Oreos&Milk

Alright, so I decided to make a thread about my experience with studying abroad. I did the FYA, First Year Abroad, program at the Republic of Panama campus. I completed an entire year there, from August 2008 to August 2009, so the experience is still fresh on my mind. If I don't cover something in this post, feel free to ask away.

I'll just do some pros and cons first.

Pros:
- Traveling is relatively cheap in Panama. It's fairly easy to take a bus within Panama to explore the country with a group of friends (if you want to do stuff in addition to the planned trips with the school).
- The currency is the same as the US dollar (they call it the Balboa). But you don't have to deal with currency exchange issues. This is a nice added bonus.
- Immersion in Spanish is wonderful! If you're not there for the Spanish portion of the experience, it's fine. You don't have to be fluent. You can get by with little to no Spanish, but for those who want to take advantage of espanol, it's everywhere. I took three years in high school, but learned a lot more with my immersion in a year than I ever imagined. This is nothing to be intimidated by. Don't let the language barriers pose as an issue.
- Shopping! If this is up your venue, Panama will be a shopper's paradise for you. There are two really worthwhile malls in Panama City. One in particular, the Albrook Mall, has a lot of bargains. Pack light, because you're gonna wanna spend money when you see how cheap things can be.
- The campus itself. FSU Panama has its own campus. It's not as if you're in the middle of total chaos; it's a proper campus.
- On campus, students have access to a very nice gym and Olympic sized swimming pool.

Cons:
- Don't bother going if you're not interested in traveling. An open mind is a must. You won't be comfortable with everything you come across. In all honesty, if you want to just 100% focus on your studies, Panama is not the best location for that. You're gonna want to explore and take in the culture. If you don't mind staying in your room all day, then it's alright.
- Drinking age in Panama is 18. Drinking is apart of the culture. If you're not a drinker, be aware of this and know that it will be happening aroundd you. And it's completely legal.
- FSU Panama just recently, this semester, finally moved into a new building in Ciudad del Saber. There will be kinks and it'll take time to iron it out. The campus is brand new, the building is brand new. This is both good and bad

Those are just some points that I came across off of the top of my head. I know I haven't addressed everything, but here are just some side thoughts.

In Panama, you're gonna need street smarts. You will have to rely on the public transportation system to get around (city buses) or taxis. The goal is to befriend Panamanians and have secure rides with them, but initially, you may have to rely on taxis and buses. Never ever travel alone. Groups of 3 or more are best. My friend and I got mugged in a taxi. We lost all of our money, our credit cards, ID, phone, keys, everything... This isn't to scare anyone off, but the school does not emphasize this enough. If I did this all over again, I'd ALWAYS call a reliable taxi instead of flagging them down. Find reliable taxi drivers, ask for their number, and when you need a ride, call the same drivers that you've come to trust. The school will be able to provide you with such numbers of said drivers.

The trips that the school plans are amazing and very enrichening. The San Blas Islands are one of my favorite trips. I went 3 times and would love to return back one day. You will not regret choosing FSU Panama when you are going on these excursions.

As mentioned before...pack lightly! No need to haul down your entire wardrobe. A few t-shirts, some jeans, and shorts and a jacket/hoodie or two are more than enough. The classes are AC'ed up, so you'll want that jacket.

Take note of the weather and the duration of your stay. If you're going in the Spring semester, you won't really need to worry about the rain as much. Fall and summer semesters, you're gonna want an umbrella. Panama is near the equator; expect heavy rainfall. If you want to avoid the rain, I suggest going during the Spring semester.

I'll edit this as I remember points to mention. But once again, feel free to ask questions.

brysia

Great post! Thank you! How are academics? Are teachers mostly Spanish or mostly from the USA? Are they good? What is the workload? I would imagine that with travel opportunities and other distractions it must be hard to find time to study. How many kids were participating in the FYA and how many kids in total? How easy is it to maintain the 3.0 GPA to get in-state tuition?

Oreos&Milk

Hey brysia! Well, in response to your questions....

The professors are mixed up. My bio professor was from El Salvador, my philosophy professor from the UK... But I'd say most are from Central America. Many of them are well traveled and go to the States often. My accounting professor would often speak Spanish in class, forgetting that there were English speakers in the class. It wasn't too bad, but the classes are immersed with Panamanians. All of them can speak English well enough as they've all passed the TOEFL. They just sometimes get lazy and speak Spanish. But it wasn't a problem or a big deal, really. Accounting was my only class that it was even something to think twice about.

The workload is decent. I took a lot of science pre-reqs while down there, so my load was actually heavier than most of my friend's who were taking business and international relations related classes. Overall, I'd say classes in Panama are easier than classes on main campus.

It is a challenge to find time to study. Thank goodness the classes weren't crazy hard. If you're good with time management, it's totally do-able. That was where most people got caught with their GPAs; not because the classes were too hard, but because of the "distractions". My first semester there, I went out maybe twice? I had a 3.9. My second semester, I went out more and was more social. 3.2. The next semester, summer, I learned how to balance work and fun. 3.6. Came out with a 3.5 after being in Panama and got a lot of my major pre-reqs done while having an amazing experience. I have instate tuition now. Completely do-able. I actually feel I should have done better, looking back... Haha!

There were 6 FYA kids total. This year, I heard there are 12 or 13! But when mixed in with the students there for a semester at a time, there was always at least 20 or so of us. This is without looking into the Panamanians, of course, who come and hang out at the "dorms" (houses) all the time.

Hope that helps. Let me know if there's anything else.

brysia

Oreos&Milk, thank you for your answers. It all sounds great. DD wants to do 2 semesters in one country and summer in another.

Oreos&Milk

Oh yeah? Where is the other location she's considering? Valencia perhaps? I've heard great things about that study center as well.

brysia

2 semesters in Florence and summer in Valencia or Panama. The idea is to pick up some Spanish.

Oreos&Milk

Oh, okay. Well, Panama will be cheaper than Valencia. If that factors in at all. Haha! She won't go wrong either way though. FSU is great with studying abroad. #8 for it, if I remember properly.

brysia

Yes, all programs sound great. She is counting the days till priority decision.

Vitrac

We have a vacation home in Panama and although I don't know much about FSU's program, I wanted to add one thing to Oreos' very detailed and helpful post. Panama has a very large (proportionally of course) Jewish community that is very warm and welcoming. Panama has a very diverse and tolerant population, Many ethnic groups came when the canal was being built and somehow everyone learned to be respectful of one another. The Jewish community has been there a long time and Panama boasts the only country outside of Israel to have had 2 Jewish presidents. I can't verify that, but it is the going word.

brysia

Yes, I noticed every possible ethnicity in the city when I was there for a day off the cruise ship. Local "Europeans" were clearly visible too. A lot of French names in addition to Spanish and English. It was amazing to travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast and back all in one day.