BCA Study Abroad: Chennai, India

Name: BCA Study Abroad: Chennai, India
Brand: Amizade, LTD.
SKU: 15733
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)

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Location

India
- Chennai

Term

Spring

Subject Areas

Business Cultural Studies Economics Education Gender Studies Global Studies History Humanities International Business International Relations Marketing Philosophy Political Science Religious Studies Social Sciences Social Work Sociology Theology +8

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Program Details

Program Type

Provider

Degree Level

Bachelors

Housing

Dormitory

Language

English

Pricing

Starting Price

15733

Price Details

Included:
-Tuition & Fees
-Housing
-Meals in student cafeteria
-Airport Pick-Up
-Cultural Excursions
-Cultural and University Orientation
-On-Site Resident Director Support
-Official Overseas Transcript
-Academic Advising
-International Health and Evacuation Insurance
-BCA Study Abroad support services before, during, and after the program

Scholarships available-Visit the BCA Study Abroad website for more information and to apply for scholarships!

What's Included

Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Classes Meals Wifi

What's Not Included

Airfare Travel Insurance Visa

Last Updated: Aug 15, 2018

Last Reviewed: Nov 21, 2017

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About Program

As a BCA student, you have a profound opportunity to connect with locals through your internship with an organization or business in the city. This experience will allow you to form relationships with locals and an appreciation for Indian culture that will last long past your time studying abroad. Outside of your internship, you will engage with Indian students in your classes, cafeteria, on-campus housing, and through campus activities that highlight the vibrant culture, music, theater and sports scene.

BCA’s Resident Director in India acts as your cultural guide as you dive into the cultural hotspots of Chennai and helps you to gain the confidence and knowledge you need to navigate the city on your own. You also travel through India together to better understand the country’s vast historical and cultural diversity. Excursions outside of the city vary by semester but in the past have included the Taj Mahal, the cave sanctuaries at Mahabalipuram or the seaside city of Pondicherry.

This program is currently not being promoted on Go Overseas by its provider. Check with Amizade, LTD. for the most up-to-date information regarding the status of this program.

Video and Photos

Visit Agra's Taj Mahal on one of many excursions

Program Highlights

Study in Southern India – an off-the-beaten track location for study abroad! Learn about the history, culture and food that make Chennai, and Southern India, unique.
Stand out by adding an international internship or placement to your resume! Work with a local non-profit or community-based organization, business or research center.
Retreat from bustling Chennai, India’s fourth-largest city, by living and studying on the college’s gated and quiet campus. It’s a majestic forest full of trees and wildlife, including bird varieties, geckos, porcupines, toads, and spotted deer.

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Fun 4
Housing 4
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India is tough. Period. Especially for those of us who are so used to Western amenities. New experiences await, like using a bucket for taking a shower and doing laundry, coexisting with all sorts of animal friends, and more culinary flare than your Uncle Fieri's spice-rack. Putting aside the lack of municipal garbage disposal and flooding, the streets are fun to explore and highly chaotic for those that love to live in the moment. Public Transportation in Chennai is efficient and very cheap; I used the suburban train almost every day for commuting. Unless your academia is Social Work, a good chunk of your time will be spent exploring Chennai with new friends, all of whom I met were originally from the College (lone student abroad). Anupama Pai, the current director, is also amazing and easy to speak. Just be on time for things (unlike some of us). As long as you are ready for the constant sweating and a nuance of gender norms, BCA Chennai is a terrific program!
Disclaimer: I studied Political Science, that [2] under academia would be an [8] for Social Work.

What would you improve about this program?

I believe more emphasis can be put on exploring the city, because the college is in a suburb, Tambaram, and some students never get to see the urban center as much as they should. Much is left to be desired in attempting to learn the local language, Tamil, especially due to the college's language department and how they operate with foreign students, but this matter is a work in progress.

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Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

I chose to spend a semester in India because my time throughout Europe was already so familiar. Chennai was on a continent that I have yet to trek to and I wanted to challenge myself and my cultural conceptions.

A simpler answer to that question is my fascination with Indian music and dance, as well as seeing my department available at the college.

What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

Their assistance financially was paramount in the months spent away. Scholarships, and contract-employment positions always kept my spending budget intact. I participated in BCA's Storyteller Program, which gives potential students a block of media, including photos, videos, and blogs from my time abroad for which I was paid.

As for self-organized entities, it is up to the individual students to immerse themselves in college life and social outings not organized by the program director. Students are given an excellent path to thrive in Chennai, but it is up to them how involved they are.

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What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

The only piece of advice I was given by 5-minute experts on my travels was to not drink the water. I can attest that the water in Chennai is drinkable, however, my advice is to ween the body onto the notorious nourishment.

It takes about two weeks before the body is ready to switch to local tap, whether it's restaurant drinking water or fresh juices. There is also a confidence factor, this goes for Indian food as well, meaning that the more confident one is in their digestive choices, the less time they will spend sitting in the restroom during the program.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Students are either a part of the morning (8:30-13:30) college or evening (13:30-18:30) college, which will affect daily social activities. BCA students usually take between 2-3 courses and an optional internship with their department, plus a weekly get-together with the program director and a few scheduled lessons of Tamil, the local language, every week.

Given there are only 2-3 courses, called "papers" there, the schedule is cherry-picked throughout the cycle of six days, and is subject to rearrangement in the middle of the semester without proper notice. The college is beautifully chaotic, to say the least.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

Knowing that I was the lone student in my semester program, I felt quite nervous about social interaction and having a support system. However, upon arrival, the program director and I gained an excellent rapport and making friends on campus was easier than first expected.

The issue took a shift in perspective when I stumbled upon two applications called Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp as ways of keeping in touch with home base, and when I became a founding member of a tight-knit friend group that formed off campus, which I still miss dearly. Social aspects come naturally to those who take the initiative of conversation.

The weather is better, the food and water are not dangerous, you've been there before; so once again, why India over somewhere like Europe?

This is a question that I faced by many puzzled friends and reluctant family. I believe that studying abroad is all about questioning inner cultural perceptions and starting adult life with a perspective outside the home bubble. That perspective really smacks the face of Indian newcomers, with chaotic traffic, fiery food, dangerously-relaxed departments, and living in one culture surrounded by infinite others.

India is known for their diversity, but some challenges are universal. Although that is exactly the point, it is a challenge. Students are well supported and are given as many amenities as possible, but at the end of the day, a program like BCA Chennai builds character and resolve, while giving students an opportunity to live in the most chaotically-functional diverse democracy on the planet.

However bleak the day may look, a handful of Dosa bread and a tumbler of Chai can fix just about anything.

About Amizade, LTD.

Amizade is the product of hundreds of service-learning pioneers who have engaged in over two decades of programmatic and academic development; it is the result of never-ending efforts by communities around the world to welcome others; and it is an ongoing global movement by over 26,000 alums, and hundreds of thousands of others, to create a more...