Best decision of my life!! Past Review
By Brittnany G (College of Charleston) - abroad from 06/25/2015 to 07/06/2015 with
Broadreach: Program at Sea - Caribbean Marine Biology 12-Day Adventure
I learned how to scuba dive, the basics of sailing and our instructors rotated us to sail the boat at the helm. I learned that there is so much more out there than just the home I live in and that I need to go out and experience that more. This trip just put my life into perspective that as a person I am a beginner explorer because I want to go out and experience that love and excitement of getting on a plane and traveling to a place that I have never been before! It was completely worthwhile and I loved every minute of it. On the last day before we had to return home it all became clear what I wanted to do with my life and how I would do it. Once I returned home I started planning my future and one of those is returning where it all began which is Broadreach. I owe them my gratitude because the instructors were so friendly and offered so much advice on many different things that helped me decide what I wanted to do with my future. Once you arrive you will not want to leave because you spend all your time with amazing people and not ever want to return home because there was so much to learn. It forces you out of your comfort zone and makes you do things that you've never done before but trust me, it will be worth it because the instructors and students encourage you to do new things and you make friendships that last a lifetime. It is an amazing experience and I would definitely go back and do it all over again and change nothing. The family bond that we had will last forever and you come back a changed person. It might be a little scary at first, but you will never regret it.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I gave it a five because the material we covered about the reefs and some history about the islands was insightful and in depth and I was able to learn so much from the material that were presented to me. The diving was spectacular and helped me improve my swimming and teach me new techniques that I never even knew about! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The locals, instructors, and other teenagers like myself were very friendly and open which made the transition much easier and eased any lasting nerves that I had. The sand was white and the ocean a crystal clear blue! It was absolutely breathtaking and beautiful! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The boat was incredible! It was clean and well organized and was able to maneuver about the boat without clutter or damaging anyone's personal belongings. It was big enough to fit everyone but small enough to keep everyone together and encouraged us to make friends and talk to each other to grow closer. |
| * Food: |
Food was great! The students rotated everyday on who made food for the day and it was wonderful! Everyone was a great cook and everyone always helped them out if they needed it. The options were really diverse and all came from canned goods that was previously packed on the boat by the crew. One of our instructors had an insane sweet tooth so almost every night we were either eating brownies, rice crispy treats, or cake! Which made it so much better and fun! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We were mainly on the boat the whole time and docked only a couple of times but the beaches we visited the locals were extremely nice and friendly. We never ventured too far off from our group but the locals who did approach us were nice and very receptive of what we told them about ourselves. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
We had motion sickness medicine and swimmers ear medication to help those accordingly and it was easily accessible because they wanted us to have fun and being sick on the trip was not, so for those who needed it, our instructors got it to them quickly. I took the Hepatitis A shot before my trip as a precaution and then took allergy medicine and my own dosage of Dramamine and swimmers ear so that I could also have it just in case. |
| * Safety: |
Once you arrive in Saba, which is one of the last islands we sailed to and visited, the currents are very strong and will pull you away from the boat if you are not careful and hanging onto a mermaid line which our instructors provided for us. Our instructors warned us of this once we arrived in Saba and we took precaution and took the warning seriously. All the other islands we visited the waters were calm and easy to swim in. Once we started diving our instructors always went over safety instructions and if our ears did not feel good or did not equalize well then they would signal us to ascend and they would ascend with us and watched us swim back to the boat and waited until the other instructor had seen us and got back on the boat safely. They would then give us swimmers ear drops which helped and kept an eye on us for the evening and trusted us to tell them if we were not feeling well. So my advice to future students is to be honest with your health with your instructors! I know that they are strangers but they are there to keep you safe and make sure that you have a wonderful time! So be honest and do not lie to them. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
You did not need a whole lot of money, just enough to get you by and what you need for the trip. Personally, I do not need materialism to keep memories. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | For when we went out to eat I spent about $50 and other expenses roughly $20 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Do not spend all your money in one place because you will be visiting multiple places. Spend a little here and a little there and save your money for each place you visit because there will come a time when you will really need something that is not a souvenir and you will not have any money to get what you need. Also, when you arrive, the instructors take money for the flight home so that you can eat and for a plane ticket back home. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Once we docked on the islands, our instructors encouraged us to use some French that we possibly knew and gave us a few phrases to start out with so that we could interact with some of the locals. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 2 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Practice a few phrases before the trip so that when you go you can interact with the locals and meet new people and have fun on the trip! Because speaking a different language is fun and exciting and the host country and locals appreciate the effort you try to make since you are visiting their country. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 10+ |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That you wake up at 5am to do a morning swim. You start out groggy at first, but then you power through and make it to shore. Then after playing games, you swim back to your boat. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
