A great life changing experience for the flexible and open minded. Past Review
By Nicholas Haer (Hendrix College) - abroad from 01/15/2016 to 05/06/2016 with
IISAC: Kerala - Semester Abroad in Kerala, India Program
Academically, I got to study topics from refreshingly different perspectives and to do some fascinating work within my field (My field is archaeology but other study topics also offered unique opportunities for fieldwork/study). I learned how to engage with a welcoming but different culture, had many unique experiences, and met some great people.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were challenging, informative, and enjoyable;professors were accessible and great to study with. Some aspects of how scheduling occurred could be improved, but issues with this were relatively minor. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
On-site administration was generally effective and adaptable. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was quite luxurious for India, but there are still some differences from American life which take some time to adjust to. |
| * Food: |
Food was excellent! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
India is a very complex culture and somewhat difficult to get engaged with at first, but most local students are very friendly and the program helped to facilitate what was ultimately a great cultural experience. Most students/teachers speak English, so it is not necessary to learn Malayalam. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Healthcare was handled fairly well and was quite accessible. |
| * Safety: |
I generally felt quite safe, but there were some moments of risk; it is a good idea to be alert and aware while traveling in India. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Though occasionally challenging, my time in India was a uniquely wonderful experience. It can be as easy or hard as you make it, but if you choose to be adaptable and engaged it can be highly rewarding and life changing in a way that few other programs can offer. |
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) |
Very easily; food and school necessities are very cheap in India. Further, an effective meal plan is included within the program cost. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | about $30-most of this was discretionary as well and it is possible to get by comfortably on much less. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Not especially, most expenses are already very low. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | Be flexible; India is in some ways very similar to the US and in some ways very different and challenging. Its ok to have expectations, but be aware that while India will not always conform to them it will likely offer something even better. |
