Program Reviews

It seems like this program has changed a lot since the Hurricane in 2017. The staff has turned over, rules have gotten stricter, and overall program quality seems to have decreased (unfortunately). Academics aren't too difficult but lots of busy work and boring class time restricts your time out in the field (classes are 8am to 6pm M, T, Th, F while the semester is in full swing). Lectures could have been cut in half with the same content covered. On Wednesday and Saturday you have waterfront and community service time, but due to bad planning we lost our Wednesdays during the second half of the semester. Directed research projects, advertised as a highlight for the program, only have 10 field days and really only happen during the last two weeks of the semester. Added on to this is the way the staff treats you- like a middle schooler. Curfew, no kitchen entry, have to sign out if you want to swim, not allowed to stand or move in boats (even though many students can drive boats better than the staff), etc... Its degrading and endlessly frustrating (they even went as far as to put up barbed wire and security cameras because they didn't trust us). As someone who just wanted to explore South Caicos and participate in a field studies focused program, I felt this program did not live up to many of my expectations. I had tons of fun times on South and may be a little harsh in my review, but it was hard to look past all these shortcomings during my time abroad with SFS.

I had an amazing time with SFS Cambodia. The classwork is incredibly interesting and the ability to go into the field and connect what you have learned in class to real life experiences is unlike any learning setting I have been in before. The center is also located in a central location and it is very easy to get into downtown Siem Reap. The first portion of the program is very busy with homework and full days, which can sometimes leave you feeling overwhelmed and as if you have no time to actually enjoy the city you are living in. However, the directed research portion does allow for more free time because you are doing most of your work on your own. My directed research project was the highlight of the trip for me, as it allowed me to interview indigenous people in Cambodia, an experience that I will never be able to recreate in the future.

Overall, I would recommend this program to someone who is passionate about environmental science, and who is comfortable living in close quarters with a small group of people. You must be flexible, and able to adapt to situations that you may be unfamiliar with. Keeping an open mind and a positive attitude throughout the program is definitely one of the major reasons I enjoyed myself so much.

my semester with TIBS was awesome! It was so cool to have the ocean, rainforest, and archipelago as a whole as a classroom. All of the professors and staff at SFS are amazing people who truly make the program as awesome as it is. They're all super talented and passionate about what they do and for sure people I'm coming away super lucky to have gotten to know. The classes were all super engaging and interesting. The center is right on the water and they have paddle boards and kayaks to use which was awesome. The town is super close and most of the activities there are to do on your free time are diving, surfing, snorkeling, and hanging out on the beach. There is not much free time during the first two months but there is more once directed research starts. I didn't mind at all being so busy the first two months though because classes were so cool and we got to go to so many different places with class.

I didn't really know what to expect going into this semester. Before this semester, I had never traveled abroad, so going to the other side of the world for three months was a fairly big first step. However, now as the semester is wrapping up, I'm finding that I'm not really ready to leave.

There are several reasons why that's the case. First of all, the staff at SFS Cambodia is incredibly friendly and the community is very tight-knit, so everyone starts to feel like your family fairly quickly. Also, our living conditions at the center are incredibly accommodating and, frankly, luxurious. The food is some of the best that I've ever had in my life, and it is such a privilege to have every meal cooked for us.

As for the academics, I found all of the professors to be very qualified and all of the material to be fascinating, but I sometimes felt as if lectures could be made shorter. When we're not traveling, the structure of our class schedule feels very similar to high school, which is a difficult transition coming from a college campus. I also wish that we had more than a month to conduct our direct research project, because it is a lot of work to pack into a very short amount of time. However, having the opportunity to conduct so many field interviews is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and probably my favorite part of this program.

In general, this is a BUSY program, which can have its pros and cons. A lot of the work and field trips are front-loaded, so you don't really have time to sit around and think about how much you miss home in the beginning. Personally, during that time, I was so in awe of all of the amazing places we were going to that I couldn't feel homesick if I tried. That's not to say that I wasn't exhausted. If you hate waking up early, don't choose this study abroad program.

I can't imagine anyone regretting doing a semester of SFS Cambodia. It's such a cliche, but it is a life-changing experience in so many ways. I came here from a very high-stress university where I had a lot of responsibilities, little class time, and no one looking over my shoulder to make sure that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. SFS Cambodia is the opposite of that, and in some ways, I have grown to love it. While we're busy, we don't have to make our own schedules and the pace of life also feels slower. Compared to my home university, it has actually been so much easier for me to be present and appreciate the little, wonderful moments around us, of which there are so many in a program this unique.

