Program Reviews

The summer I spent in Guanajuato will forever be one of my most favorite and memorable experiences. Fabiola was an excellent guide, teacher, mentor and friend through the whole program. The program was highly organized and well planned out. Everyday was an adventure. The classes I took at the University were meaningful and manageable. I especially loved all the extra field trips and classes Fabi planned such as our trip to Mexico City and group cooking class. I highly recommend this program!!!!!

I did a month in Guanajuato and it was so incredible. Fabi is one of the most amazing people I have met and worked so hard to make sure we all had a wonderful time. It was a learning experience and a fun one. The Spanish classes at The University of Guanajuato were very helpful and interesting. The trips the Fabi planned for the program allowed us to go to some of the most vibrant and culture rich areas of Mexico. While there were a lot of activities you could do, there also was time for you to explore the city on your own with other people both in and out of the program. I have made life long contacts with my host mom who was incredible to live with as well as others in the program and of course Fabi. She does an excellent job placing people in host families that will take great care of you. If I could do this program all over again I would be back in heartbeat. Guanajuato was amazing on its own, but Fabi took it to new heights.

Guanajuato is a beautiful city full of colour, vibrancy, and a friendly mix of locals and other international students. It's a great city to wander and find live music, fantastic street food or a little bar/coffee shop to relax in. As long as you make an effort with trying to speak, the citizens of Guanajuato are friendly and receptive and it was overall an extremely pleasant place to live. Fabiola and Samantha were our local program administrators with CLA and it's hard to put into words how incredible they were. From picking us up at the airport to showing us around the city to organizing weekly cultural excursions, we quickly became friends who I still keep in contact with today. My experience was definitely improved with Fabiola & Samantha's guidance and I couldn't have asked for a better study abroad program with them. I stayed with a family who again I cannot fault. I was apprehensive at first because I was joining a very large family coming from a small household, but they immediately treated me like I were one of their own. But when living with a family, it's important to get yourself involved with mealtimes and general family time. They are one of your best resources when learning Spanish and they'll be interested in your life and background too! When choosing a study abroad program, the academic program was important. I wanted to learn more about the language and place I was living but didn't want to spend my whole time inside of a classroom. I found that the academic program at the University of Guanajuato was a perfect match of what I wanted, and all the professors I had were extremely friendly and dedicated to helping us learn. Financially, it's important to budget your money and resist the urge to spend it all in the first few weeks. There are so many restaurants, bars, coffee shops, museums and other attractions that if you're awful at self-control like myself, it's easy to overspend at the beginning of study abroad. Other than that, like any tourist city it has its expensive and cheaper areas. It just takes a little while to figure it out.

I had the opportunity to spend three months studying abroad (of my planned six months) before COVID-19 hit. It was truly the best three months of my life. I was placed with a host family that home-cooked every meal and had two amazing and supportive host parents. The academics were good, but the highlight of university life was meeting other students (both domestic and exchange). There were so many opportunities to meet people (language exchanges were a favorite). The cultural activities that we did the program were also really tailored to our interests and super fun/informative (cooking classes, a traditional tattooing workshop). Once COVID-19 hit, the director had us quarantine in her house with her before we had to leave. It was a great bonding experience and above-and-beyond for her to let us to live there just to assure our safety. Everyone involved in the program truly wants what's best for you and for you to have the best time you possibly can. I cannot recommend this program enough. If there's anything I could change, it would be the timing of the pandemic so I could stay longer.

I am very satisfied with the program. That time was indispensable. Fabiola and Samantha are so kind and showed us many places, and always took care of us. Also, they have good relationships with the host families. I found that living with a host family is very different from living alone in Mexico. You can eat Mexican food, talk in Spanish all the time with people who they live there, and you can learn lots of things by living with them. I enjoyed the time with my host family, and of course Fabiola and Samantha.

I studied abroad in Fall semester of 2019 and I loved it! Like most study abroad students, I had my reservations about coming. While of course there are moments of frustration when you can't communicate yourself in Spanish, I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone. You will not only grow immensely in your Spanish abilities, but in confidence, cultural knowledge/awareness, understanding about yourself, and most importantly, your dancing skills haha. (I would highly recommend the dance class- it was awesome). CLA had a lot of things I was looking for in a program. I loved that they were a small organization, run by locals who knew the culture and I could answer my many questions using their own experiences. Fabi and Samantha were awesome and made me feel comfortable talking (even when my Spanish was rough) giving me more confidence to share. I often felt that we had actually known each other longer than we had! haha. Interestingly, I have a lot of other friends who have studied abroad in a Spanish speaking country and their reports seem to be similar. They had a great time but spoke a ton of English with their large group of students in their program, not making many friends with the locals. Being a small program, I was encouraged to speak a lot of Spanish and had the chance to interact with other Mexican students and exchange students, all in Spanish! Regarding the schooling, I really enjoyed my Spanish for foreigners classes. Not only was the location super cool but the classes were great too and I loved the complimentary conversation classes offered through CAADI. The program also did a lot of fun excursions. The city itself is a really great location too. Full of history, there are a million museums and interesting architecture. The night life is also super fun. I didn't realize how quiet my university city was until I returned from the night life of Guanajuato! And of course the food. So yummy! I miss the street ice cream so much. :'( I am also celiac and finding gluten free food can be challenging. However, it was actually really easy to find food to eat! All of the corn products are great. They even have some natural foods stores that carry other allergen free products in case subsisting on corn tortillas is too hard haha. All in all, a wonderful experience with this great program and in such a magical city. Thanks for everything! I will treasure these experiences forever.

