Program Reviews

I very much enjoyed my experience abroad at Oatridge College. The instructors and workers at Oatridge were all very warm, welcoming, and helpful! They tried to learn our names as quickly as they could, kept up to date with how we were feeling, and if we needed anything they tried to accommodate us as best they could.

The classes were decently fast paced, but as long as I studied a bit after the class and before the assessments, I did fine.

We also got to ride a lot over the course of the program, and by the end of the four weeks everyone was able to do dressage tests and jumping over small jumps, so the lessons were really quite thorough!

I loved the extra trips we made, especially the trips to Loch Lomond and Perth Races.
There were also plenty of hiking places around the college with amazing views, provided you were willing to climb for them.

I had a great time in Madrid! I already speak Spanish so I was able to live with four girls (who were not on Adelante) from various countries and communicate entirely in Spanish (some of them didn't speak English at all). My internship shadowing Dr Enrique Rojas was wonderful and I learned so much about psychology and psychiatry. I sat in on most of Dr. Rojas' sessions, received lessons during free time, and even conducted a few one-on-one sessions with patients on my own. The social-life was also great, I fell in love with Madrid as a city and can't wait to go back as soon as possible!

As a side note (this is neither good nor bad): I wanted to be very independent on this program and I was able to be (especially because I was not housed in Adelante apartments). I lived abroad for almost half of my life growing up and have been to over 35 countries so I loved that, but I would caution others who might not feel as comfortable navigating a new city/language/culture to live in non-adelante housing because you receive a lot less support.

I was a candidate in Adelante's Chile program for three months in early 2017. At the risk of sounding hacknied, the experience was utterly transformative, thanks in large part to Adelante.

After a friendly chat with the feller sent to pick me up from the airport, I arrived to the candidate apartment. Strangely, it was way nicer than it looked in the pictures. Classes at the International Center (Adelante's in-country fixer organization, which also maintains the apartment and a network of homestay families) started a few days later. They were daily group lessons taught by the wonderful Marcela, who took us on excursions in Viña and Valpo as part of the lessons, and advised us extensively on where to buy meat, how to navigate the streets and slang, etc. The International Center crew was not only extremely communicative (and able to speak English, in large part), they took us out and were generally good buddies. I was traveling alone, so that gracious friendliness kept a certain amount of loneliness at bay.

In my second month I moved to a family homestay. There was some confusion here in regard to communication between the International Center and Adelante, but I still ended up in the right place. The host family was extremely accomodating, but a bit controlling. I decided that I wanted to try a different host family a month later, and the Adelante/IC folks had me in a new house the next day. Despite small problems with the host families themselves, Adelante/IC was adament about holding them accountable, and urged me to report any issue that came up.

My internship assignment was spot on. Marcela made sure I knew how to get there and who to talk to (although the beautiful madness of Chilean Spanish made it difficult to chat at first). I was allowed to work at my own pace and take as many tourism days off as I needed. The staff was endlessly cool... if you end up in the area, I recommend you tune in to Radio Valentín Letelier for a (really) broad mix of alternative music.

There are countless wonderful details about the experience that I don't have time to impart, but I gotta mention the excursions to a local vineyard (the first included as part of lessons, the second offered for free when my parents came to visit me) and Charlie (a sweet street dog often accompanied by "the yellow dog," both of whom followed me into supermarkets, churches, and anywhere else). Generally, the atmosphere of the Adelante/IC was one of helpful kindness, and that made good things happen.

I'm omitting a lot of difficult experiences, which were equally essential to the emotional and lingual growth I achieved down there, but none of those were Adelante's fault. In retrospect, I'm awfully grateful for those negative experiences, but pleased to say that they didn't stem from the organization to which I paid $4000.

Adelante is trustworthy and Chile is indescribably worthwhile. Buen viaje, folks. Pick up a slang dictionary on your way.

-Arlo

I have to say that the internship set up was convenient and the application was easy enough to complete. The cost, in comparison to other abroad competitors, was quite affordable considering I was posted literally 400 feet from in the exact center of Madrid. I would do this again if there was another opportunity to do so. However, I immediately suggest that whoever is looking into this program to plan, at minimum, 6 months ahead to get all the requirements settled. After all, I ended up having more fun than expected. Every penny is worth it and the people I was with were nice enough to help me with anything I needed.

Loved this experience! Going abroad is something that is on everyone's bucket list, so why not learn something while you're at it? Adelante does a fantastic job providing a great experience abroad along with a great internship. The Spanish class that came with my program was a surprise but definitely my favorite part. The internship itself (medical) was great as well- very enlightening. The one suggestion I would give is to make sure to get a visa! Traveling in Europe is fairly affordable and with all the extra time you may have from work, it's worth it to get out and explore! I would do this program all over again!

Absolutely the experience of a lifetime!!! I was terrified before I left and almost bailed because of my anxiety about going somewhere totally new where I wouldn't know anyone coupled with some Visa issues. But the staff (and my Dad) were voices of reason and got me set to leave. And basically from the moment I arrived- everything was great.