SFS Australia is set right in the rainforest, up 30 minutes of windy highway. It may seem secluded, but this program is good at introducing you to Australia and it's many, many amazing features.
The Centre itself is remote but well-structured. You live in one-room, multi-person cabins a 5 minute walk from the main building, which has a kitchen, lounge, computer room, and classroom. The local wildlife is unlike anything I'd seen: wild brush turkeys with confidence to boot, long-nosed bandicoots, tiny kangaroos called pademelons, death emus called cassowaries. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner feature all the students and staff, family-style (the cook is also amazing, by the way). The three classes (Rainforest Ecology, Principles of Forest Management, Socioeconomic Values) are informative and stimulating. There will be some days full of just lecture, but other times, you'll head out in the vans for a field trip and learn so much from exposure. The Directed Research project is one of the best parts of the program, where you work in a small group to make a real journal article, poster, and oral presentation.
Would highly recommend for a wild and fun time!

The SFS Turks and Caicos staff are for the most part great people, but unfortunately, you are treated like you are a little kid on the program. No, you cannot go in the kitchen unless you are supervised. No, you cannot go out past 10pm. Additionally, you have very little freedom to explore the local culture and do what you would like to do because you are in the classroom from 8am to 5pm most days and on top of that you have multiple group projects a week along with extensive readings each day (and no the class time, readings, and group projects don't slow down or stop at any point in the semester). Did I mention that there is a curfew so as soon as you finish with that a**load of work, it is already past the time when you are able to engage with the local culture? Yeah, this program made many people cry because of how difficult it was. If you're going abroad to learn about marine biology rather than to experience a local culture and enjoy yourself, go ahead. However, even if you are going solely to learn, this program lies to you about the field research you have to complete. If you think this program is great because of the large amount of field research you get to do--you're wrong. Throughout the program you're told that the last month is dedicated entirely to field research--LIE. You get a single weeks worth of field research and many people get field assignments that they hate. Just want to throw in this quote that an SFS staff member told several students halfway through the program--"Most people end up hating this program by Thanksgiving." Don't go. You'll regret it. I hear great things about the School for International Training if you'd like to not hate your program but still do field research.

I attended the Summer I session to AU and NZ this year and I could not be happier. The program is very travel intensive, with frequent day trips in both countries. There were always planned activities, things to do, places to see, and people to meet. One of the most valuable aspects of this experience, for me, was having a chance to meet indigenous people in both countries and hear their stories related to environmental stewardship, colonization, history, culture, and modern politics. Not only do you witness and learn about the impacts of colonization on the environment, but you gain a deeper understanding of how colonization affects the people who originally lived in these countries. In this way humans and the environment are considered as a single issue, rather than being separate. Plus you're experiencing people's culture and hearing their stories first hand. Another key topic of this program was ecological restoration. You have the chance to see restoration projects in the works and are able to help with the realization of these projects. Overall this program gave me a greater appreciation for the relationship humans have with the environment and how we have negative and positive impacts on the world around us.

The accommodations for the program are very nice. The cabins in AU are much better than the usual cabins at campgrounds (at least from my experience) and the food is amazing! You are able to be fully immersed in the environments in both AU and NZ. In NZ the Prime family is beyond amazing and they make you feel like part of the family. Plus staying in their Marae is a wonderful time to really get to know fellow students. Our group bonded a lot during our time in NZ! In the end, our group became incredibly close and we all have left AU as friends.

The academics of this program are not quite as scientific as I had hoped, but I'm still very pleased with it overall. You do have to think critically and be a bit self directed in terms of learning from the excursions and activities. There are some lectures as well to supplement field activities. If you go into everything as just a vacation, you might not get as much out of it, other than a fun trip. But if you keep an open mind and are willing to learn from everything and everyone, you'll come away with a lot of knowledge! It's also important to take lots of notes, even in the field. The academic work was somewhat disorganized, but the academic staff all responded well to feedback. The main issues were a lack of grading rubrics and not having a whole lot of time to prepare for the final exam. But it's still a great program!

I also enjoyed having some free time in both NZ and AU. My group got together to plan activities during our time away from the program and we all had a great time. We were able to experience some night life, go on day trips to beautiful locations, and even snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef! Definitely worth the money to take some day trips, like the GBR in AU and the islands off the coast of Aukland in NZ. Rangitoto Island is beautiful!

