Program Reviews

Overall, my time in London was great, however, the internship where I was placed was horrible. I would not recommend the internship program solely because of my bosses. I worked at a public relations agency in Oxford Circus. I washed dishes for hours because everyone thought they were too good to wash their own. I was only supposed to work 20 hours a week because of my full course load, but they made me work 25-30 hours. Arcadia was really no help. A lot of personal growth happened because of this, but I learned nothing professionally.

This program provided everything that was needed in order to ensure that I was able to get the most out of this experience. I really appreciated the constant support, but it wasn't over whelming support. I was able to live and learn in Cape Town however I saw fit. Overall, I loved this trip and it was truly life changing.

Stewart (our prof) was the funniest and most sincere man I have ever met. He always was making us laugh and made sure that we were having a good time while we were abroad. I had a friend pass away while I was there and he did what he could to keep my comfortable and allowed me to take as much time as I needed for assignment and for class. Being able to go out and know how the people of Australia really live was the most powerful experience ever.

I have never had so much fun in a summer and learned so much. The classes were out of my comfort zone as a science/ health professions major, but I was able to learn so many things that are applicable in everyday life. The staff at Arcadia is fantastic and become your family by the end and it makes it hard to leave, but so excited to go back. I would HIGHLY recommend Arcadia in Rome.

Ever since I heard that studying abroad was an option I had my heart set on Italy. It didn’t really matter where exactly in Italy, just as long as I was there. When I first met with my advisor we went over the different programs and I began looking at pictures of the town I had chosen. I had no idea at the time how much that city would come to mean to me. I studied in a small town called Perugia, which is located between Florence and Rome in the region of Umbria which borders Tuscany. Little did I know, this would turn out to be the perfect city to call home for a semester. We all quickly fell in love with this town because of its small size and large student population, both local and international. My friends and I quickly adapted to the Italian lifestyle and met for a cup of coffee every morning before class and would attempt to use our broken Italian as we built relationships with the locals. The first class every morning was our Italian class, then we would all meet for lunch on the steps of the center of town. After lunch we attended our other classes, which all had an aspect of community involvement. Luckily we only had class Monday through Thursday which left us a long weekend to explore. Some weekends we would stay in town and walk around and really get to know the city we were living in. Other weekends we would take the train and visit other cities. I got to visit Venice for Carnival; I saw Florence in spring and stopped in Bologna for a daytrip. In addition we got to see the Amalfi coast and swim and cliff dive in Capri. I visited the Vatican while we were exploring Rome and explored countless cities during my semester abroad. Living in Italy was an unforgettable and life changing experience which not only broadened my worldview but also deepened my love of cultures and languages.

Arcadia provided me so knowledge, experience and fun! Through Arcadia I was able to study at the London College of Fashion, a dream of mine since starting college. The classes were challenging yet equally rewarding. During my time in London I was also able to intern with a top jewelry designer and attend charity events with the Beckhams, Eva Longoria, and various Made in Chelsea Stars- so cool! Obviously my time in London wasn't all work; I was able to attend London Fashion week, travel to various countries, see many plays, shop on Oxford Circus and the many markets and attend so many events this magical city had to offer. During my time at Arcadia I made some great friends with flat mates, students and colleagues that I am still remain close to today. An experience a could not even dream about before going!

My favorite things about Galway were Shop Street and all of the buskers there, the Spanish Arch (Sparch), the farmer's market every weekend, Boojum, and the fact that my little apartment felt like home by about a month in. I traveled around Europe on the weekends and one of the best feelings, even though I love going new places, was when my plane touched down in Dublin and I rode the bus back home to Galway. It is such a beautiful city, the people are wonderful, and I would do anything to go back. Studying abroad was hands down the best decision I have made in college. Try new things, do what you love, enjoy yourself!

One of the best experiences I had abroad was the 'reading' week we got off in the middle of February. While most people I knew went to Portugal or Greece, a friend and I decided to fly to the arctic. In the northernmost part of Norway, we went on a midnight dogsled through the wilderness. That alone would have been an incredible experience. But as we returned to camp, I noticed a faint silver thread floating through the sky. I stopped. I let go. I sat into the snow as the darkness opened to greens and pinks drifting through the sky. Before, when I pictured the Northern Lights I always pictured an overwhelming magnificence that was, for some reason, loud. But out there, I was struck by the most beautiful silence. Pure and soft. Everything else disappeared.

I entered this program to go to an interesting and historically complex place and engage in an incredibly complex endeavor-- community development. The additional challenge for me was that I was tutoring children in a township, and I can't stand kids. Going to see these kids every day was exhausting, and I actually made myself sick once because I didn't want to go to work that badly. But when it was all over, I think I still represented a different kind of American to those kids, and provided an example for them by being okay with being different. In the end, I don't think I learned anything about community development, only that it is so much more loaded of a term then I was previously able to comprehend, and that revelation help me to mature a lot, emotionally and in regard to my education in social sciences. I still don't care for kids either, but I can stand to be in the same room as them now.

Living in the heart of Athens was a once in a lifetime experience and Arcadia managed to find the perfect balance of academics and excitement. All of the classes were interactive, regularly taking place throughout the city, with one weekend trip included for each. The faculty and staff are amazing and really made us all feel right at home, while still pushing us outside of our comfort zone. The semester I spent with Arcadia in Athens helped me grow as a person, travel through Europe and allowed me to make some of my best friends. Αγαπώ Ελλάδα!