Botswana, a glimpse into the successful side of Africa. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Workload was light, and grading system only took into consideration one semester long paper and an exam. Teachers were somewhat non-chalant, but were very well educated. The motswana were not on the same level as western educated students, so the professors took that into consideration in class. Not near as demanding as school here.

On-site administration of your program

The culture is so relaxed and laid back, that it's hard to get anyone to do something for you. It teaches you to be independent, and to get things done on your own. Very friendly most of the time, just extremely lazy.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

In dorms next to the cafeteria. Would have liked it to be more centered on campus,but it was good exercise. I loved that I lived with a local student, as he was very interesting to talk and hang out with. My dorms were also the center for activity on campus on most weekends.

The cafeteria is not the best, they serve the same thing for every meal. If you have the choice, do not get the meal plan. If you want to eat in there, the meals are cheap, so its not a problem. Eat at the stands outside the campus gates, very cheap and tasty local dishes. There are also several western oriented restaurants in the city if you want a good american stytle meal. Eat local and cheap though, its the best. Learn to love fat cakes.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Experience all the culture you can. Just walk around the city, or take a bus to a more rural city and village. Talk to everyone, go to the markets, test out the shabeens. It is very cheap and easy to get around the city, so take advantage of all the festivals that go on all around Gaborone. You are in Botswana, everything about the culture is different, just take it all in.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Gaborone is a safe city. As long as you arent flashing money around by yourself on a downtown street at night, you will be fine. Walk in groups if you feel uneasy, but the people are very friendly and do not like criminals just as much as you. The school had an on campus health center that was free for students, so take advantage of it. If you had a serious problem, there was a hospital nearby campus and well as a few private ones for more serious issues. There is about a 25% HIV prevalency in the country, so refrain from dangerous sexual practices. Also, when you go into the north of the country, you will need to take anti-malarial medicine.

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

It wasn't required, but I took the entry level Setswana course. Everyone spoke english at the School, you would be laughed at because you couldn't speak Setswana on their level.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students