Finally, the staff at SFS are so wonderful! I had the unfortunate experience of getting very sick during the last week of my stay in AU. I ended up being sick for 2 weeks and having to stay at the centre for an extra week. The staff allowed me to stay at the centre and made sure I was very comfortable. They also helped me open cases with my insurance companies, took care of scheduling doctor appointments and transported me to said appointments, and helped me with rescheduling my flights. If anything happens during your stay, rest assured that you will be well taken care of! I was glad to have so much help and to have received so much generosity from the staff (both at the centre and at SFS headquarters). I can't thank SFS enough for the help they gave me during my illness!

I was on the fence about going to this program at the beginning, but I am so glad I went. It's worth every penny! There's no way you can get an experience like this on your own. Financial aid, scholarships, and fund raisers really help to lighten the bill. I was able to cut my total costs almost in half this way. And for what I paid, I couldn't have done everything that we got to do if I traveled on my own! I met so many amazing people and had an absolutely wonderful time. This was truly a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.

I absolutely loved SFS Tanzania. The staff and faculty are all amazing, and you are able to have so many unique experiences that you can't get anywhere else! Also, you really feel like you are able to make a difference in conservation, because the community really takes into account what your DR research shows at the end of the semester. I would absolutely reccommend this program to any and all who are interested in wildlife, conservation, or both!

This summer, I had the opportunity to join approx. 20 other students from different states around the USA on a study abroad program in East Africa. The School for Field Studies was an absolutely fantastic program that left me with many unforgettable memories and friendships. It helped foster my passion for wildlife research even more and I look forward to a future with SFS support from this adventure. I would highly recommend The School for Field Studies study abroad for any curious, young scientist who wants a taste of what it's like to conduct research on the other side of the world. I knew after leaving this program, with my heart still pumping on the plane ride home, that this is the field I am destined to be in.

In the fall of my sophomore year at my home institution I decided to study abroad; a little over a year later, I was stepping off of a plane in the Cairns, QU airport. I had never been outside of the US and I never studied ecology in a rainforest; so I felt incredibly excited, but also very intimidated by the prospect of navigating entirely new circumstances.
Immediately upon landing I met other students from the program as well as several members of the SFS staff. The atmosphere was welcoming and I found myself immediately connecting and trusting the other students and our staff members. This set the stage for a successful semester both academically and socially.
When people think of going abroad, typically a worry is whether the program is actually oriented toward academics. For me this was very important because I am a science student (biology major), and I needed to be able to come back with something on my resume. In my experience, the individual SFS courses are designed with science students in mind; although not incredibly challenging, they require a certain level of understanding of research and experience with biology and environmental studies classes. The program moves quickly and research is a large element of the experience; therefore I don't recommend the program to someone who is not at least an environmental studies minor.
Safety is usually people's next concern when going abroad; I never felt unsafe on my study abroad with SFS. Safety was an important part of the program because of the location (in a remote area with some of the most poisonous snakes/spiders/marine animals in the world) and there were protocols put in place on the first day which prevented any eventful things happening during my experience. Even while on spring break, when we were on our own, we still had one of our professors within 40 minute of our location, and had safety contact information with multiple members of staff. If safety is why you're not considering this program- think again; in situations where action could be taken to prevent injury/etc.. the SFS staff are fully prepared. As for something like a terrorist attack; these happen everyday all over the world- and this shouldn't deter you from choosing to study abroad.
Having talked about safety concerns and academics, I would like to express how much fun this program actually is! The experiences I had on this program are really irreplaceable in my mind. There is never a dull moment in the SFS AU program, and you will never find yourself 'looking for something to do'. Whether it is daily activities going on around the Centre or field trips to old abandoned mining towns and caves in the outback or several weekends exploring Cairns, there is something for everyone (really). One week you might be traveling around the Atherton Tablelands interviewing local residents, and the next week you could be attending a fruit-tasting in The Daintree (one of the largest pieces of untouched lowland rainforest in the world).
One of my most memorable experiences was Spring Break when I was able to diving on the Great Barrier Reef (very affordably) with several friends from the program. I realized while I was diving that I was actually experiencing something that I had previously only studied. It was inspiring and it made me more excited about pursuing my career in biology. Experiences like these that combine what you are studying with what your are actually experiencing are things you will never forget and can be invaluable toward shaping the future you want.
SFS AU allowed me to experience so many new things that I had only previously dreamed about. Yes, it is an academically challenging program, and working hard is expected; however, there are many fun experiences to be had, so much room for personal growth and improvement. This program will give you as much as you want; if you take full advantage of it, you will come out of this experience more mature, more open and receptive to different points of view, and with more stories than anyone wants to hear.