Interesting Past Review
By A student (Indiana University - Bloomington) - abroad from 02/01/2016 to 05/14/2016 with
SIT Study Abroad: Morocco - Human Rights, Social Justice, and Cultural Transformation
too much to give an exhaustive explanation on this forum
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Morocco SIT was an amazing experience. I feel like the cultural immersion was much more authentic than what i heard from other friends who studied in Europe. The SIT program in Morocco was a great mix of academic difficulty and field experience |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
All program assistants and directors were incredibly helpful and nice. I still talk to my professors and are facebook friends with some. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I still talk with my host family. It was a great oportunity to see how Moroccans go about daily life, practice language, learn to cook, and have people who understood that we as students were actively trying to become culturally immersed. |
| * Food: |
not as spicy as i like, but very tasty. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Amazing experience. morocco has so many different facets of culture, ethnicity, language etc. The program hit all the highlights and a lot of the less influential components of the moroccan society |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I got sick a couple times and got excellent care and a 100% refund for health expenses. |
| * Safety: |
very safe for everyone including women |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
it wasn't perfect. there were ups and there were downs, but thats any time you are away from what you know and those you love for a long period of time. |
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) |
morocco is not very expensive and a lot of caosts are a part of the program fees such as homestay, food, and some travel |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $80 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | don't go to Marrakech |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
|
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Kareema taught me arabic in a great way. I can speak and read it with no prior experience. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| 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? | go there |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Darija isn't very useful outside Morocco |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
