Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

An eye-opening trip to India Past Review

By (University of Wisconsin - Madison) - abroad from 06/12/2016 to 07/31/2016 with

IFSA/Alliance: Pune – Summer in Pune

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained a broadened worldview and improved resiliency and problem solving skills

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Excellent professor for the class, but internship directions left something to be desired; there were often miscommunications or mishaps that hindered my ability to write an excellent report.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Some disorganization, but overall helpful

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Host family was very generous, but treated us like children. They did not give us a key, and we had to ring the doorbell each time we came home.

* Food:

Indian food will always be my favorite.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Very accessible care for Delhi belly

* Safety:

please be wary of overly-friendly or invasive rickshaw drivers.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Perfect timing and length for what I wanted.

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? unsure - perhaps $50?
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Buy the lunch offered by the program to avoid running around during lunchtime at internship.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Hotel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • food
  • people in my program
  • beautiful country
* What could be improved?
  • organization
  • communication
  • host family experience
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I had known anything about my host family or internship placement beforehand; they did not tell us about either until we arrived.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.