The best decision I made in my academic career January 08, 2022

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I attended this program while Mahidol was completely remote. Our program was moved to Chiang Mai (northern Thailand). The courses were quite intense as usual college courses. I think that remote learning works differently depending on the student. Be prepared to sometimes not know where you are in the class, I had one of my professors not have a detailed/updated syllabus. Thai students are shy, so breakout rooms are sometimes silent and awkward. It was hard finding resources in this remote setting, so try your best to communicate with the professor before or after class. I emphasize post/pre class conversations because another professor was not responsive with their emails.

On-site administration of your program

Our on-site director was amazing. It was really nice having a person from the country show us around the country. They really helped me understand important aspects of the culture in Thailand, way of living, and being mindful as a foreigner. She was an excellent planner and I enjoyed our excursions. If I could rate the overall program administration separately, I would rate lower (60%) because the organization and communication issues from the administration back in the US made it difficult to travel to Thailand. I do keep in mind that COVID traveling is tricky, but there were quite a few many incidents that were not handled well outside of the visa application and COE process. I was very happy to have had the support of our on-site director. Once we were in Thailand, we were all set and had a great time while keeping up with important dates (visa renewal, course registration, etc.)

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Our on-site director helped a lot with our living arrangements since we moved to Chiang Mai due to the remote status of the school.

We had to pay for our own food but there were so many cheap and delicious options! Missing how cheap delivery and dining were.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt like I was able to see different areas of Thailand. I was able to participate in different part of the culture such as the festivals.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

2 weeks in, one of my friends had appendicitis. He only had to pay about $50 out of pocket which I heard is great. Vaccines and COVID testing are not free here though, so there are some disparities between different services.

As a woman of color, I felt very safe where I was located. I didn't have problems traveling. I was mindful, aware, and made sure I had told people where I would be traveling to. There are areas that might be "sketchy" because sometimes they are (they are called red zones). This mostly is something to note with males who pass by massage places and bars in these areas. Overall, Thailand is safe. I feel like I could walk to grab something at the 7/11 (which is at most a 10 minute walk) late at night. It is always advised to go with friends when you are planning to drink regardless where you are!

I would definitely choose the same program if the residential director was in the program. I am not sure about the administration back in the US, but often I found myself confused with their emails. Albeit, Fall 2021 was a very different program structure then advertised.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

5, it is really cost-effective to study in Thailand. Meals are cheap and there is so much to do on a budget here. I spent at most $60 on busy weeks and as little as $15 a week for meals. Expenses only pile up if you decide to eat fast foos (McDonalds) vs if you eat from a local restaurant or street food spot.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

They did a great job incorporating the languge in our excursions. We were encouraged to ask for our food in Thai and speak with merchants in Thai.

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• Hotel

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• Americans
• Other

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• Local Students
• International Students

• Location, Thailand is beautiful
• Cost, the country was very cost friendly
• Residential director, the on-site person was absolutely amazing

• administration in the US

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer