An Interesting Trip to Brazil - Social Justice & Sustainable Development Past Review
By Sarah G (Physics., Austin College) - abroad from 03/02/2012 to 06/14/2012 with
SIT Study Abroad: Reviews from Former Locations
I learned a lot about both the Amazon and about myself. It was definitely worthwhile.
Review Photos
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 learned a lot; however, it was very loosely structured and our classes very highly swayed by the opinions of our instructor and we only had one instructor. Also, during our independent study period, he did not provide necessary resources and left many students stranded. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Priscilla and Melina do an excellent job at this and are so helpful at all times. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My homestay family was absolutely wonderful! And Priscilla, the homestay coordinator is amazing and so helpful! |
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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? |
No
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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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| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $40 (Not including ISP) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you're in Brazil, bring more stuff with you because it's really expensive to buy things here. |
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 |
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| 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? | In Portuguese- 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? | Learn as much as you can before you come. |
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? |
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? | What I actually needed to bring and most of what they told us in orientation. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Beginning Portguese |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Renata |
| Instruction Language: | Portuguese |
| Comments: | It was definitely a conversational Portuguese class, but we learned so much that was so helpful in our stay here. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
