Great City, But Not A Great Program Past Review
By A student (Globalization & International Affairs, Eastern Kentucky University) - abroad from 08/20/2018 to 12/15/2018 with
USAC Thailand: Chiang Mai - Southeast Asia Culture, Politics, and Business
I learned countless lessons, but I think the one that sticks out is that I learned how to manage myself in a very different culture.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Out of the entire program, I was the most disappointed with my educational experience. There was no direction given for any assignments, there was not a chance to see my overall grade, professors would not respond to emails, and I felt the professors didn't even want to be there. On top of that, I took a class for the sole purpose of the field trips involved and we never took any of the trips. When students would express their worries about their grades and classes, the response would be that "this wasn't America and we needed to try harder". We as students understand that, but we depend on USAC to help us transition better. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Most of the other students and I felt like we could not depend on the administration. Their responses would always tend to be "This isn't America" or "there are too many students". Both of those answers are not helpful. I can understand having too many students, but most of the students had similar problems that could be easily addressed in an email or a meeting. In conclusion, compared to a different study abroad program, I did not feel supported. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing here was pretty great. The rooms were very nice and spacious. I really liked that I had my own room and bathroom. The three things I would have liked to have was more washers and dryers in the building, a kitchen for USAC students, and be allowed to have visitors. Everything else was great and I had an enjoyable stay. |
| * Food: |
Thai food is amazing. I came here not knowing what to expect because I not had thai food besides pad thai. Every dish I have tried here I love. I especially love anything with eggs in it! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I feel like you have plenty of opportunities to immerse yourself, but you have to be the one make it a priority. That includes working on your thai, making thai friends, and generally experiencing and learning about the culture. I really stunted my immersion because I did not take a thai language course and I did not try to learn thai on my own. My thai friends always wanted to me to speak english to them so they could learn. I should have pushed to learn thai from them. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I really like the hospital here. Everything is organized really well and its very clean. However, USAC didn't go over how to use the insurance when visiting the hospital and that was a bit confusing trying to figure out at the hospital when you are sick. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe here. Thai people are super nice and generally tend to keep to themselves. Just trust your instincts and don't go looking for trouble and you will be fine. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I think I could have found a different program in Thailand with way better administration and education. |
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) |
Chiang Mai can be really as cheap or expensive as you want. You can easily eat a whole meal under $2. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Even though things are cheaper in Thailand, don't forget that money adds up! |
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 |
They didn't really encourage use to learn thai besides "hello" and "thank you". |
| 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 |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | That class assignments would be very vague, overall grades were not available, and administration is not supportive. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
