The ultimate hidden gem - Cape Town! July 24, 2025
By A student (Sociology & Psychology, Brandeis University) - abroad from 02/02/2025 to 06/24/2025 with
IES Abroad: Cape Town - University of Cape Town
Experiencing a new culture was so fascinating. Spending time with South Africans, getting to know the area, or talking to people on the street taught me so much about the excitement and friendliness of South African culture. I think I adopted some habits of South African culture - like generally talking to more strangers and being warm to people - that you don't see in America that much. My experience in South Africa made me think about race a lot too- race was talked about a lot amongst fellow Americans in the program, local people, and in my classes. Experiencing a place where race occurred in such a different way than in America made me reflect on my own prior conceptions of race as well. Being in a place where nobody knew me helped me learn about my personal identity, too. Being alone, I learned to get through challenges and figure out my personal style of doing things.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
UCT is a pretty rigorous university, comparable to your home university. You definately will have to focus on work so it's not just having fun the whole time... but it does depend on which classes you take. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
IES Cape Town staff are super friendly and helpful! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Great housing, it was a student residence building with single rooms which included private bathroom and kitchenette. |
| * Food: |
Great food options around the city. There were no meals provided day to day through the program or university so you are responsible for all your meals. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There weren't a ton of study abroad students here, so locals could be unfamiliar with Americans at times. I feel like this helped integrate me with the local culture, which I loved. Locals are super friendly and welcoming as well. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
While Cape Town is known as an unsafe city, and I did feel unsafe at times, this can be easily avoided by using common sense and knowing how to stay safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I am super grateful I decided to study abroad somewhere that's not in Europe. I loved Cape Town so much - it is genuinely one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Going somewhere that is not overrun by American students and being forced to integrate myself with local people was so beneficial and made me fall in love with the city, its culture, and its people. (Meeting and making friends with locals is unavoidable) I honestly did not know much about South Africa before I came, so it was so interesting to experience life there -- it felt more similar to American life than I had thought, but with some things different that made me appreciate life there so much. |
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) |
Cape Town is pretty affordable (compared to the US), but if you want to do excursions/activities, those will add up. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? |
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? | I wish I knew to spend less time with American students, and try to make more South African friends. It was great to have people with a common background, when being with Americans, but I wish I spent more time with South Africans to learn from them. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
