Brazil, Vietnam, South Africa. Need I say more? Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

IHP does a great job of identifying the right level of rigor for its content. Faculty were excellent, knowledgeable and helped provide the best resources. IHP also emphasizes "experiential learning" in a way that challenged me, academically and personally, in ways I hadn't been challenged at my home university. Since one is constantly immersed in the context one is learning about, I was glad to be continuously challenged to learn more about my host country and apply what I learned about health to what I was actually experiencing.

On-site administration of your program

The on-site administration aspect of the program was amazing. Each country "team" definitely had its own feel to it but they were all great at making us feel at home and providing the tools we needed. Note: Our Brazil country "team" was probably one of the highlights of the program!

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Since host families vary by country, this greatly depends. I heard varying feedback, as is expected from such a large group of people. Personally, I loved my host families and still keep in touch with them. The program is also very receptive of any concerns regarding living arrangements.

Food can make or break your travel experience. And in general, I cannot complain. The food was consistently amazing everywhere! The food in host families was great and the food provided by the program was generally great as well. They also did try to accommodate those with special food needs, which I think is a great detail.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

This varied by country, but in general I felt that I could integrate as much as I wanted to integrate, which is all one can ask for. The country teams and the faculty were great resources for opportunities within the country. Program activities also included things like history lessons, site/neighborhood visits, dance classes, etc. The host families were probably the most important outlet for cultural immersion.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

They definitely took health very seriously. My only health concern was a particularly strong episode of food poisoning and the faculty was good at keeping in touch and checking up to make sure I was getting the care I needed. I didn't interact directly with any of the healthcare systems.

Sao Paulo, Hanoi and Bushbuckridge were all very different places and each had its own set of safety "rules". The program did a good job of advising us and having us become familiar with the local context so that we were better prepared. In general, I felt very safe in all these situations. I don't think anyone in the program had any serious safety-related incidents except for theft.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

It varied by country, of course, but I think that if you stuck to a budget it wasn't hard to stay within it. In general though, I think everyone ends up spending more than they intend, especially on extra activities, souvenirs, spring break, etc.

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• Other
• Host Family
• Hostel

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Americans

• The students who were in the program.
• The faculty
• The country teams

• Logistics/organization