Certainly a worthwhile adventure Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The academia was rather underwhelming as a rising senior attending a large research university with a decent background in ecology. I came in knowing the almost all of the theoretical knowledge that was taught, however I will give credit where credit is due: the practical knowledge and experience was exceptional. A lot of time is spent out in the field in the land rovers observing the animals you're learning about. Personally, I went to Tanzania to be out in the field and see the wildlife and that is why I chose SFS (based on the amount of field time) so I was not disappointed with the lack of theory in the classroom. Probably the largest inconvenience was the vagueness of just about every assignment we received. I'm assuming it may just be the cultural aspect of the teaching standards (or styles) in Tanzania but lectures, field exercises, and just assignments in general are very unorganized. It's just something that you kind of have to roll with. The summer program is very fast paced and you're constantly doing something academic in nature, whether it's in the field or the classroom. It's probably a good thing if you try to get your assignments done quickly so that you can experience all that Tanzania has to offer after they're complete and not be stressed out. The grading scheme is very different from a US institution with curves and such. All of the assignments in the session add up to 100 raw points. If you get 10 points off collectively on all of your assignments, you will get a B+. They're pretty strict about this so make sure you understand how this all works and ask the professors at the beginning of the session if you need clarification. And one last thing about directed research, if you want to try to perform it independantly over the summer. I tried to get information from the program advisors at SFS headquarters about whether I could perform a UROP project while I was in Tanzania with SFS. They were really unhelpful during this process, and for some reason SFS never let me get in touch with the professors in Tanzania to consult them. But long story short, if you design a research project around the curriculum of the summer courses (essentially population counts and ethograms of animals in the various parks you visit) you could make it work. I found this out after I got to Tanzania so I couldn't really do anything about it then. But try to get in touch with the professors if you're interested in doing research over the summer before you go to see if you're project is feasible.

On-site administration of your program

From top to bottom, the administration on-campus in Rhotia is pretty decent. If anything is wrong with anything in your banda (room) it is fixed pretty much within 24 hours. The drivers are excellent and there are tons of fun things to do on non-program days. Overall, they are very receptive to your complaints and needs, and they try to accommodate you pretty quickly. The ascaris (guards) are also great at making sure nobody gets into the field station who shouldn't be there. All of the staff are really fun to interact with and you can play soccer with them daily at 5PM. One thing that is different about SFS than other study abroad programs is that students are very closely monitored. You can't go anywhere alone and you need to sign out to even go outside the gates of the field station. You can't get into any non-SFS vehicles and you can't leave after sunset or before sunrise. Essentially, you are always in the presence of some sort of staff member of the program and every night (aside from expedition in Serengeti) you are required to be within the confines of the field station. On the plus side, you are a lot safer, but you do not have much freedom to explore.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing is pretty great considering the location and the work that went into constructing the Moyo Hill campus. Things are liable to break (like the hot water or electricity) but the staff does a good job of getting everything back up and running in a couple of hours. Only complaint would be the mattresses as some of the are simply made of sponge, but there are some regular spring ones lying around as well. Again this is in the middle of rural Tanzania and if you're doing this program you probably knew going into it not to expect a 5-star hotel. It's all part of the experience.

The kitchen staff does a great job. Supplies are limited because you are in rural Tanzania (again) but the cooks do an admirable job of making sure there are plenty of options for every meal and that there is enough food for everyone. Although the tasty stuff is liable to run out first.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Probably one of the best cultural immersion experiences you could ask for from a study abroad program. SFS puts a heavy emphasis on culture and how local communities are a vital component of conservation. Likewise, there are home stays with local families and numerous opportunities to interact with Tanzanians on non-program days and community service days. Additionally, there are several field lectures, field exercises, and assignments with heavily integrate the culture of the area.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The FAME clinic is less then half an hour away; this is a huge reason as to why SFS opened a center in Rhotia to begin with. They have everything a standard US hospital has and even do surgeries (although SFS would fly you back to Arusha if you needed to have surgery). SFS is very on top of their health care on campus and they always make sure students get what they need for any sort of medical ailment. Obviously, people are going to get sick in a third-world country where you have no immunity to any of the local pathogens. If you employ an average amount of common sense, SFS will take care of any other problems that arise during your stay.

Before SFS can open a center anywhere, they literally have to plan for any situation that could possibly occur and have a protocol to follow in case of emergency. The Moyo Hill camp is located on top of the Great Rift Valley escarpment and the center has a procedure to follow in case the camp floods (there is zero chance of this occurring, trust me). The bottom line is that SFS is one of the safest study abroad programs you could take part in.

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

It really depends on the person and how much you want to spend on souvenirs (everything else is paid for by SFS or they let you know you will have to pay for "X item" before hand). I'd recumbent bringing about $1,000, I stayed for both summer sessions and spend about that much all together (including the student visa)

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

It was encouraged to practice it, but it wasn't mandatory and everyone at the center can speak english to some degree. It's mostly useful for bartering or communicating with people outside the center.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• observing the wildlife
• experiencing the culture
• traveling to so many different places

• the clarity of academic assignments
• allowing students a little more freedom to travel independently

The Avid Adventurer