A Blog about Education Abroad

Category: Independent Summer School

  • Kayla at the University of Oxford

    Kayla at the University of Oxford

    Pre-departure:

    In November 2015 I was lucky enough to be invited to Oxford University, in Oxford England, to participate in a 2 week long Social Network Analysis course presented by their Social Psychology Department. The catch, however, was that I had less than a month to organise everything I needed for the trip. My supervisor and I approached the coordinators at the student exchange and mobility program to acquire the funding needed for this training course. They were extremely helpful and gave us everything we needed for the application process. I received support for this trip from the Psychology Department at Stellenbosch University, as well as my supervisor. Once my application for funding was submitted all I had to do was wait.

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  • Camilla exploring alternative ways of sustainable Living

    Camilla exploring alternative ways of sustainable Living

    Pre-departure:

    Working up to the trip in Nepal a lot of preparation had to go into packing and being fully prepared to deal with all the situations we would face up in the mountains trekking as well as in foreign cities, and all the different forms of travelling in between. If I could give a few tips of advice to anyone planning to do the Nepal experiential module through the Sustainability Institute this is how it would go…

    Firstly a fully comprehensive travelling medical kit, insect repellants and allergy tablets are a must! Make sure you have a few rehydrates as well in case you get the runs or incase you get too much sun on one of the days as I did! You never have enough sunscreen or soap. But probably most importantly you need to consider that you are going to be travelling to some pristine parts of the Himalaya Mountains and it is best travelling practice to make sure you leave no trace. Ensuring your products are bio-degradable and eco-friendly is important.

    Living in the open
    Living in the open

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  • Chanel at Globecom in Boston

    Chanel at Globecom in Boston

    PRE-DEPARTURE:

    Our summer program, Globecom, was to be held in Boston at Emerson College. We were also invited to multiple PR related workshops in New York – the best city in the world (apart from Stellenbosch of course).  Since it was our first time travelling to this country, we were as nervous as we were excited. There was still a lot of administrative things to sort out – VISA’s, cash conversions and, of course, what to wear!

    Since we were all female, packing was simple – pack everything! A girl needs her choices, especially since we were invited to various fancy events with Emerson College lecturers, public speakers, and many other important people taking part in our summer program. I started packing at least a month before we travelled. I couldn’t risk forgetting something or packing the wrong things! I couldn’t risk having to spend my money on clothes due to a wardrobe malfunction. So many other important things had to be bought – Starbucks coffees – duh. In order to reduce my chances of a wardrobe mishap, I constantly checked multiple international weather websites for forecasts during our visit. I checked the humidity as well, since cold temperatures don’t necessarily mean cold weather! Remember to leave some space for gifts as well!

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