Study Abroad in Pune, India Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The academic courses were not relatively rigorous or intense, especially in comparison to those at my home university. However, I did feel that the program was able to provide any needed resources during these courses, everything from notebooks and pens to assistance dealing with confusing assignments.

On-site administration of your program

The administration was great in terms of helping us adjust to our time in Pune. They held an orientation for us at the beginning of the program to acclimate us to a new set of cultural norms and were extremely helpful when it came time to obtain our registration permits for living in Pune. Sometimes we would not know what was going on during the program, which could get frustrating, but I think this could also be just an aspect of living in India in general.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

All students on the program live in a homestay, and I absolutely loved my host family experience. My host family had already been hosting for 18 years, so they knew how to deal with American students well. They were extremely accommodating, cooked me the best meals, taught me so much about the culture, and made me feel like family. The program is great in that each student also has an American roommate, so any feelings of awkwardness about living with a host family does not usually surface. The roommate gives you a friend right off the bat and someone to explore Pune with, especially during your first few weeks when you do not know many people.

The food was one of my favorite parts of living in India. I am a vegetarian, so I was so excited to live amongst so many other vegetarians as well. Not only was my host family vegetarian, but so many restaurants around Pune were purely vegetarian as well. If they were not, items on the menu were usually separated if they were vegetarian or not. I never felt as if I did not have enough to eat. The food my host mom cooked every night was incredible and was different during every meal. I never knew vegetables could be made in so many different ways. The breakfasts at the program center were also amazing. There was always a traditional Indian dish at breakfast, whether it be flattened rice with spices (pohe) or unleavened bread filled with vegetables (paratha). There were also always eggs, fruit, yogurt, and oatmeal at breakfast. For lunch, we were on our own, but there were so many cheap restaurants in the area to try. Most days, I had the opportunity to try a new restaurant with my friends. Even the nicer restaurants were relatively cheap in comparison to the US.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We were pretty separate from the local culture, especially at the beginning of the program. Since the program is made up of all American students, we tended to all stick together and hang out in our program center, which did isolate us a little bit. Living in a homestay helped integrate us into the culture, and by the end of the program, we had made Indian friends and joined organizations outside of the program that allowed us to integrate into the culture a little bit better. However, we could never fully integrate because we looked different, so people immediately knew we were foreigners, and also because we did not know the local language.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

When I had stomach problems during the program, the administration assisted me in making a doctor's appointment and accompanied me to my appointment. The doctor prescribed me medicine that made the issue go away for the most part. Before the program, I had to take a typhoid vaccine, and during the program, I took anti-malaria pills.

I think there's a misconception that students will not be safe if they travel abroad to India. Living in Pune, I felt completely safe. I walked alone at night all the time, even once after midnight, and I never felt unsafe. The safety in Pune feels like the safety in any other city. If you are cautious and aware of your surroundings, you will be fine. There were times when traveling to different parts of India that felt a little less safe, but stay with friends when traveling and, again, be aware. Do not let any concerns about safety stop you from studying abroad in India.

When I was thinking about going abroad, I ended up having to decide between going to Copenhagen, Denmark or Pune, India, simply because those two locations had programs that allowed me to take the courses I needed for my school requirements and majors/minors. I am so incredibly happy that I went with my gut and chose India. When I made a pros/cons list, it seemed that there were so many problems with going to India, but I knew in my heart that I wanted an experience that would be both incredibly challenging but extremely rewarding. I learned so much from my experience abroad in India, both about myself and about the country and unique culture. My program allowed me to take the classes I needed and gave me the comfort of a group of American students to go through the adjustment process of living in a new country with while encouraging me to explore my country and meet locals as well.

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

Everything is significantly cheaper in India than in the US. We had to buy our own lunch out every day, but this was not a problem financially. I often spent less than $1 on lunch and could still get enough food to make me more than full. If I wanted to go out to a nicer restaurant for a change, I would still find myself spending less than $5. If I wanted to go shopping for some traditional Indian clothes, it was easy to find a whole outfit for less than $15.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

The program did not really encourage us to use the language outside of our classroom. This would have been difficult anyways since we took Hindi, but the language spoken every day on the streets of Pune is Marathi, the local language of Maharashtra. However, it did make more sense for us to learn Hindi since it is spoken all over India and not only in Maharashtra.

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Americans
• Host Family

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• Americans

• Living in Pune
• Living with a host family
• Learning from both my courses and experiences outside the classroom

• More of a push to form relationships between the administration and the students
• More opportunities to interact with students our age through the program
• More assistance in helping us find extracurricular activities outside of the program

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer