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featured programs

Study Abroad with CIEE in Australia Study in Australia
wollongong—arts + sciences

Study Abroad with CIEE in the Caribbean Study in Bonaire
bonaire—tropical marine ecology

Study Abroad with CIEE in China Study in China
shanghai—advanced chinese studies

Study Abroad with CIEE in China Study in China
shanghai—business, language, + culture

Study Abroad with CIEE in Germany Study in Germany
berlin—language + culture

Study Abroad with CIEE in Italy Study in Italy
naples—liberal arts

Study Abroad with CIEE in Italy Study in Italy
naples—classical studies

Study Abroad with CIEE in Peru Study in Peru
lima—business + society

Study Abroad with CIEE in Peru Study in Peru
lima—language + culture

Study Abroad with CIEE in Sweden Study in Sweden
uppsala—arts + sciences

Study Abroad with CIEE in Taiwan Study in Taiwan
taipei—chinese language + culture

Study Abroad with CIEE in Vietnam Study in Vietnam
ho chi minh—language + culture

CIEE will return to a rolling admissions process for the Cape Town Arts & Sciences Program beginning with the fall 2009 application cycle. CIEE has increased its capacity in Cape Town and can now accommodate a significantly larger number of qualified students due to newly acquired housing near the UCT campus and the elimination of the UCT-imposed enrollment cap.

Student Experience

Rob Hurtekant was the recipient of the CIEE Student of the Year Award in 2006-07. Rob volunteered at the Tembalethu School for the Physically Challenged, where he made a profound impact.

Click here to read about Rob and view the video produced in his honor.

Photos


Student Stories

Strolling the beautiful beach of Camps Bay, hiking Table Mountain, being greeted by friendly South Africans, and spending leisure time at the Waterfront are some wonderful memories of Cape Town. Although I enjoyed all of those events, there is something else about Cape Town that makes me want to live there in the future: volunteering in Khayelitsha Township.

Volunteering at the Baphumelele (“we have conquered”) orphanage has been the most influential experience of my life. The orphanage is run by Rosie Mashale who started the home with a baby girl left on her doorstep. There are currently about eighty children, from infants to eighteen-year olds. They lived in one small home until recently, when Habitat for Humanity built an additional house. The infrastructure of this township of about 1.5 million is gradually progressing where sewage, running water, and electricity was installed a few years ago. Khayelitsha is third world within the first world, Cape Town.

I became very attached to the children at Baphumelele and it was difficult to leave. The children usually eat bread and water, although they do have healthier meals at times. Even though they were hungry, I always saw them share food with each other to make sure that everyone had some. The children were like brothers and sisters caring for each other. My friends and I bought them new clothes, good food, and took them to the beach. It has been almost two months since I left and I still remember their kisses, their faces when I carried them, and the way they slept with exhaustion. I think I had more fun than they did and I will remember them as not being poor, but as being joyful at heart. I pray that God will watch over them and keep them safe.

— Vanna Leelapumipongchai, California State University-Long Beach

Housing & Meals

Housing is included in the program fee. Students have several choices:

UCT Residence Hall—Students live in apartment-style UCT residence halls with South African or other African students. Students have small single rooms and share kitchen and other facilities with two or three other students. CIEE Resident Assistants live in the residence hall with the students. All of the residents of the apartment share basic cleaning duties. Students are responsible for their own meals which are not included in the program fee. Students can prepare their own meals or eat at establishments on or off campus. Please note that amenities are more basic in the UCT residences, but students looking for an immersion experience will enjoy interacting with South African and other African students. Shuttle buses link UCT residence halls with all UCT campuses, a five-minute ride.

Off-Campus Houses or Apartments—Students share off-campus houses or apartments near campus with fellow CIEE program participants and local students. Students have small single rooms (some houses have a small number of double rooms) and share kitchen and other facilities with five to ten other students (fewer in apartments). All of the residents of the
houses or apartments share basic cleaning duties. Students are responsible for their own meals which are not included in the program fee. Students can prepare their own meals or eat at establishments on or off campus. Local UCT students (CIEE Resident Assistants) are selected to live in off-campus houses with CIEE students.

Homestay with South African Family—This option provides an excellent opportunity for immersion into the local culture and is
strongly recommended for students who wish to take full advantage of their experience in South Africa. Breakfast and dinner are provided during the week. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided on weekends. Lunches during the week are not included in the program fee and are the responsibility of the student. Since homestay families are located throughout the Cape Town area, students are required in most cases to utilize public transportation to and from UCT, a 20–30 minute commute.

Internet

Students have access to email and the Internet at the University of Cape Town. On campus, the labs can be crowded and often full, but off-campus Internet cafés are inexpensive and easily accessible. Many students have brought laptops with them and are able to register their laptops and use them in the computer labs on campus. Wireless connections are available in the off-campus houses. Ethernet connections are available in the rooms at the UCT residence halls. Internet reliability and access is not always available at the same level as in the U.S.

