FIPSE Brazil Exchange: A great comparison between American & Brazilian Agriculture & Bioenergy Past Review
By Sarah S (Environmental Science., University of Arkansas - Fayetteville) for
University of Sao Paulo: Sao Paulo - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Overall, I definitely did learn a lot culturally & academically from this experience. It's a much smaller world than I realized, and the impact that American society has on other countries was definitely an eye opener for me (they really want to "be" us--from our clothing brands, to our fast food.) I also got a really good look at the way Brazil practices/idealizes Agriculture vs. the way the US does it.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | UNESP Fazenda Lageado & Universidade Estudial Londrina (UEL) |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The Brazilian Professors had great activities & field trips lined up for us to get a closer look at Brazil in respect to Agriculture rather than just making us take a course or two. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Academically & free-time wise, our administration in Brazil was good. In the sense of helping us abide by the local laws in a timely fashion, however, they were a little lacking. You had to register with the Federal Police within a certain amount of time and have certain documents with you. The Brazilian prof's were unaware that the procedures had changed and more documents were needed, so it would be nice if they were more prepared with a checklist or something next year. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I did not like living with the other americans on the 2nd half of the trip. It was much more study-conducive to live with brazilians. |
| * Food: |
The food was fine. I just didn't like dining out all the time-expensive & unhealthy, but we were forced to when we went on a far away field trip. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There were not many health issues during the exchange, but there was a local hospital that was clean & efficient & diagnosed my virus/allergic reaction correctly. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Food-probably around US$30-$50 a week depending on how many field trips were taken & how much we had to eat out. If we didn't travel that week, food tended to be from the local supermarkets. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Always ask the stores if there is a better price on a particular item & always be polite--they will usually give you a much better price. Try to think of things in terms of US$ & that will help keep your spending in reality; do the exchange rate on a calculator or in your head. Give major purchases a few days to land in your atm/bank accounts before you assume everything is hunky-dory...international purchases often take a lot longer than local ones to show up on your bank account. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Really outgoing students who love a super active social life and not as much book work would love this. I'm more of a studying homebody who is more inclined to enjoy nature & athletics, so I'm not sure this program was for me...it was very city-oriented. |
