Past Review
By Jeremy W (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Tufts University) for
Tufts Programs Abroad: Tufts in Ghana
Hard to summarize, but briefly: everything is connected, in incredibly dynamic ways you can't necessarily imagine. Most values are somewhat arbitrary (e.g. individualism is not necessarily as great as Americans tend to think it is), as is the fact that you were born affluent and American as opposed to poor and Ghanaian. People everywhere have similar hopes and desires, no matter their cultural differences. You can live with a lot less than you think. Be friendlier, Americans are too paranoid and atomized. Just go.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | University of Ghana, Legon |
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2007 |
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 |
Dr. Bilson was enormously helpful, well connected and devoted to the program. The Anerican program director, was not nearly as interested and seemed to be there mainly for her own interests. She also had limited experience in Ghana so was not a very well-informed resource. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
ISH was fun socially, and compared to other dorms on campus (in terms of running water and living space) was quite luxurious. <br /><br /> No complaints here, although the walk to class was a little long (and therefore sweaty) |
| * Food: |
The food itself was fine. The lack of variety got to me by the end, but there's no way to control that. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I met some tremendous people. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Drink lots of water and take your malaria pills. You will get sick a few times (climate and diet). Don't sweat it, it happens to everyone. Even malaria is curable. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Personal expenses varied depending on travel, but you could live very comfortably on 5 cedi (about $5) a day. |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I learned anough Twi to ask people how they were and buy food |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | See above |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
British Literature from Milton to Blake |
| Course Department: | English |
| Instructor: | Don't remember |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This was a fantastic class. It was four of us in the professor's office (English isn't a tremendously popular major at Legon),and he was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, if a little intense. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