Updates from Abroad

Are you curious about how students spend their time abroad at a CIEE Study Center? There are so many exciting activities that we thought study abroad advisors - and you - would love to learn about, that we asked our Resident Directors to describe CIEE orientation, field trips, courses, and more. The information they send back is the best way to learn about on-site activities first-hand.

Click on the links below and see what you could be experiencing next semester!

Spring 2010

Orientation

Online Pre-Departure and On-Site Orientations
Students begin their study abroad experience in Cape Town before even leaving home—by participating in a CIEE Online Pre-Departure Orientation. Meeting with students online, the Resident Director shares information about the program and site, highlighting issues that alumni have said are important, and giving students time to ask any questions before leaving home. The online orientation allows students to connect with others in the group, reflect on what they want to get out of the program, and learn what others in the group would like to accomplish. The CIEE goal for the pre-departure orientation is simple: to help students understand more about the program and site, as well as their goals for the program, so that they arrive to the program well-informed and return home having made significant progress toward their goals.

During the mandatory orientation, students participate in programs organized by CIEE as well as UCT activities for international students. The goal is to introduce students to the country, culture, and academic program, and to provide practical information about living in Cape Town. Students are also introduced to the academic requirements of the University and are shown how to make best use of campus facilities and services. Sessions include lectures on African history, politics, geography, safety, and “survival skills” for visiting students. During orientation, local UCT students assist the international students. The services provided during orientation are maintained on an individual and group basis throughout the program.

Alumni

Students from the following institutions have participated in this program:

Agnes Scott College
American University
Amherst College
Arizona State University, Tempe
Barnard College
Bates College
Beloit College
Berea College
Bethel University
Bluffton University
Boston College
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Brown University
Bucknell University
Buena Vista University
Ca St Polytech-San Luis Obispo
California State University-Long Beach
Case Western Reserve University
Claremont McKenna College
Clemson University
Colby College
Colgate University
College of Charleston
College of the Holy Cross
College of William & Mary
Colorado College
Colorado State University
Columbia University
Concordia University (CA)
Connecticut College
Cornell University
Davidson College
DePaul University
DePauw University
Dickinson College
Drake University
Eckerd College
Emory University
Endicott College
Fairfield University
Flagler College
Fordham University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Goucher College
Grinnell College
Guilford College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hamilton College
Harvard University
Haverford College
Howard University
Indiana University
International Christian University
Johns Hopkins University
Kenyon College
Lehigh University
Lehman College
Loyola College
Luther College
Macalester College
Manhattan College
Marist College
Marquette University
Merrimack College
Middlebury College
Moravian College
Morehouse College
Mount Holyoke College
Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg University
Murdoch University
New School University, Eugene Lang College
New York University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Occidental College
Pacific Lutheran University
Pacific University
Pomona College
Portland State University
Purdue University
Quinnipiac University
Reed College
Saint Louis University
Saint Mary's College (CA)
Saint Mary's College of California
Salisbury State University
Santa Clara University
Sarah Lawrence College
School of the Art Institute
Scripps College
Siena College
Skidmore College
Smith College
Spelman College
St. Cloud State University
St. John Fisher College
St. Lawrence University
Stanford University
Swarthmore College
Syracuse University
Temple University
Texas Christian University
The College of New Jersey
The Pennsylvania State University
The University of Tennessee
The University of Texas at Austin
Trinity College CT
Trinity University
Tufts University
Tulane University
University of Arkansas
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Connecticut
University of Hartford
University of Houston
University of Idaho
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois-Chicago
University of Kansas
University of Maine
University of Maine-Farmington
University of Maryland
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of Missouri-Columbia
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
University of New Hampshire
University of Oregon
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Richmond
University of San Diego
University of San Francisco
University of Scranton
University of Southern California - CLAS
University of Southern California-CLAS
University of Tampa
University of Vermont
University of Virginia
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Villanova University
Wake Forest University
Washington and Lee University
Washington State University
Washington University
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
Western Washington University
Wheaton College, MA
Whitman College
Willamette University
Williams College
Winthrop University
Wittenberg University
Wofford College
Yale University

Evaluations

ACB Evaluation2004 ACB Evaluation
Following the principles and process set by the ACB, the evaluation report is made available once it is approved by the ACB. Program Evaluations happen about once every five years.
Annual Study Center Review2009 Annual Study Center Review2008 Annual Study Center Review2007 Annual Study Center Review
New in summer 2004, the Annual Study Center Review replaces the end of session reports written by the resident director. The Program Director solicits feedback from staff throughout the organization (including resident staff) as well as from the ACB and other Consortium member institutions in the drafting of these documents.
Student Evaluations 2009 Fall Student Evaluations2009 Spring Student Evaluation2008 Fall Student Evaluation2008 Spring Student Evaluation2007 Fall Student Evaluation2007 Spring Student Evaluation
CIEE began on-line student evaluations in spring 2003.