I feel like the academics could have been handled differently, but that's from the perspective of a university student in the US. Obviously academics are going to be different in a new environment, and while they weren't necessarily as formalized as you get in the US, that doesn't mean you don't learn as much (if not more). You learn in a new way, which is the point of the program. I guess that wasn't too critical of a comment. I guess my criticism would be that you have little time to prepare for your ISP (because of all the excursions you take. apparently this program has longer excursions than most SIT programs) so most students are generally under a lot of stress in the beginning. Also (connected to the previous issue), I wish you had more time with your homestay families. I would say the program should be longer, but I know that's not really feasible. I also dont think the excursions should be shortened in any way, so there is no real solution to this problem. Just be prepared for brief moments of stress and disappointment..... but I promise that will not overpower the rest of your experience in any way!