A unique, comprehensive summer experience Past Review
By A student (University of Pennsylvania) - abroad from 05/30/2016 to 07/22/2016 with
iXperience Cape Town – Future-Focused Summer Courses and Internships
I gained both practical skills and a network of students from around the world. It was definitely worthwhile.
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 academic rigour was very strong, and there was ample help from teaching assistants. However, the course seemed unstructured at points and sometimes the instructor seemed unprepared as it was his first time teaching. Overall though, I learned a lot. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program was administered well, and overall things felt taken care of, however sometimes there would be gaps in communication that resulted in general confusion. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The living arrangements were very mixed — Never@Home wasn't too great as the heating, breakfast, and bathrooms were sort of rundown and not of great quality, however it was a very conducive atmosphere to socializing. The second month, we stayed at Mojo Hotel, which was much nicer. |
| * Food: |
Food was rather cheap and mostly very good. Sometimes the service at restaurants is extremely slow. But for the most part it was a good experience. |
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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? |
I had several healthcare experience as I suffered a severe infection and sickness while I was there. The healthcare was good—it was covered entirely by the health insurance the program signed us up for. The healthcare was similar to what I have at home, but perhaps with slightly less significant resources. I visited the doctor's office several times and took a few rounds of antibiotics. Overall I got better and it wasn't a big hassle visiting the doctor. |
| * Safety: |
Cape Town can be a pretty dangerous place obviously. Luckily I never lost anything but I heard of many incidents of people losing phones, passports, wallets, etc. I think it's not difficult to stay safe as long as you follow the rules they tell you and don't go places you aren't supposed to go. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
iXperience had its issues, but overall this was my best summer yet. I learned a ton, both about myself and about my profession, and also made an incredible group of friends. |
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) |
Most of the expenses came from food. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $200 |
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? | It's easier to make friends than you'd expect. |
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! |
