Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Amazing Hawaiian Adventures Past Review

By (Conservation Biology., SUNY - College of Environmental Science & Forestry) - abroad from 05/27/2014 to 06/27/2014 with

Sea Education Association: Pacific Reef Expedition (Summer)

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
This program allowed me to learn a lot about the Hawaiian culture that I would not have been able to learn anywhere else. It also gave me hands-on experience working with marine and costal conservation issues.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

This program offered 6 credits in 5 weeks, at times it was very tough but the environment made it one of the best educational experiences I have ever had! While on the HPU campus you have full access to the HPU facilities including the library and computer lab, while on the ship there is a small library however there is no internet access. I never felt as though I did not have enough resources available to me to complete the required work.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

On HPU campus we stayed in the doors which were fairly nice and then after that we moved onto the ship and nothing beats that!

* Food:

The cooks on board the ships are AMAZING

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

A lot of this program has to do with learning about the Hawaiian culture and emerging yourself in it.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Any time anyone was feeling sick or something happened to them it was addressed immediately by multiple crew members, professors, or scientists.

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

All food and housing was included in the trip price so all we really spent money on was souvenirs

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $25??

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

We were strongly urged to try and learn and use the Hawaiian language as much as possible.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
  • Other
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Instructors
  • Experiences
* What could be improved?
  • Nothing
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Just how many things could go wrong with a ship. The program that I was part of was the first year the program ran; right before we were supposed to go on the ship a crack was found in the mast. The crew did everything they could to fix it in the quickest and safest way. Meanwhile we got to go and experience things that many local Hawaiians never had and that we would not have been able to do had the ship not been in repair.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.