SIT Cape Town : the best 5 months of my life Past Review

By (Anthropology and Community Health, Tufts University) for

SIT Study Abroad: South Africa - Multiculturalism and Human Rights

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
YES! it was amazing and I would love to go back as soon as possible

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.

The workload was completely manageable. The only time that we had a lot of work was before and at the end of the ISP period. I really liked our class schedule. For the first month, we had regular classroom hours for the entire day during which we would have language class and guest lecturers. For the rest of the time, the schedule was less defined. We had a lot of different lecturers on many different topics - most of them were incredibly interesting and gave us a great understanding of the country's history and recent progress.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

sometimes the program seemed a bit unorganized - it is definitely because the timing and organization standards in south africa are much different.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

Vegetarian was fine

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Mzoli's market on Sundays. Old Biscuit Mill on Saturdays. Rural home-stay feast with families. School visits.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

felt safe in home-stays, but definitely need to be weary and smart. If you are cognizant of possible issues, you will be fine. I always felt safe in the home-stays

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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? food stipend is minimal - doable, but you will probably spend more.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
Language acquisition improvement?

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

Other Program Information

* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Home-stays and ISP
* What could be improved?
  • information known before you leave for destination