Tanzania: indescribably and unbelievably unique; a once-in-a-lifetime experience Past Review
By Melissa S (Human Ecology, Middlebury College) for
SIT Study Abroad: Tanzania - Wildlife Conservation and Political Ecology
Absolutely. I now have an incredible connection to an amazing people and amazing people and I feel reinvigorated academically.
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was extremely light and the grading system was not an imposing factor in the program. Because the immersion experience was such a challenge in itself, it felt right that the traditional factors of the American educational system was not the driving force behind the program's structure. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Some of the academic advisors on the program were very knowledgeable and engaged with students, others were clearly not qualified to occupy the jobs that they held. The academic director was friendly and enabled students to fully embrace Tanzanian culture, yet his disorganization, and lack of engagement at times made him seem unprofessional. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Plenty of food. Very easy to satisfy my vegetarian needs. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
going to a club in a village, going to a traditional dance in Maasai land, climbing a kopje in the serengeti...too many to mention! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Arusha is a dangerous city, especially for young white students, and people often felt vulnerable to potentially dangerous situations. Students all understood that safety was a concern and were very responsible, yet the program could have helped to ensure student safety (with a list of safe cabs, or a van for transport on weekend nights, for example) |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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