Incredible Adventure June 05, 2023
By A student (Environmental Studies, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/26/2023 to 05/09/2023 with
The School for Field Studies / SFS: Chile – Climate Studies in Patagonia
I learned how much you can learn outside of the classroom.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes are not difficult and content is interesting. The program is academically rigorous in the sense that a large portion of time (6 days a week and 4-5 hours a day on non-field days) is spent in classes. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration are some of the most kind and dedicated people I have ever met! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The center is the perfect space for this program! You will get used to having limited privacy but the close proximity makes it very easy to connect with your peers. |
| * Food: |
The kitchen staff and are amazing and very accommodating to dietary restrictions. The food was great. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We learned about local culture in our culture and society class and through time spent in town interacting with locals. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Administration were helpful in assisting with any health issues. |
| * Safety: |
Puerto Natales feels very safe, I was comfortable walking around on my own at any time of day. |
| 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) |
Expenses are all optional if you want to go out for food or buy souvenirs. All day to day and travel expenses are paid for in tuition. The only time that the program does not cover expenses is during mid-semester break, so I would suggest budgeting for that. |
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 |
The Spanish class is 9 classes total over the first 2 months of the program. Outside of this, all classes are taught in English. Most of the time I spoke Spanish was in town during my free time. |
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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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? | It's not as scary as it seems! Being on the other side of the world may seem isolating from home but you get adjust very quickly and find your own community within SFS. |