I highly recommend living in the housing with other Adelante/international students in Madrid. Definitely some of my best friends were my roommates, but also there is so much going on in Madrid all you have to do is take the initiative to walk outside and you'll meet the greatest people! It's right in the center of the city by so many bars/shops/clubs/transportation hubs/gyms/etc etc etc. Some of the appliances are pretty old and sometimes don't work great (ie microwave, washer, etc), but it's well furnished and equipped with pots/pans which is great. The language school classes before the internship were definitely helpful as a kind of adjustment period.

After arriving home, all I want to do is go back and my Dad likes to remind and tease me about how I didn't want to go and thought I would be happier just doing a regular semester in Boston because the semester abroad was really the greatest one of my life. So JUST DO IT (you're aloud to be scared- but take that leap).

I was very hesitant to do a program like this but I am so happy I did! From the beginning, the Adelante staff was nothing but helpful. I had over a million questions and I am pretty sure I emailed Jeramee about 5 times a day and she replied every single time. They keep you updated (and calm) while you're in the states and continuously check in while you're abroad. The staff in Madrid is awesome as well and will always help if you need anything. For the first two weeks you're in language classes for about 4 hours a day which may seem long but they are necessary. I was slightly annoyed because I thought I wouldn't need two weeks of Spanish classes considering I took Spanish for 3 years but I definitely needed them. The teachers are great and the classes improve your Spanish, I wish I could have taken them the entire time I was here. The only critique I have is the housing situation. For me, I was only there for 6 weeks so I sucked up and dealt with it but others have been here for months at a time and it's not really fair. The room wasn't entirely clean when I arrived and the bathroom was dirty and had a few bugs so a flat mate and I had to clean it. Also it says there's a maid but there isn't so don't expect new sheets or someone cleaning the floors, it's all you. But that has nothing to with program, it's the people running the school. However, the apartment is located in the heart of Sol so you're close to everything: food, shops, metro, school and entertainment. It's also pretty easy to make friends because most people are doing this program alone. I made friends that I know I'll have for a lifetime. And as for the best part of my experience: the internship. I would NEVER have been able to get an internship like the one I have here in America. I was able to get hands on experience, work with an amazing foundation and meet the kindest people. I know I'll still remain in contact with them in the future.

Overall, I highly recommend this program. The staff, the location, the experience, it's all worth it. I feel like I grew a lot as a person through this program and learned from talented professionals. The other nice thing about this intern abroad program is you're not working all day everyday so you have plenty of time to explore the city as well as other cities which I recommend as well. If you want to do something for yourself that will benefit your professional, academic and personal life, this is the program for you.

I interned in Sevilla for 3 months in a school working with kids suffering from severe mental disabilities. It was an amazing experience, I learned so much. Sevilla is a great city with so much history and beauty. I also had the opportunity to travel around Europe because I had 3 days off a week, it was perfect! My living situation was great - living with an awesome Spanish woman. I got to practice my Spanish with her every day and it really helped. The Adelante and Sige team was incredible, especially Catherine who helped me whenever I needed something. Overall this was an invaluable experience and i would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

I did the 4 month program in Costa Rica with Adelante Abroad and loved every minute of it. I graduated collge in May of 2016 and had not done an internship yet so I started to look up internships in Costa Rica and found Adelante´s website. From the very beginning eveyone was very helpful and informational. After I applied, I heard back right away and then made my plans to go. I came with my best friend from college which was very important in our serach to find the right program to go through.
Internship:
Adelante partners with Universidad Veritas in Zapote which is still technically considered San Jose but about 15 minutes outside the center of the city. It is a great location because it is much cleaner and safer. It is also walking distance to San Pedro which in my opnion has the best night life in the area because there are a lot of universities located in San Pedro therefore you can go out and meet locals your own age. I took two intensive spanish courses before being placed in my internship. Adelante was really good about questioning you on the things you want to accomplish in the work place before making your placement. I graduated with a communication degree and a minor in Spanish. I was placed in the Study Abroad office of the University I attended for the first two months which was a perfect fit. The people in my office were great and I lived super close to where I worked. I definitely feel like this internship is something I can put on my resume!
Homestay:
Absolutely amazing, I lived with my best friend in a house with a mamatica very very close to the University. She cooked great food and was very welcoming. She made it very clear that her home was our home. We were a little nervous going into a homestay because we were 22 years old and have not lived with a ¨mom¨ in over 4 years so we were worried about being able to keep our independence. We got lucky with our mamatica because she was on the old side so she was around when we needed her but stayed to herself for the most part. She was awesome because she only spoke Spanish so we got a lot of practice with her.
Overall:
Costa Rica was an amazing experience and I would have stayed forever if I could. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning a new language and culture. I am definitely going to take away so much from this experience!

I participated in 2 months of Spanish courses and 2 months of internship at Universidad Veritas. What an amazing experience! The staff at Veritas was super friendly, helpful, and accessible. The professors were wonderful both inside and outside the classroom and it was great doing my internship with the University's social psychologist.
My homestay was very clean and only a short 5 minute walk to campus. Mama Tica also made la comida más rica! On the weekends I traveled to the beautiful beaches and explored the rainforests. What a beautiful country with amazing people. I loved this experience!