Great experience, but not a perfect fit for eveyrone Past Review
By Emily B (International Relations And Global Studies, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/16/2013 to 05/16/2013 with
CIEE: Khon Kaen - Development and Globalization in Thailand
It was definitely an amazing experience, but much different than what I had expected. It was also a very difficult experience emotionally, because the topics you are learning about, are not easy topics.
Personal Information
| 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. |
My program was not academic intense, but I gained a lot of life experience. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was generally good. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It would be nice if we had access to a kitchen in our building. The food did not settle well with a lot of the students, and would have been nice not always to have to eat at the food stands near our building. |
| * Food: |
It was really hard to like the food. Thai food is my favorite type of ethnic food, but since we didn't have a lot of money we ate at food stands where our meals were $1-$2. But the food was filled with MSG and I always felt unsettled after eating. When eating nicer Thai food, the food was delicous |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We have Thai roommates, but our classes are all Americans. It would have been nice to have Thai students in our classes with us. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Never had any issues, but the staff was always sensitive to those who did. About half of our program went to the hospital for food or other related illnesses, so be prepared. |
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| 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) |
It was definitely very doable to live in Thailand, but we had to buy all our own food out, which, even though it was cheap food, definitely added up over the course of the week. Its definitely cheaper to travel in Thailand than European countries, but I will say, I spent more money overall, then I thought I would. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Just keep track of where you're money is going. Write down expenses. |
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 |
they always wanted us to speak Thai. |
| 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 32 |
| 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? | Thai is really hard. I wouldn't worry about trying to learn it before hand, they'll teach you everything you need to know. |
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? | 0 |
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 have class sometimes 12 hours a day. There is very little time off, and you do not have weekends off at all. You have to basically student teach for a week, and I had no idea about that. Its very intense, the student teaching aspect. |
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! |
