A great program for environmental and cultural immersion January 03, 2025
By A student (Biology, Carleton College) - abroad from 09/02/2024 to 12/15/2024 with
SIT Study Abroad: Panama - Tropical Ecology, Marine Ecosystems, and Biodiversity Conservation
I gained a deeper appreciation for ecology and understanding of the research process through the ISP project. Interacting with people from around Panama also taught me a lot about sustainable agriculture, resource management, and community resilience. SIT Panama was 100% worthwhile for me.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I found that SIT Panama challenged my previous ideas of what learning looks like by having much of our academic experience be non-traditional, experiential based learning. These experiences were excellent ways to connect with Panamanian people and taught me much more about the region's ecology than traditional lectures/classes would have. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I struggled in some of my homestays to connect with my host parents but I always felt safe and cared for while in Panama. |
| * Food: |
Panama has excellent food! Depending on your personal metabolism you may have to buy snacks to meet your food/calorie needs |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The SIT cohort stayed a pretty tight-knit pod throughout the semester but I felt that SIT did a great job giving us opportunities to integrate ourselves with local culture. The homestays especially helped me feel connected to the communities where we were staying. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Follow the advice of SIT program leads and you'll be perfectly safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I found SIT Panama to be exactly what I was looking for: a program that immersed me in Panamanian culture while teaching me about tropical/marine ecology. The ISP experience was great, and I feel that I was really challenged in designing my own research project. Although the excursions SIT Panama takes you on are intense I found them to be a great way to meet people from across Panama and develop closer friendships with my fellow students. |
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) |
The stipend that SIT gives you covers pretty much all costs if you're careful with it. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $20 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook for yourself as much as possible. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
We had Spanish classes and homestays but most other parts of the program were in English. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 205 |
| 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? | Talk to your host family and the random people you meet during your travels. |
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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| 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? | There's not much Spanish immersion built into the program outside of one class and the homestays, so for students with advanced Spanish skills they will need to be active in seeking out practice experiences. |