I am a senior at Soka University of America, during my junior year I did a semester abroad in Spring 2019, and so far it has been the best experience that has ever happened to me in my life yet. Due to Mexico's proximity to the United States and Mexican immigrants, a lot of us tend to think that we know Mexican culture–I was not the exception. However, here are 3 reasons that I personally think we should choose CLA as a program for study abroad or summer experience. 1. Guanajuato is very rich in history and culture therefore it is UNESCO world heritage. 2. It is a university city. For me, it could not get any better. There is this rich culture in Guanajuato and in addition it has thousands of offers for a young population due to the presence of students. There is no better way of learning and experimenting the Mexican culture first hand than hanging out with fellow students. 3. CLA program offers almost a personalized approach to exploring Guanajuato. Fabiola (the director of the program) is very careful and specific on planning the excursions that will give the students a true understanding of the Mexican way of life. It offers a sense of comfort and trust as not only is she born and raised in Guanajuato but also she is very well traveled therefore she is very understanding of culture shocks and could ease her students in the experience. Something that I personally find very appealing to the program as a whole. Another great thing that I loved about the program is the accessibility of the program director 24/7 to her students. While the culture was certainly distinct from my own, CLA helped me experiment Guanajuato culture to a point that it did not feel so foreign that I could not connect on some level. But that is the charm of Guanajuato and its people, it is different enough to be intriguing and exciting, but not so different that you could not integrate yourself at some point. All the students who do a study abroad in Guanajuato, they always return there atleast once. It is that magical.

I had an incredible time participating in this program! The program director Fabiola was great at answering my questions and concerns before I left the US. She, along with Samantha, were wonderful tour guides, supports, and friends. CLA connected me with classes at the University of Guanajuato, where I was able to take classes with fellow international students from other programs. My host family was very kind and experienced, and lived in a vibrant and safe neighborhood. I was constantly spoken to in Spanish, which I loved because it forced me to step out of my comfort zone and learn so much so fast. The city of Guanajuato is beautiful, and is big enough to have a lot to do but small enough that by the end of your trip you feel like a local. Fabi and Sami led weekend trips for myself and the other CLA student, which were so much fun. The small group allowed us to learn so much more about Mexican history and culture. Also the food and coffee were obviously amazing. I would definitely recommend this program!

My name is Julia, I'm a 21 year old college student from Chicago who recently went on this amazing excursion. I genuinely had no idea what to expect before getting to Guanajuato, but what I experience surpassed anything I could have hoped for. I genuinely had the best summer of my life because of this program. The program director, Fabiola, is one of the greatest people i've ever met. She is extremely committed to making sure that everyone is safe and has an enjoyable experience. We went on weekend excursions to Mexico City, Dolores Hidalgo, and San Miguel de Allende. I laughed SO much during this program, and learned a great deal of Spanish in only one month. The language school itself has wonderful teachers who are very passionate about teaching you Spanish and making sure that you understand the culture. I am very glad I did this program instead of directly enrolling in the language school, because I received such an immersive experience into Mexican culture. Guanajuato itself is such a hidden gem, it has: music, food, and tons of places to explore. Guanajuato is an incredible city, it has retained its authenticity while still being a relatively big city. That being said, it is not a huge city by any means, nor is it extremely touristy. Most of the tourists in Guanajuato come from other Mexican cities. Mexico, and Guanajuato in particular, is so interesting and different from American culture, there is something here for everyone. I would recommend staying with a host family because it is was one of the most rewarding experiences of my trip. I will be returning to Mexico during Christmas, and I hope to see both Fabiola and my host mother while i'm there!

If you are looking for an amazing culture filled experience, look no further!! I have recently returned from Mexico and had a great time. I was able to meet a lot of great friends from Mexico as well as from many other countries around the world. When I arrived in Guanajuato my Spanish was very basic, I knew some words and phrases but that was about it. After a month in the program, I was speaking fluently on a conversational level and able to interact and engage in many facets of Mexican society and culture. Guanajuato is a really special place, it is big enough to always have something to do and explore, but small enough to maintain some of its old world charm. Think cobblestone streets, old beautiful cathedrals, and narrow alleyways filled with museums and cafes. I was able to travel to a few other cities in Mexico before I returned to the US, and Guanajuato remains my favorite. You will understand why when you get there! The reason this is such a great program is because it blends your education at the university with cultural events and trips with the Mexican people. You will attend classes at the University of Guanajuato, it is one of the best schools in Mexico and is centrally located in the heart of the city. There are over 20,000 students who attend the University which creates a really cool atmosphere in the city. It makes it really easy to meet other students and find out about parties/events etc. as you have a common bond with the other students. I made friends from all around the world who attended the school, and my Mexican friends helped me immensely with the language. In addition to your classes, you can take part in various events and trips set up by Fabiola the program director. We took a trip to Mexico City (which was awesome), went hiking, and attended many other cultural festivities. The program director Fabiola is the best, she takes care of everything and is always available for anything you need. More importantly, she arranges and goes to all the events with you, making your transition in a foreign country very smooth. I knew some friends in Guanajuato who were with other programs and they had a very different experience because their programs didn’t organize as well or introduce them to the local community. They were constantly coming to our CLA trips and events! Overall, I had an awesome summer and plan to return to Guanajuato soon. Sign up for this program, you won’t regret it.