Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Incredibly valuable; but harder and better go together. Past Review

By (University of Hawaii - Maui Community College) - abroad from 05/24/2013 to 07/15/2013 with

Sea Education Association: Programs at Sea - Summer Session

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was worth every single scrap of while. I gained an attitude of wonder and awe and respect and learned to give my all in work and supporting others and the natural world, and to walk in love because it supports a tired body and lifts those around it.

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

We were well fed all the time, even when we cooked for ourselves. On a 135ft brigantine schooner for four weeks, I ate better than I ever had anywhere else in my short life.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Safety was always top priority.

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)

Everything was covered in the program costs. Thank you alumni and other donors who contribute aid to students with scholarships each year.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? On board: Nothing. Outside: only on luxuries like chocolate croissants, less than $20/week. I could have easily lived without spending a thing.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Pray.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
  • Other
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
  • Other
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Salty people.
  • Physical connection to the natural world.
  • Wonder: the wonder of gliding on a lovely craft between two very unexplored and little understood worlds: sky and sea.
* What could be improved?
  • Until a cure for seasickness is had, I leave this to wiser and more experienced heads than mine.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Maybe I'd have put more thought into every second of every day if someone could have told me "The evaluations mean something...YOU ARE GOING TO WANT TO WORK HERE." I don't really regret anything, though. Not even now. But I wish I'd known to study really hard in the midst of seasickness and past it.

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 Nearly Native or Trail Blazer
Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'