Climbing to New Heights in South Africa Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Of my 3 courses, one was poor, one was very good, and one was outstanding. The grading system was tougher than what we have at home, but with grade conversions I think that the grades are fair. Teaching methods for the courses were varied. I had the most positive experiences with professors who interacted with us the most.

On-site administration of your program

Hestea was our program director in Stellenbosch, and she was amazing. She was very good with email correspondence, so we were always in the loop with relevant information and updates. She was a wonderful resources that was always available to me, though I did not need her to help me above and beyond regular program needs very often. Our program size was good, though for some reason the people in our program never melded very well. My expectations for service were definitely met. I had some inaccurate assumptions about my experience that were not met, but this was mostly due to me not knowing much about Stellenbosch prior to arrival.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in a very nice apartment complex. I had a nice apartment with one roommate and lived on a floor with people from 5 different countries, which was a great experience. I appreciated that the program arranged my housing for me, and provided bedding, cooking utensils, etc. One thing I wish, however, is that I could have lived with South Africans. I felt as if the international students were segregated into our own buildings, so it was more difficult to get to know the South African students living there.

I had a self-catering apartment.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I really enjoyed the trips to Cape Point, the Boulder Beach penguins, the Garden Route, and Cedarberg Mountains. I did not enjoy the trip to Robben Island very much. The concert in Kirstenbosch was nice as well. I think I would have enjoyed everything a bit more if my group has been more friendly and open with one another. However, I know that this is not the fault of the program.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I felt fairly safe in Stellenbosch, especially on campus. I avoided going anywhere alone at night, and was very aware of my surroundings. People can largely avoid unsafe situations by making good decisions and staying with a group. Stellenbosch is safe, though surrounding areas are far less so. The only safety-related incident happened on the train in Cape Town and involved a man begging for money who would not leave us alone. I had to get used to people asking for money everywhere that I went, but this was not necessarily a safety issue. I did not have any health issues while abroad. Prior to a trip to Namibia, I went through the student health center to get malaria prophylaxis. The service there was very good.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I was not forced to acquire the language to get around day by day. It was more of a fun course, not a necessity, to learn Afrikaans. I spoke it in class and occasionally with classmates outside of our regular meeting time. I cannot think of a time in Stellenbosch when someone was not able to speak with me in English.

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• Apartment

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• Americans
• International Students