Too out-of-the-box to put into words. Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/26/2019 to 12/20/2019 with
Williams College: Mystic - Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program
More worthwhile than I can put into words. A passion for the ocean that I had only slightly tapped into previously.
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. |
The staff and faculty at the program know how demanding it is and, given that it is a small group of students, are very accommodating of individual needs to make it through the academic intensity |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I got to know them so well, they joined in as much as they could so they weren’t just facilitating the program they were also helping color it! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing is awesome in general, however I had a roommate. I would have preferred some privacy given how overwhelming and small the program was. It was more or less 50/50 whether you had a roommate or not. |
| * Food: |
We cooked our own and when we traveled it was an inside joke how much time they spent ensuring we had snacks and tasty meals! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
This is a domestic program so integrating isn't a huge concern. However, the town of Mystic is fabulous and the program gave us all sorts of tips and recs for places to go on weekends/time off. Through use of kayaks, program vans, bikes, gym pass we were able to fully explore the area. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The program did all they could and I was able to visit an urgent care clinic in the next town over—a friend drove me but if I hadn't had access to a car I don't doubt someone from the program would have come and picked me up. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Sailing. Louisiana Bayou. Alaska. These were eye openers to parts of the US mostly unknown—we got to meet true locals who trust us (the program) and put so much effort into welcoming us into their homes. But the rest of the time in CT is just as valuable: spending all your time with 18 other kids and 4 professors makes for an unparalleled learning environment. |
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) |
My house's allotment was more than we ultimately needed for groceries (we should have splurged more!) and the gym membership was given to us free of charge! |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 20-30 bucks for coffee and pastries (the area was full of great options--totally unnecessary, but it was great fun) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Speak openly and freely with your housemates at the beginning of the semester (maybe a week in, when you feel comfortable around each other—this will happen QUICKLY at Mystic) about how you would like to spend your allotted money on food. If possible, I recommend 80-90% money goes in one pool for the house that you all share, and the rest be split for individual treats. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | I was so nervous before showing up. If I had known the faculty and staff's commitment to fostering a loving, trusting, fun community among students, I would have had WAY less reason to worry. Also every student came from a totally different background. There was no need to fear not knowing enough about certain topics—we all brought different things to the table (AKA you do NOT have to be a marine biologist to do this program, you don't even have to be focused on ocean-anything!) |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Oceanographic Processes |
| Course Department: | Oceanography |
| Instructor: | Lisa Gilbert |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Professor Gilbert is a genius! She's incredibly warm and knows how to teach people who are STEM-crazy and those of us who hadn't been in a lab in years. She was always able to bring theory back to the real world and remind us why collecting such data or getting a negative result in an experiment can still be important. WE took great field trips in the area and while on program trips to Alaska, Louisiana and the Atlantic we changed the focus of our studies to apply better to the specific geography. Very cool. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No—however I'm still working on getting specific science credit for it (the academic credit transferred fine, I just want departmental recognition) |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Literature of the Sea |
| Course Department: | English |
| Instructor: | Christian Thorne |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Really, truly fascinating. This was a class centered on student discussion. While I wish we had read more diverse novels (Moby Dick, Sea Wolf, and Master and Commander were a bit male-driven and expected for my liking...though everyone interested in the ocean should read Moby Dick) we also watched Pirates of the Caribbean and Alien, and discussed short stories and deeply considered the forces of identity at play in all our texts. All in all, it was great. I loved the opportunity to write on any ocean-related movie or book we were given. Super flexible and pushed us all to be a bit more creative. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No problems |
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Ocean Law and Policy |
| Course Department: | Political Science/Public Policy |
| Instructor: | Katy Robinson Hall |
| Instruction Language: | Eng |
| Comments: | LOVE love love. Katy is a world-class lecturer. She makes you see the humanity and social justice in what can appear to be minute details of law. She brought us to the waterfront to think about water access, had us work on our own research projects to put us in touch with stakeholders and real-world issues, and had us participate in a full-fledged moot court in front of judges. to train us in argument and team work. My gosh, a once-in-a-lifetime class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | no! |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Maritime History |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Alicia Maggard |
| Instruction Language: | Eng |
| Comments: | WOW. This is a truly challenging and informative experience. Alicia is one-of-a-kind. She made us look at Maritime History through the eyes of those most often left out of the history texts. She threw us into the archives of the Mystic Seaport Museum and taught us how to conduct our own research. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | nope |
