Moroccan Adventures Past Review
By A student (Computer Science, Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/31/2015 to 12/12/2015 with
SIT Study Abroad: Morocco - Migration and Transnational Identity
Absolutely worthwhile. I gained a much more critical perspective on the US and on Americans (and I already had a critical perspective). I learned too much to even begin to pull together in this box.
Personal Information
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
A lot of reading and a lot of class time in total -- the education style is different from the US one, so be prepared for that. It is much more lecture, less teacher-student contact, and contradicting teachers makes problems for everybody. That is just not how class is done there, which is fine if you are prepared for it. |
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The leaders of the program were available if we needed them, and the administrative assistant was absolutely wonderful. |
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was nice, but I was never alone -- I dealt with it okay because I knew I couldn't get out of it, but it was stressful and constantly exhausting. |
* Food: |
Amazing! |
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Having the host family helped with integration but we obviously stuck out as foreigners and that really impeded integration, especially during the ISP time when I lived with others away from our host families. |
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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* Safety: |
You need to take care of yourself -- street harassment is real, and while the program does a good job of taking care of you within its premises, it cannot control the street. |
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
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Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $10 |
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Go somewhere where the exchange rate is favorable. Barring that, be cheap and look for deals. |
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 |
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How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
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? | 202 |
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? | Total immersion -- if it is a program that promises to teach you Arabic but is not immersion, you will not learn Arabic. |
Other Program Information
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
* What did you like most about the program? |
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* What could be improved? |
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* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Budgeting beforehand is a great way to avoid stress while there. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |