Waste of money Past Review
By Summer J (economics and global health, Truman State University) - abroad from 06/16/2012 to 06/30/2012 with
Study Abroad Programs in India
I learned how to apply what I learned in the classroom to real world situations of poverty and development. I gained a fuller qualitative understanding of poverty to match my quantitative understanding obtained in the classroom. After the program was over, I made lifelong connections with Bangladeshi and foreign friends. I was able to travel independently in Bangladesh and learned how to survive on my own without being babysat by a professor in a program. The India part of the program was not worthwhile. The Bangladesh part was. Honestly, though, I gained a much fuller and richer experience during my time in India before the program started and in Bangladesh after the program ended when I was no longer captive to the restrictions of the program's itinerary and rules.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | The University of the South at Sewanee |
| 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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The India portion was a waste of time. The Bangladesh portion was incredible. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
In India we stayed in four star hotels. I was not happy that our trip was so expensive and that our money was paying for such expensive hotels. I would have been happy to book my own room to save money. |
| * Food: |
The professor ordered all of our meals for us and did not let us eat authentic Indian or Bengali food. She made us eat in five star restaurants and she made us pay for some of our meals which was against the contract which states that all of our meals would be paid for. She taught us to fear South Asian culture and cuisine. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
In India, since we were forced to visit all of the tourist places, we were not well integrated at all. Bangladesh was better |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Our professor was too cautious with us. As a result, we did not have a cultural experience. We had a Western experience in South Asia, which completely defeats the purpose of a study abroad experience. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
Our professor made us eat at expensive restaurants and stay in expensive hotels. She made us pay to ride expensive elephants and camels for no reason. This program was twice as expensive as it should have been. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I would advise future students who want a South Asian experience to choose a different program. This program swindles you out of your money. You end up paying for a tourist vacation. The Bangladesh program was the only redeeming part of the trip and it only cost $500 per person for that week. Therefore, the India portion of the trip for one week cost about $2,000-$3,000 which is absolutely ridiculous. I traveled to India by myself two weeks before the program started and I only spent $200. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | 10+ |
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 wish I would have known that India would be a waste of time and money and that it would be a tourist trap. I wish I would have known that I could have planned an identical trip on my own instead of going through this Sewanee program. |
