TSE Changed My Life!!

Ratings
Overall
5
Growth: 5
Support: 5
Fun: 5
Housing: 5
Safety: 5
Review

I was a college student looking to do something meaningful with my summer, and randomly stumbled upon The Science Exchange's website. The professional atmosphere of the website and other reviews I read lead me to believe this was a very legitimate program. I applied a little later than most interns but TSE welcomed me with open arms and accepted me to the Bahamas Internship.

A few Skype calls with my soon-to-be-supervisors and some Facebook messages with the fellow interns started my journey, and from the first second I felt like I was at home. We were given scholarship opportunities, an extensive amount of documents and materials to review about life in the Bahamas, where we would be staying, emergency plans, and just about every risk you could ever encounter while traveling internationally. The preparation for this trip was immaculate.

If you're new to field work, a huge component of it is rolling with the punches. Not everything goes exactly as planned because you might have a huge fish that ate all your bait, or the winds have been fighting you and the crew for a few weeks so you can't access a good site, or you get a little homesick.. any problem encountered is one that makes you grow as a scientist and the support system that TSE provided me allowed me to conquer any and all obstacles.

I went into this program expecting a cool resume booster and some awesome pictures. Little did I know, a year later, I am in the process of publishing my own paper on a project I spearheaded during my time in the Bahamas. Whether it was meeting locals and conversing about their way of life, connecting with National Geographic Fellows staying at our research station, working with kids on the island, or hunting down the best conch salad ever, the experience was beyond incredible. I have presented my research, gained lifelong friends, made important connections in the Marine Science field, and overall expanded my horizons and possibilities for myself in this career. I am forever grateful for this program, and I wish I could go back every summer!

Would you recommend this program?
Yes, I would
Year Completed
2016
Media
Photos