Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

SIT India: Wonderful program! Past Review

By (Social Justice, State U) for

SIT Study Abroad: India - Sustainable Development and Social Change

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
YES.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The academics were very different from what I'm usually used to - it was very based in anthropology, which I haven't taken in the field. It was also sometimes difficult to know what I was being graded on. I think that in general, I had a good experience academically, it just wasn't as rigorous as academics are in my home university. (Or at least, it didn't feel as rigorous.)

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The instructors were very available and willing to help with anything. They were able to get things done, but we didn't get much warning about how things would be before we got to them.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

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

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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
Language acquisition improvement?

My host family, and rickshaw drivers. I used Hindi in everyday interactions to some extent - many people spoke English.

If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

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

Select all that apply

  • Host Family

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Do this if you're independent, and willing to take risks. It will pay off.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Sustainable Development and Social Change Seminar
Course Department: ASIA 3000
Instructor: Azim Khan and Tara Dhakal
Instruction Language: English
Comments: We had lecturers from all different kinds of fields, who were fairly prominent. It was cool to talk to all of those different people, but it made for a fairly random course schedule. Our classes didn't follow themes, they were dependent upon when which speakers could come. For many students, this made it difficult to follow. We also didn't get to ask as many questions or have as many discussions as we would have liked. However, I learned a lot and it was very valuable to contextualize the issues present in India.
Credit Transfer Issues: Not that I know of.
Course Name/Rating:

Field Study Seminar
Course Department: ANTH 3500
Instructor: Azim Khan and Tara Dhakal
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This really didn't help me all that much in my independent study. Thankfully, I'd already done research independently before, so I could draw on those experiences.
Credit Transfer Issues: Not that I know of.
Course Name/Rating:

Intensive Language Study: Beginning Hindi
Course Department: Hind 1000
Instructor: Goutam Merh, Archana Merh, Bhavna Singh
Instruction Language: English and Hindi
Comments: I thought it was a fairly good course, however we didn't go through nearly as much vocabulary as I would have liked, and our lessons weren't as practical as I was expecting.
Credit Transfer Issues: Not that I know of.
Course Name/Rating:

Independent Study Project
Course Department: ISPR 3000
Instructor: Azim Khan
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This was AWESOME! The chance to do actual, real research in the field in another country was amazing. It was an amazing opportunity, and the whole reason I wanted to do SIT. My field advisor was amazing, and I had a very good experience.
Credit Transfer Issues: Not that I know of.