Studying Ecology in Ecuador Opened My Eyes to the Beauty of Nature. Past Review
By Lucille S (Geography and Cartography., The University of Texas at Austin) for
SIT Study Abroad: Ecuador - Comparative Ecology and Conservation
Studying abroad with SIT in Ecuador was the best thing I could have ever done at this time in my life. It has taught me that anything is possible and has inspired me to fight for what I believe in.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The teachers were fair graders, because they took into account things that we don't have to deal with at our home university, such as language barriers or time constraints or cultural misunderstandings. There was a lot of work, but it was manageable and fun. When we went on excursions all of our work was outside actually doing something, rather than inside just reading or learning about it. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I enjoyed the size of the program, and everyone involved was great. My teachers were very knowledgeable and inspiring. They were also very organized, which made the stress of living in such an unorganized country much less. I honestly feel like I learned more in this one semester than I learned in the three years of regular university prior. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Living in a host family was dificult at times, but in the long run I believe that it was one of the most rewarding experiences about this program. Although the food and water was an issue at times, my family was very kind and tried their best to make me feel comfortable. |
| * Food: |
I am just not a fan of the food in Ecuador. Too much rice and bread! But my family did feed me enough and I was satisfied. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Our program was focused on the environment more than culture, so our field trips were more ecology-based. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Our program really enforced the saftey issues of living in Ecuador. It scared us all but I think it was very important information to hear. |
| 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | No |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Fourth-Level Spanish |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I spoke a great deal of Spanish because I was taking a Spanish class for 2 hours every day, most of the lectures were in Spanish, and my host family only spoke Spanish. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Keep your eyes wide open. Ecuador is incredible and you don't want to miss a thing! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Comparative Ecology Seminar |
| Course Department: | Unknown |
| Instructor: | Sylvia Seger and Xavier Silva |
| Instruction Language: | English and Spanish |
| Comments: | The teachers were excellent and the field trips were wonderful. Great class! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I have not dealt with that yet. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Field Methods |
| Course Department: | unknown |
| Instructor: | Sylvia Seger and Xavier Silva |
| Instruction Language: | English and Spanish |
| Comments: | As a geography major at the University of Texas, this class was extremely valuable to me. I have taken classes throughout college learning about field methods, but actually doing the methods allowed me to learn so much more and made the class a very enriching experience. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I have not dealt with that yet. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Independent Study Seminar |
| Course Department: | unknown |
| Instructor: | Sylvia Seger and Xavier Silva |
| Instruction Language: | English and Spanish |
| Comments: | This was a wonderful experience because I was completely independent, taking all that I had learned from the semester and using it to create a meaningful research project. I went to the Tiputini Biodiversity Research Station in the Ecuadorian Amazon and studied the behavioral characteristics of Spider Monkeys. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I have not dealt with that yet. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Independent Study Seminar |
| Course Department: | Unknown |
| Instructor: | Sylvia Seger and Xavier Silva |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish and English |
| Comments: | It was a great opportunity to take what we had learned from the semester and put it into use. Since it was an independent class it challenged us to think for ourselves. This class was an excellent opportunity to reflect on the previous few months. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I have not dealt with that yet. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Spanish Language |
| Course Department: | Unknown |
| Instructor: | Pilar Leon |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Excellent class! I learned a lot of Spanish and Pilar was a great teacher. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I have not dealt with that yet. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Field Methods |
| Course Department: | Unknown |
| Instructor: | Sylvia Seger and Xavier Silva |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish and English |
| Comments: | Wonderful class! I have learned more from this class than all the other field methods classes I have taken at UT in three years. The best part was that we were actually outside practicing the methods and learning by doing. I believe that that method is by far the best way to learn. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I have not dealt with that yet. |
