it was life changing...in the best way possible Past Review
By Aaron H (Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography., University of Rhode Island) - abroad from 09/22/2012 to 12/08/2012 with
Sea|mester: S/Y Ocean Star - Caribbean Basin Voyages
i learned an unimaginable amount from the classes i took and the experiences i had. I gained a perspective on life that made me appreciate it so much more. Realizing that life isnt about just being "successful" in todays economy, its about your journey and experiences and how much you can make an impact on the lives of those around you. I gained an understanding of who I am and what I want to do with my life. It was worth more than money, thats for sure.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | University of rhode island |
| 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. |
Being able to jump off the boat pretty much where ever we were at the time and being able to go scuba diving was incredible. It instilled a deep love and appreciation of marine biology on me and I was able to really learn hands on and observe everything that was being taught to me. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very friendly, great group of people. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I got to live on a sailboat for 80 days...it was perfect. |
| * Food: |
Cooking for ourselves and 19 other people was always interesting. Everyone had their own meals that they could make and it was always a good time trying to find food at these podunk little markets. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
After a while I felt like a true native and not a tourist. Everyone in the Caribbean is friendly and always has a story to share with you. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had to get an IV on the trip due to severe dehydration from the medicine that I had to take. But the process was pretty smooth and not bad. We had set aside money for medical issues before we left so it was easy. |
| * Safety: |
safety was a main priority |
| 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) |
it could be very easy to spend a lot of money but you have to always remember that you have one bag and you cant go over weight on the way home |
| * 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? | we had the ability to go ashore and buy our own food pretty often but there was always a meal on the boat if you did not want to spend the money |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | do not waste money on useless things. the caribbean is beautiful enough. take pictures as memories. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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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 |
there was a few french islands that we had to struggle to communicate but we usually found someone that could understand our broken french. besides that most of the islands spoke english |
| 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? | Beginner |
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? | i wish i had the same mindset as i do now going into it that i have gained from completing the program |
