Fantastic experience -- take advantage of everything Tunisia has to offer! Past Review
By Andrea B (Political Science And International Studies, New College of Florida) - abroad from 02/02/2012 to 05/10/2012 with
SIT Study Abroad: Tunisia & Italy - Politics & Religious Integration in the Mediterranean
It was absolutely worthwhile. I learned so much about the country, started learning Arabic, and honed new research skills. I gained confidence about living abroad and has since shaped my decision to look to live abroad in the region long term.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The academic program is definitely what you make of it, and I can see that the group dynamic could have a big impact because so much of the coursework revolves around discussions. The workload isn't heavy, but it can be very valuable. It's possible to waste time during the Independent Study Project month, but do an interesting project and it's incredibly rewarding! Plus, I loved my Arabic prof. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The academic director is very approachable and so well connected to Tunisian intellectual life, if sometimes I little relaxed and disorganized. The program assistant is an amazing person, professionally and personally. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Homestay with the sweetest family -- I'm still in touch with them. |
| * Food: |
A little harder for me since I'm vegetarian. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Again, it's what you make it. But there are universities, talks, and concerts nearby, so it really is easy to get involved. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
This may be a concern for some students (and parents!) and SIT is incredibly professional and did a great job making sure we were safe at all times. This was especially important given the delicate political situation. |
| 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) |
N/A: Funds for everything (housing, food, etc.) come out of what you pay up front. It's given out as a stipend, so you don't necessarily need more money unless you have a lot of other additional personal expenses. Since the food/housing money was dispensed as a stipend every couple of weeks, it was pretty easy to budget to keep costs down and not spend more than what I paid for the program at the outset. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | See explanation above. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | The obvious don't eat at restaurants (especially ones in touristy areas) frequently. Host families provide breakfast and dinner (sometimes lunch too!) and you can keep groceries for lunches and snacks and anything else you might need at the study abroad center. Haggle for gifts or basically anything you buy in the souk. |
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 |
In the language class there was encouragement, but it wasn't an overall immersive program. |
| 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? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 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? | Don't be scared to try to speak with people in the street -- they're very understanding and happy to help a learner. Though if you're just getting started in Arabic (as I was) it was definitely nice to have French to fall back on. |
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? | Nothing really. Though I was glad that I went in knowing at least a bit about the history, politics, and culture before I arrived. |
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! |
