Intense but Life Changing! Past Review
By Meghan H (Elementary/Special Ed., Providence College) for
Semester at Sea Study Abroad: Make the World Your Campus
Semester at Sea gave me a good preview of many different countries. It gave me a more educated idea of where I would want to travel back to as well as what I would want to do at these places.
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The worload was just right considering everything that goes on in Semester at Sea. Taking classes while travelling to over 11 different countries can be overwhelming and a lot to process. The professors were very underestanding of this. Many of the assignments were reflection based, which helped the stuidents to intertwine the class and field experiences into one. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very difficult to get things done. I learned a lot as I experienced the trip myself, however I wish there was more preparation prior to the trip available. I wish that it was more of a learning environment than it was. Sometimes it felt like some people were on vacation, while I had a lot to get done and it was difficult. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived with one other U.S. student in a small cabin. We were provided with room cleaning services every single day. The rooms were comfortable and clean. |
| * Food: |
There could have been more healithier options. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Rotary Club Homestay in India, "Sea Olympics", Neptune Day, and the Mekong Delta 2 night Overnight Trip. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Healthcare was stressed on my program especially because we were travelling to some very exotic countries. We travelled to Africa and India. Many people were on a lot of meds and we were reminded by the program frequently to be taking them. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Independent travel. I wish someone told me not to buy the random junk that we will see in the first couple countries. All of the same junk reappeared in many of the countries. Also, I wish I was told not to waist time buying trinkets and just to enjoy my time with what I want to do. Picking out gifts is not what studying abroad is for- so don't feel guilty if you don't pick out the perfect gifts for your friends and family! They understand you are busy and have a lot to see and do while you are away. |
Language
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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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? | Even though at times you will feel scared and overwhelmed when seeing or doing certain things, for the most part when you look back, you will only look back on the times when you were laughing and caught up in the moment. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Global Studies |
| Course Department: | Global Studies |
| Instructor: | Multiple Professors |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The course met every single day and was extremely unorganized. Many of the lectures were interesting, but the course needs more direction and structure if it is going to be a class that is mandatory and meaningful. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | None, credits transferred over excellently! |
