the second half of the semester due to the Directed Research component; this fact, combined with how the entire group of students is taking the same courses, might make pacing a little hard to get a grasp on.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

You come to know the director and the rest of the staff very well, as you're all, more or less, living together.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Students are housed 3-4 to a cabin, at the field station. The cabins were spacious, and had electricity for eg computer chargers. There was campus wifi, but it would get congested at times (especially when people were using skype). Most students brought sheets, but there were more available at laundry (a list of things to bring is provided upon acceptance). The surrounding town of Puerto San Carlos, population ~8000, does not really have a 'hip scene', but there are one or two bars students can dance, karaoke, and/or drink at.

* Food:

The station had two dedicated cooks who prepared most all of the meals. Food was great, and vegetarian options, while less than what could be found in NY or Columbia, were definitely present.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The Whale Festival, as well as many of the Field Excercises, provided glimpses into local culture.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I didn't have any health problems.

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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
Language acquisition improvement?

There's more than enough opportunity to use and improve your Spanish - but if you came to the program without knowing Spanish and made no effort to learn it, your time at SFS (an English-taught program) will not help you much.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Field Exercises, and the Directed Research, lay at the heart of this program. If you're not going to take something away from those two parts of the program, then it's probably not for you. Also - there's a big opportunity here to improve your Spanish, but only if you're already at a certain proficiency level; seriously consider getting 3 or 4 semesters (or equivalent) of Spanish before visiting.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Directed Research

Course Department: ---
Instructor: ---
Instruction Language: English
Comments: One of the large focuses of your time abroad with this program, the Directed Research class/project is what you make of it. Certain studies (related to ongoing research of the professors and/or grant work they have received) are available for you to choose from, or you can carve out your own project and pursue it under their direction.
Credit Transfer Issues: