Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Looking back, you'll smile, miss everything about it & get motivated to 'do'. Past Review

By (Engineering Design & Innovation, Northwestern University) - abroad from 06/18/2012 to 08/12/2012 with

ThinkImpact: Rwanda - Institute for Social Innovation

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It's that experience that set the bar so high, all future projects and experiences will be measured against. It's the process, immersion, challenges tackled and project risks you take along the way where you look back and always miss it. I formed many habits that have helped in my problem solving capabilities and the design thinking curriculum TI exposes scholars to is right in line with design thinking at the master's level.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Homestays are such a crucial part of the experience and immersing into the culture. ThinkImpact does a great job researching and choosing homestays that will be a good fit. My homestay was just the best and I will never forget their hospitality and how they made me feel a part of their family.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

You really become a part of the community. It's part of the process.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had ate a room-temperature corn from my host brother's pocket (not the best choice) and ThinkImpact staff was over right away with electrolyte packets and making sure I had everything I needed.

* Safety:

Not only does ThinkImpact look out for the safety of all scholars (have policies in place such as no scholars out after dark, etc), but the community does as well.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

ThinkImpact takes care of all food and lodging. All I bought were souvenirs for my family and treats when visiting the city.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

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

Again, it's a part of the experience and shows the community you're there to learn from them. ThinkImpact holds language lessons during training and uses translators.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • Other

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Becoming a part of the community
  • Talking challenges out with fellow scholars & TI staff
* What could be improved?
  • Processing post-program
  • The speed of project work towards the end of the Institute was a little quick.
  • More opportunities to get to see what other design teams were up to during their projects.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? It would have been nice to be able to empathize with the community somehow before going on the program. To minimize the time it takes to feel that and to get started on the design team project earlier.