Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Dominican Republic: Same time next year? Past Review

By (Biology, University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse) for

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse: Dominican Republic Alternative Spring Break

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I now understand stratification in the country in terms of culture, agriculture, and social norms. I think many of us could go back and find a place where we feel comfortable helping out and working to make situations better.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Enrollment was through home university and the professor teaching the course was one who i was familiar with, so there was no difference in learning.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The Faculty leader had a guide with us most of the time, so 99% of our questions were able to be answered by either of the two. The program was well put together and researched beforehand.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing varied throughout the trip, but we were never dissatisfied. We were roomed with others on the trip.

* Food:

3 Meals were scheduled daily, and nothing consumed during the trip was anything less than amazing local or international food.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

One of the most interesting cultural experiences in my mind was the visit to the Bateyes in Barahona. It was surreal seeing where people end up living and how they compensate for their new environmental surroundings.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

We didn't have many health concerns, mainly dealing with gnats, which was more of a problem for some people than others.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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
Language acquisition improvement?

Most people we came in contact with spoke Spanish, which i've never learned, but started to pick up. A small fraction of people spoke french as well.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Hotel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Other

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • I LOVED that the program went so smoothly, even though we had some minor problems. The positives outweighed the negatives 10 times over, every single day!
* What could be improved?
  • The price was a little much, and traveling took away time we could have used for learning.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Dont assume that everyone can handle this pace of living and you'll survive. You'll see more than you ever imagined could be squeezed into one day, but it generally doesn't feel rushed. Dont bring all your friends, it's awesome to make new friends in a foreign country, especially since you'll see then when you go home.