An incredibly meaningful experience, that benefited every aspect of my life May 26, 2022
By A student (International Development, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/15/2022 to 05/13/2022 with
University of Minnesota: MSID - International Development in Thailand
- I learned to be more comfortable with going with the flow and living in the moment. - Understanding the pros/ cons of international development in the context of Thailand. - Understanding a government so different from our own. - The importance of working with and learning from locals in order to fully understand the culture.
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. |
I loved all of my teachers and instructors and really enjoyed the field study aspect of this program as it allowed me to get a much better sense of the culture. Support for classes was provided by the school. The only issue I faced was some unclear academic expectations, and getting used to very traditional teaching when it came to learning Thai. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
All of our instructors were SO amazing! they functioned as professors, field instructors, support systems, administrators, etc. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Our program did a really good job making sure we learned about the culture before participating in it, and from there allowed us to have fantastic hands-on experiences, both through their teaching and through our relationships with our internship placements with local NGOS. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
-Program let us know months before we left what vaccines/ meds we might need - I needed to go to the hospital while abroad, and one of my instructors was with me the whole time and acted as a translator and support system. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
This program gave me everything I needed, it was experiential and very hands-on, but still provided structure and guidance while also allowing us to explore and travel on our own. All activities that I participated in with the school genuinely benefited my experience. |
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) |
Because we did not have kitchens, and were not eating at school, they provided us with a monthly stipend which was the equivalent of about $250 a month, which was intended to cover food and transportation. While it was enough to cover food, I often wished I had a bit more money for transportation, as we commuted to our internships everyday, and that money was coming out of pocket. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Im not sure how much extra I spent weekly outside of my stipend, but by the end of each month I would usually need about $50 more dollars. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | `Spanish 104 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Start practicing the basics before you leave, Thai is really difficult to learn in a short time, I would recommend using mondly! |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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? | Due to the nature of studying abroad during covid, there was a lot we didn't know before leaving, which proved to be both a good and a bad thing. I do wish we knew a bit more about the country and culture before coming, though we did get a good sense of it once we arrived. |
