Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA)

I was a part of the IFSA program at UNA from July 14 to November 14 of 2017. I honestly could not have asked for a better experience. The support offered by the program is phenomenal. There are three full time staff members dedicated solely to this exchange program at the University, and they honestly care about your well being and how you are handling both the cultural and academic pressures of being abroad. You get to know them very well as they are heavily involved in the program, the program director was pretty much a father figure to all of us! The classes at the University are challenging but very manageable in both requirements and time commitment. The host families used by the program are screened intensively, and if a student has a bad experience with one they are not used for the program again. My host family was absolutely lovely and really made me feel like a part of they family, including me in trips and family events such as Mother's Day! It has been almost a year now and we still keep in constant contact and I am planning a visit back to see them! I also had the opportunity to make many local friends who showed me around the city and its nightlife and whom I still keep in touch with! All of this is in addition to being able to explore all that Costa Rica had to offer, I was able to visit a new town or park almost every weekend! The program itself also runs a few trips to help show you the country! Not to mention, that through the total immersion offered by the program my Spanish got a 100 % better! I can legitimately call myself fluent now! Honestly, it was the semester of a lifetime and an experience I will definitely never forget.

Costa Rica is a really diverse place and I felt like it is a good place to go if you're a person of color because you blend in and the students at the National University are super friendly. I'm also latinx, and there was a lot of camraderie between me and the local students when we found common ground. The UNA is also known for having a lot of international exchange students so they have a great sense on how to make accomodations for you whether it be through IFSA or the greater university as a whole.

Spending a semester in Dunedin through IFSA was wonderful. They take care of the housing through UniFlats so you are placed with other study abroad students who aren't necessarily through IFSA, as well as a Kiwi host. The Kiwi host is a student who attends the University of Otago, and is incredibly helpful in navigating the social and academic scene. My flatmates were amazing, I was able to meet some incredible people, and go on outstanding adventures. Many issues that other friends had with their study abroad experiences were not issues for me at Otago in Dunedin. I loved having a program that supported me, and I loved the staff. When reached out to, I found them to be very helpful; otherwise they stayed out of the lives of the students.

The staff were the best program coordinators of any program I have ever completed in my entire life. They were friendly, helpful, and very personable. There were multiple excursion led by the IFSA program built into the cost of the program, and they were super well-planned and enjoyable. I had plenty of time to travel Europe and explore so many different places and cultures while also enjoying my host country and school. I could not have asked for a more perfect program in every way.

Studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It is a world class university with amazing lecturers and a challenging courseload. I met my lifelong friends on my program and I’m planning on visiting them across the country this summer. The on site support was amazing, especially since I was dealing with some unexpected health problems while abroad. I changed so much while abroad and my academic understanding improved immensely. One of my favorite memories was going to a parliament session and getting to hear the First Minister speak. As someone studying International Relations and Political Science, this was an amazing experience for me. I am so glad I joined a bunch of societies that gave me this opportunity because it made my experience even more amazing. Additionally, I was able to travel all over Europe with my close friends. Overall, I wouldn’t change my experience for the world and I’m planning on returning to the University of Edinburgh for graduate school.