CET Colombia January 29, 2024
By A student (Brandeis University) - abroad from 07/11/2023 to 12/02/2023 with
Universidad Autónoma de Occidente: Cali - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Living every day outside of what's familiar was an amazing experience and I learned a lot about myself.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
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? |
|
| * Food: |
|
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
|
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
|
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I really enjoyed the experience overall but I think the CET Colombia program needs some reform. There were many organizational issues amongst administration and just an overall lack of communication issues between the amdin and students. I also think that the website that advertises the program needs serious maintenance. Going into the program, CET didn't give us much information other than the basics for our arrival into the country (and even then, many students experienced confusion and trouble with Visas). We also had some missinformation about transportation and food costs. I think this program wasn't ready to handle so a big cohort and so they fell short in several different aspects of the program. But, with some much needed reworking of their internal communication system, and maybe hiring more staff on-site to help and support students, the program would be much better equipt to function in a more accomodating way. One of the main issues that this program needs to work on is the academic coordination between the university, UAO, and the actual CET program. |
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) |
|
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 |
|
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish CET was more transparent about their academic policies and relationships with UAO and the Univalle. I also wish there was a more accurate, reasonable budget advertised for the program. Finally, I wish the program made more of an effort to connect us students, and connect with us, in order to make the transition more comfortable. |
