Avoid if you have any special needs Past Review
By Jennie Feiger (High School) - abroad from 07/01/2017 to 07/15/2017 with
Mexico Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
My son really liked the program. He was surprised it was curtailed.
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. |
The teachers and student: teacher ratios were excellent |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program director started 2 days late because he was working for a different program. They seemed understaffed. He emailed us (parents) just once with a concern on day 6, never acknowledged receiving our response. Then on day 7, the US administrator sent an email that they could not "accommodate the needs" of our son and so they changed him from a 4 week to a 2 week program. They said he wasn't expelled, just that they were shortening his stay. They kindly reimbursed us for the 2 weeks he wasn't going to be attending, but this was about 1/3 of the total fee, and with airfare, made the two week experience a lot less cost effective. They didn't even call before they sent the email. It was horrible. They also did not discuss their concerns directly with my son. We had to forward their email voicing their concerns. They were tip-toeing around his social challenges and were too inept to speak with him directly about their concerns. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My son liked it. They had wi-fi, and I wish they didn't because he had a hard time disconnecting. |
| * Food: |
Lots of fresh fruits and veggies |
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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? |
If you have any social/mental health challenge, this program is not for you. We were very upfront about our son's quirkiness due to having Asperger's and specific methods for communicating with him. He is not a kid who gets body language, so you need to tell him very directly. I (mom) spoke with them at length about his needs, and they said they felt they could handle them. However, it seems that none of the information I gave them that could help them communicate effectively trickled down from the US administrative offices to the host country administrators. |
| * Safety: |
Safe eating most fruits/veggies. Very clear about rules about being out at night, being alone. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
My son really liked the program and we were shocked when they sent him home 2 weeks early. He did nothing wrong except have Asperger's. The program was sorely lacking in communication and problem solving strategies. They didn't want to put in the effort to making it work, so they just sent him home. It really impacted his self esteem. The program administrators did not even try to use any of the suggestions we gave them. |
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 |
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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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | spanish 2b |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | This program is not a public school and they will drop your kid like a hot potato if your kid has any flaw (it wasn't like we didn't give them advance notice on his needs and they agreed to it prior to the program). The administrators seemed very young and inexperienced. They were happy to take our money but then they gave up on him, without trying to make it work. The worst was their lack of communication that they were having any problems, and then once they made their final decision to end his trip early, they communicated it by email. It was awful. |
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! |
