Past Review
By Erica L (Astrophysics, Rice University) for
Arcadia: Cape Town - University of Cape Town
Yes - great experience, but I'm not indebted to the program for that. It only brought me here; I was for the most part responsible for finding the types of experiences I wanted, as they differed significantly from the party-and-drink program culture (more due to the students than anything else). I'm sure many other students from this program had a very Americanized abroad experience because they chose to mostly associate with each other, which is the case with many programs. My experience was made worthwhile by the South Africans I met, lived with, and went places with, something the program could not claim credit for.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | University of Cape Town |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Workload much less than in my home university, educational standards much lower for the most part and not very challenging. Grading is about the same though at my home university you get low grades because the classes are difficult, not because the graders mark low. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
House with other students <br /><br /> |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
high fences, gates, barred windows will either make you feel safe or caged up |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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Finances
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* 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | ~ R 150-300 depending on the week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | use cash, lots of places don't take card |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most people speak English but getting a basic knowledge of Afrikaans proved quite useful. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Fun-loving (partying), not-so-serious students who don't mind a lot of disorganization from the program will enjoy this. If you're serious about getting to know the country and its inhabitants (or, heaven forbid, work), pick another program, or preferably don't go with any program at all. |
