Rural Part was Incredible - Dakar Phase was meh. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

You're not going to be impressed with the academic offerings during the classroom phase of the program. The professors are lackluster and disorganized - when they even manage to show up. However, I don't think anyone considering this program is doing it solely for the classes, and it's important to remember that when you find yourself getting frustrated. There's so much else that this program offers that the poor classroom experience is kind of excused.

On-site administration of your program

Hit or miss. Waly (the program director) and Marie (his assistant) are the nicest, most helpful people ever. But they're just as disorganized as the professors, and so we wasted an entire day figuring out visa stuff because Marie didn't think to call ahead at the visa office. Things like that would never happen in America, but then again it wouldn't be Senegal if things were run well.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Best part of the program. The homestay was incredibly valuable. MSID did a good job finding host families for us, and for the most part everyone was pleased.

Get used to a plain diet of fish, rice and veggies, especially during the rural phase of the program. I happened to like it, but several others in the program were allergic to fish and/or vegetarian, and they would give much lower reviews.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The homestays did a good job of that - especially in the village. A couple of pieces of advice: 1. In Dakar, request a homestay with people your own age, ideally a brother, since Senegalese men are much more outgoing and it will help you figure out the social scene much easier. 2. For the second phase of the program, request a small village. Your family and community will value you so much, and that's not always the case in the other cities. It's also somewhat uncomfortable for girls to be alone in cities, since Senegalese men can be aggressive, and outside Dakar they will have less exposure to American girls. Tread with caution if you're a girl who requests to go to a city.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Pharmacies are readily available in Dakar. Fortunately I didn't have to use the hospitals. You will need vaccines, and several of them take up to a month to take effect, so plan early. The vaccines can be VERY expensive, so factor that in to your cost estimates.

Dakar is safe for Africa, but you'll definitely feel less safe walking around at night than you would back home, especially if you're a girl. Get ready for hisses and catcalls. I know of one group of American students that was mugged, but that is exceedingly rare.

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

Average of $60-$80 in Dakar, way less in the village (maybe $30-50/week).

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

I got much better at French and Wolof. If you go to a small village for your internship/research you'll get good at Wolof.

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• Host Family

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Americans

• Opportunity to do research
• Living in a small village
• Studying 2 languages

• Classes

The Avid Adventurer