Ecuador: truly incredible country, but not an awesome program. Past Review
By Eliza-Eve S (Economics, Grinnell College) for
University of Minnesota: MSID - International Development in Ecuador
Yes, it was definitely worthwhile. I improved my spanish skills significantly; I learned how to travel on my own in a foreign country; I became more flexible as I navigated host-family relationships and differences of culture in general; and I saw how my development studies play out in real life.
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 was shockingly low. Since there was little to no discussion in classes, readings were generally considered optional. Professors repeated much of the same material over and over again, at a very basic level. There was not much consistency or depth. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program was pretty disorganized and poorly designed. However, the facilities were great and the staff was incredibly kind and caring. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My program arranged housing for me. I had to move five weeks into the program because my first host family had a death in the family and stopped providing food. The second family I lived with was very kind and attentive, and enjoyed spending time with me and discussing a range of topics. However, it was a very wealthy, residential area, and the street beyond the gated houses was very, very dangerous. At least three students in the past two years were mugged at gunpoint on my street. |
| * Food: |
It's pretty difficult to be a vegetarian. I had a really hard time eating enough vegetables when I was living with my host families. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The trip to San Miguel de los Bancos was incredible. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
Quito in general felt safer than my program portrayed it as. I generally felt comfortable walking around in the city by myself; it was really unsafe, however, to be in residential rather than commercial areas. My program was not helpful in terms of finding doctors and taking care of medical issues, but most students were able to navigate things of that nature well on their own. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
|
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 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Speaking with host families and Ecuadorians was key to improving my language skills. After the first week, most of the students spoke just in English with each other, though. I was in the highest level Spanish class, but it was not very useful for improving my conversational skills. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I have a low opinion of my particular program. But living in Ecuador was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I would highly recommend going to Ecuador, but would not recommend my program. |
