An Experience You Won't Forget Past Review
By Shamarcus (Colgate University) - abroad from 08/25/2019 to 12/03/2019 with
SIT Study Abroad: Ghana: Africa in the 21st Century
Among many other things, I believe that my ability to understand others has grown significantly. The many well-rounded experiences have prepared me to work in diverse environments as well as with a diverse group of people.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Among the three study abroad opportunities I have done thus far, SIT Ghana has been the best. Firstly, SIT in general does an excellent job at actually immersing students into the host country through home stays, rural stays, site visits, urban dropoffs, etc. Secondly and most importantly, the SIT Ghana program was a success because of the amazing staff members. They are well informed about how to handle students from diverse backgrounds and very knowledgeable in the culture and customs of Ghana. I recommend SIT Ghana to any student hoping to study abroad. I wish I could join the program again. |
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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $30 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try as much as possible to eat street food. It is inexpensive and tasty. The mall is sometimes unnecessarily expensive. Find a local friend or test out your bargaining skills by shopping at Accra market where you can find anything. For transportation, take local transportation on regular days and online charter cars when convenient. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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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 |
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| 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? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Spend time with your host family, practice with staff members, go out and interact with market women and other locals in the public. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Power outages, bucket showers, unreliable Uber trips, and heavy traffic were some things that I wished I had prepared for before coming. Also, from my experience, time moves differently here. You can try to be somewhere on time, but a lot of unforeseen obstacles may delay you, and that's true for locals as well. So, expect a lot of things to start later than usual. |
