India: Chaos and Contentment Past Review
By Kate D (PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES., Carleton College) for
SIT Study Abroad: India - Sustainable Development and Social Change
YES!!!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Indian teaching methods are decidedly different from American methods, which came up quite a bit in our Hindi classes. There is definitely a stronger element of hierarchy, and there is less give and take between the teachers and students. Though they genuinely do want you to learn the material, sometimes they just expect you to follow blindly instead of asking questions. It's more memorization-based than understanding. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff is wonderful. They had our best interests at heart and really worked to make sure we were safe and happy. |
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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
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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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | During the homestay period, I didn't buy hardly any food for myself. The only real expense was transportation to and from school and other activities, which was probably around $50/week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you wish to travel outside of the home city for your ISP, be prepared to fund your transportation entirely out of your own pocket. The research stipend is enough for a cheap place to stay and two meals a day, but that's it. |
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? | None. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
In Delhi, most people speak at least some English, and English and Hindi are often mingled together into a jumble. Speaking English is also a marker of education, so many people will speak in English even if you initiate a conversation in Hindi. Outside of Delhi, however, there are far more people who speak only Hindi. I spoke Hindi in my homestay every day, because our maid spoke no English. |
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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I think you have to be very independent and assertive to really enjoy this program. There are a lot of things that are available, but you have to take the personal initiative to access them for yourself. You also have to have a bit of a thick shell, because India's a tough place to be. |
