33 reviews
3.87 / 5 based on 33 reviews
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Gabriel B
Academic
Course recommendations
Study whatever you're interested in. However I used a lot of my open credits to study person interests, not classes for my degree at home. I really enjoyed learning South African history, art and literature at a South African university.
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
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0
Gabriel B
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
English is my native language, and Rhodes is an English speaking university so I had no language problems.
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15
Gabriel B
Overall
I wish I had known...
Not really. I knew it would be a very independent adventure to go study in South Africa. I was glad that I didn't know anyone before I got to Rhodes. I had never even met the other Americans that were there. Be ready to be independent and outgoing, it is the only way to ensure you enjoy your time there.
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In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
I think this is one of the best English-speaking universities in South Africa to study at. In the U.S. I went to big university in a huge city. Grahamstown & Rhodes were a welcome change. They were smaller, with a tighter community. I didn't feel suffocated at all. I felt very at home at this university. The students were eager to get to know me, and overall I found everyone to be very friendly and helpful. Rhodes is a very social university, the students go out at night a lot, and travel a lot too. Grahamstown is a great location in terms of travelling around South Africa. The Eastern Cape is very beautiful. The nature setting is very diverse, and there are many different things to see right there in the home province. Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg are all a bus-ride away. Grahamstown was a great base from which to travel all over the country.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
I went to South Africa with a very open mind. I was very determined to experience a lot and meet a lot of people. I tried hard to be out-going and open to new ideas. It was also important to me to not spend all of my time with people from my own country. I loved every minute I was there. I was only supposed to go for six months but I ended up staying a whole year. I made a lot of South African friends. I really felt like a South African university student. I also traveled a lot, I saw most of the country, plus a few neighboring countries. South Africa is a wonderful, beautiful country. Grahamstown is a fun small college town with a good collection of people. I highly reccommend going here. Feel free to ask me any questions.
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3
Gabriel B
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
none
Work opportunities:
It was not legal for me to work
Personal spending habits
My US$ were worth a lot in South Africa so it was inexpensive for me to be there.
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Telephone, Nightlife, Housing, Travel, Food, Overall:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
I think the cheapest way to get money in South Africa is to keep your bank account from your home country. Then get an ATM card that lets you access your home bank account from South Africa. Then you avoid exchange charges.
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Gabriel B
Housing
Type of housing: On campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: On campus
Why?
Living on campus is a great way to meet other students. Life revolves around the residence halls and dining halls. After I had met a lot of students, I would have preferred to live off-campus.
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Personal comments
I was completely satisfied with housing at Rhodes. Every student gets their own residence room. The rooms were pretty big, with all the furniture you needed, plus your own running water. Dining halls were located near by. My residence was in the middle of campus. I was in one of the bigger residences which was great because it was more social and I got to meet more people.
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3
Gabriel B
Student life
Describe host city:
Student life dominates the city
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Activities, Nightlife: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
There are only a few bars in town and they are all fun. It depends on the crowd you like. There were a few coffee shops and cafes that were great to spend time at too.
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