Reflection for the Soul & Spririt January 09, 2025
By A student (Philosophy & Psychology, Wellesley College) - abroad from 07/16/2025 to 11/23/2025 with
CET Colombia
I learned more about what I would be interested in career wise because I had more free time to think.
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. |
The topics I learned were very interesting and the professors were really engaging. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very cool, all of them were wonderful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It looks like the program put roommates together based on if they went to the same college. I'm not 100% sure it was the case but in the future(if they're not already) I hope they room people based on the preferences people put for their roommates not on whether they go to the same college. |
| * Food: |
Specifically food in the pacific region of Cali, Colombia. The food is not as processed. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Not as much as I would like. Most of the interactions I got with the local culture were due to Colombian roommates so they were heavily relied on for local everyday outings. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Very well, they helped me when I got sick with giving me instructions for how to make an appointment with the hospital. |
| * Safety: |
The program prepares you for traveling in the city. Basically be aware of your surroundings, keep your phone out of sight, and don't wear headphones. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I don't regret my decision at all but there are some aspects I would have appreciated more like the efficiency of traveling to different countries like in Europe. Or having a bigger cohort. But I don't regret my experience, and I appreciate the friends I made along the way. But if I had a chance to do it over again I would have considered other places. |
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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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 |
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| 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? | None |
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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| 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? |
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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? | How small the program is. There were only 15 students in my cohort |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Intermediate Spanish 1 |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Professor Jose |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Such a great professor. if you're torn between beginner Spanish 2 and intermediate Spanish 1, go with the latter. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | not sure, haven't received it yet so it has been a bit slow |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Race and Ethnicity |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Professor Balantaz |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | A really interesting course with great readings. If you do the readings you will learn a lot. Some of the assignments got repetitive. I had papers for this class and crafted Instagram posts |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | not sure, haven't received it yet so it has been a bit slow |
| Course Name/Rating: |
History of the Colombian Armed Conflict |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Professor Contreras |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Solid class in the beginning but as time went on I felt that the topics got repetitive and overlapped with what I was learning in my other classes. Work consisted of creating PowerPoint presentations and crafting essays. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | not sure, haven't received it yet so it has been a bit slow |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Environmental Conflicts |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Diego Luego |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Genuinely so interesting because the instructor is interesting and very aware of things in the world. This was my most challenging class because of essays, and in person graded discussions for certain topics. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | not sure, haven't received it yet so it has been a bit slow |
| Course Name/Rating: |
A Social History of Colombian Coffee |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Diego Luego |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This was my favorite class cause of the instructor and also learning how much coffee reflects the situation of countries. This class went outside of coffee and into understanding the consequences of colonialism. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | not sure, haven't received it yet so it has been a bit slow |
