SFS Mexico: Life Changing, and Trying Past Review
By Isabella G (Environmental Studies., Wellesley College) for
The School for Field Studies / SFS: Turks and Caicos Islands - Marine Resource Studies
It really allowed me to discover more about who I am, who I want to be, and what I might want to do with my life. It gave me so much perspective as to the privileges I have as an American, and the discrimination I face abroad as an American pro-choice woman who strongly supports gay rights.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
It felt too much like summer camp. Many of us students felt that rather than gaining the independence we were hoping for from our abroad experience, in many ways we lost independence. There were far too many scheduled activities- I understand that classes and field exercises must be scheduled, but there were countless socializing activities that most of us resented- we were already spending 24/7 of our time together because of the nature of our program (we couldn't leave the center without a buddy), and I think SFS should do a better job treating us like college students rather than campers. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was provided in the SFS center. |
| * Food: |
More variety. |
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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? |
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| * Safety: |
Our host city wasn't the most safe, but because SFS had such stringent rules, we were kept very safe and never felt directly threatened. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $10 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Mexico is pretty cheap! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
My qualitative research involved interviewing local fishermen in Spanish (one interview would take about an hour and a half), and I used Spanish whenever I walked into the local town. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | As long as you're okay with a lot of time outdoors and little free time, I would highly recommend this program. I have never learned or retained so much information as I did in this field-based program, and I will definitely remember my experiences there for the rest of my life. |
