The Dominican Republic: An extraordinary experience. Past Review
By Maya G (Health: Society, Science, and Policy, Brandeis University) for
CIEE: Santiago - Service Learning, Dominican Republic
My experience was very worthwhile. I met new people and had experiences that I could never imitate in a classroom at my home university. I pushed myself to overcome the challenge of language barriers and became more confident in myself and my knowledge of the Dominican culture.
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. |
The overall academic experience was very beneficial. I found many similarities in teaching style between my home university and the university abroad. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff of CIEE are very supportive and accessible. They had knowledge of Santiago as a city and offered excellent information to myself and other students. The staff were above and beyond my expectations. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * 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: |
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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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I spoke spanish with my host family and teachers as well as other students in the program. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Keep and open mind and don't be afraid to explore and try new things. Push yourself to speak with local dominicans and your spanish will improve guaranteed! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Medical Sociology |
| Course Department: | Sociology |
| Instructor: | Santiago Portes |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | I didn't like the structure of this course. The teacher was unorganized. There was no syllabus presented on the first day of classes or access to it online. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | no |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Community Medicine |
| Course Department: | Medicine |
| Instructor: | Eduvigis Valdez |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | This was an excellent course. Very informative in class and hands on during the practicum portions. I enjoyed lectures, clinical visits, and clinical stays. I learned a lot from the professor and she was very supportive. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | no |
