Program Reviews

I am a cultured, intelligent, well-rounded person that always loved nature and conversing with beautiful people in beautiful places. Yet I realized I knew close to nothing about anything until I came to New Zealand.

I was a thorough traveler throughout many parts of the world, but none of them came close. The amazing community that is Wellington is fantastic. The program coordinators are WONDERFUL. I made connections with people I know will always exist. The natural beauty of the country make the people so hospitable, curious, and considerate.

I seriously learned so much about myself, and about everything else.

GO TO NEW ZEALAND!!!!

Prior to coming to New Zealand I studied abroad with a different program in a different country, Arcadia was far more organized and in touch with us while giving us maximum amount of freedom. Weekly emails kept everyone in the loop and gave us the option to meet up if we wanted while not being over bearing. Jane Gunn Lewis was a FANTASTIC on site director with lots of stories to tell!
Housing accommodations were great, everybody got their own room with shared kitchen, living room, and bathrooms. It was very spacious and great views (Waiteata Flats).
I never felt threatened in the city at all, but with any city necessary precautions should be taken. There is plenty of night life, a definite college town vibe is present in Wellington. Its beautiful and right on the water, I would go back in a heartbeat!
Disclaimer: be prepared to be climbing steps from the city up to Vic.

Arcadia NZ at the University of Canterbury was an absolutely amazing experience! The program staff was extremely knowledgeable about New Zealand, academics, Kiwi culture, and were always available if you needed help or advice.

At UC, your schedule as a study abroad student is pretty flexible (unless restricted by your home institution's academic requirements), and even a medium-hard course load still allows ample amounts of time to explore the country.

Christchurch is just shy of two hours away from the Alps, with loads of hiking, backpacking, and bouldering. You have direct access to the West Coast, and it also boasts some of the best surfing beaches! Weekend excursions are always feasible and while uni may seem saturated with study abroad students, this also allows you to find people to travel the country with (aside from those in your program).

Well, I am back in Charleston and occupied with nursing school, trying to fall back into my regular routine which has drastically changed since my return from Perugia. I have realized how much Perugia has helped me prepare for what is to come. Being home, I see how being so immersed into the Italian culture has made me more open-minded and will help with all aspects in life. Given the limited amount of Italian I was able to speak I found myself in a place in which I had to learn how to communicate with people in different ways. This brought me the opportunity to practice, learn and hone in on my communication skills. Studying to be a nurse I found that being able to communicate to all types of people is a skill that not only is needed, but also is necessary. Italy and my time in Perugia brought me this new ability.

My most memorable experience is when my parents came to visit me in Perugia. I brought my life, all things familiar, and who I was from America over to Italy. Perugia was my home now, and because of that, it was now my turn to lead. I was able to show them the place that I now called home, the place that even years after leaving the walls of Perugia will continue to be my home. I was able to show my family the people, the places, and the adventures that I found myself surrounded by every day. This time reminded me of my first days that I spent in Perugia, when I was overwhelmed. But while navigating the busy streets, and showing my family the places that have become all too familiar to me, that is when I realized Perugia had become my home.

Your months studying abroad will go by in a blink of an eye, so take advantage of every moment you have. Walk around the city, meet the people, try to communicate, and eat the food, and most importantly, speak Italian! The best part of my experience was making friends with people from all over the world, not just Americans. This will not only make you a well-rounded and interesting person, but it will change who you are forever.

Having visited friends who studies all over Italy, Perugia was unequivocally the best choice...and they all envied my "dolce vita" in Umbria wishing they had chosen Perugia as well.

I studied at Beijing Language and Culture University in Spring 2011 with the Alliance for Global Education, and it was the best semester of my college career, and far more challenging, meaningful, and immersive than other programs in China students from my university have attended. I increased the level of my language skills by more than a year of American schooling and have no difficulty keeping up in my current Chinese class. I had the opportunity to do an internship in Beijing, and spent ten days traveling with the rest of my program in southern China as well as a week traveling independently along China's eastern coast. Amazing native/local staff, demanding professors in language courses, really nice dorm living, plenty of travel and sightseeing advice and opportunity.

The time I was fortunate enough to spend on the south island of New Zealand through Arcadia University will be with me for the rest of my life. Jane of Arcadia University was all smiles, and gave us an amazing introduction to life in NZ before we landed in Dunedin for the semester.

The sense of community in Dunedin is strong, and they do their best to place you in housing with at least one Kiwi and other students studying abroad. The city itself is super fun and full of young people, good bars and very walk-able. You could hang out only with Americans all semester, or you could make new friends from other countries. It was quite a "choose your own adventure" experience

The tramping is top notch and one should be sure not to stay in town every weekend, just a short drive away is Milford Sound, The Fiordlands, Te Anau, the list goes on.

NZ has a piece of my heart, and I could not think of a better place to study abroad during college.

Arcadia staff (especially Jane) made orientation and Arcadia's organized trips some of the most fun I've ever had. Our group was great and the stuff we did together made for many lasting friendships. I didn't find Otago's academics to be very challenging but I'm of the mindset that most study abroad programs are at least as much about the cultural experience as the academics and I'm sure that I could have picked harder classes. Dunedin is definitely a party town and the Kiwis are crazy but in a good and very friendly way. Living with Kiwi roommates in a "flat" (which was actually a sweet house) definitely made the experience. I highly recommend this program and Dunedin in general.

I studied abroad in Perugia back in the summer of 2006. Wow, that was five years ago. Time sure does fly, but I still fondly remember the time I spent here.

Perugia is not exactly on the top of tourist destinations in Italy, but it's a fun city and a perfect jumping point to visit the rest of Italy. Florence is a two hour train ride north, and Rome is two hours south. Speaking of trains, the Italian system does take some getting used to. It's not always obvious where you need to switch trains so some basic Italian really comes in handy!

I took two summer classes: Italian art history (my major), and photography. Both were pretty basic to be honest, but the experience was more about being abroad rather than the study, if you know what I mean! Each class also included a field trip which was fun.

I lived with two other students from my university in an apartment the program rented for us. I think you have the option to live with an Italian family, but I'm not 100% on that. At any rate, the apartment was nice and clean complete with a small kitchen that we cooked in a lot. There was a small market down the street to buy food. *Warning* Italian stores close in the afternoon from 2 to 7 (approx.) so buy your food early if you don't want to starve.

That's about it. I had a great summer and really enjoyed traveling around the rest of Italy and Europe. I personally loved visiting Venice and other parts of northern Italy. I also made it to Germany and France which were great.

Good luck! I really can't say enough good things about the experience of studying abroad.