A Life-changing opportunity. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

One of the best parts of the academic experience was that it was highly immersive. All classes, in addition to classroom time, included weekly excursions and field trips, which was excellent for contextualizing what we learned in the classroom. This was a very strong design. Our program director and assistant were always available for academic support, which was excellent. However, coming from a very rigorous college background, I found the difficulty of academics to be quite low. The homework load was definitely less than what I am used to.

On-site administration of your program

This program's director, Lara, is one of the most wonderful women I have ever met. She is incredibly supportive, and a perfect listener. I had many incredible conversations with her about the cultural experience I was having, and she was very sympathetic. She cared deeply about us as students, and on several days that I was sick, she personally escorted me to a hospital. Lara made the program as amazing as it was.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

This program does an incredible job of finding outstanding host families for students. All host families were loved by students, and I particularly loved my host family. All host families had at least one family member who spoke English, and almost all host families accepted the students into their homes with love. I felt like a family member, and would not change a thing about my living situation. All host families provided us students with a bedroom, bathroom, all meals that we didn't have at the program center, and a safe to hold our items.

Indian food is fantastic. No complaints.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It is difficult to integrate into Indian culture, as we stood out as foreigners at all times, and were treated as such. However, I felt very included in the sense that many Indian people were interested in talking to us, and we were invited to many cultural events by Indians themselves.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I was sick several times during this program, and it was handled very well. There is a private practice right next to the program center, so getting medical attention was very easy. There was one instance in which I had to go the hospital, and was escorted there by the director of the program. I felt very accommodated for in the hospital, and as a foreigner, was treated well. In India, the most prevalent health issue has to do with quality of the water and food, which if poor, can cause intestinal problems. These problems are not very serious, unless they are untreated. Because the problem is so common, there is very accessible and easy medical treatment in the form of antibiotics. I never had a problem with access to medicine.

Though India has a reputation for being unsafe, I never was put in any serious situations while there. The culture is different, so as a woman, I was treated differently than I would be in the United States. This was a source of discomfort for me, but I did not feel endangered in a serious way.

This program changed my life. I do not take anything for granted anymore, and I have lost all fear about taking chances and challenging myself.

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

India is a very inexpensive country. I am not wealthy, and I did not have any problem with managing my finances. This is one of the cheapest places to live abroad.

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

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• Host Family

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Americans

• Cultural Immersion
• Travel
• Challenges

• Academic rigor
• More focus on language

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer