Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Experiencing Iceland and Greenland but not learning much in your classes Past Review

By (Brandeis University) - abroad from 02/18/2017 to 05/30/2017 with

SIT Study Abroad: Iceland - Climate Change and the Arctic

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned how to live abroad and travel internationally by myself. I also learned a lot about Iceland, Greenland, and the Arctic. These life and cultural experiences were worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classes were not rigorous. We had 4 assignments for three of them. The only rigorous part of the program was our Independent Study Project that we conducted the last five weeks of the program.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

I am vegetarian, so this limited what I could eat.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

This was well addressed in Iceland, but not Greenland.

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

I would so that I could spend a semester in Iceland and 2 weeks in Greenland again. But I would not choose this program again for academics.

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? No more than $50 usually for food and necessary things. There was enough stipend to spend more money on activities and other things though.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Apartment
  • Hostel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • Going to Greenland
  • My homestay family
* What could be improved?
  • Incorporating fieldwork and fieldwork into the academics
  • Rigor of classes
  • The transition and preparation for ISP
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That the academics are not as rigorous as advertised and that fieldwork is not incorporated into the classes. Also that it is unlikely that students will find a fieldwork based research project, most students spend the day doing work on their laptop for their project.

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.