Best experience of my life Past Review
By Stephanie B (Marine Sciences., Rutgers University - New Brunswick/Piscataway) - abroad from 01/14/2002 to 03/15/2002 with
Sea|mester: S/Y Ocean Star - Caribbean Basin Voyages
Everything, without exaggeration. I gained a stronger sense of who I am, a better understanding of what it means to be part of a community, a love for sailing, and wonderful friends.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Rutgers University, Montclair University |
| 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. |
I found that some of the classes were intense whereas others were more experiential learning. Overall it was a great blend between academics and learning through experience. However, if I had to honestly rate the "academic rigor" I'd give it a 3 out of 5 |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Every single person I dealt with in this company has been professional and also incredibly kind, enthusiastic, and understanding. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We lived on S/Y OceanStar and loved every single minute aboard her |
| * Food: |
The food was far better than I thought it would be. We had everything from fully baked breakfasts to huge dinners and desserts. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I always would prefer more integration with the local culture of the islands we visited. However, I feel that we had a very good introduction to each island and were allowed to explore its beauty and people on our time off. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Health related problems were always taken seriously, as they should be. There was an understanding among the staff that we were in developing countries, so anything minor which could get worse was always taken care of at the first sign of a problem. |
| * Safety: |
We always left the boat in large numbers. Looking back, I am glad we had that rule in place because it meant I felt incredibly safe where ever we stopped. |
| 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) |
I had no problem at all, because all our food and our excursions were included. I spent minimal money on snacks and souvenirs. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 20.00 |
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?
Select all that apply |
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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 catch more sunrises. |
