Program Reviews

The most notable story that could benefit the study abroad department is a story of my first arrival to Ireland. After leaving the airport and by the grace of God finding some small shuttle about a mile from the airport, I came to the town of Maynooth. Home. We were made to drag all of our luggage by ourself about 2miles through the town and through the college to check in. I was dripping sweat and frustrated by the time I arrived to my apartment. The hot water unfortunately was not working and neither did the elevator to take my bags up to my floor. Housing had said they'd provide bedding but nobody received more than a bare pillow and scratchy cheap duvet. A lot was promised that frankly was not there. Therefore my first day was tough.

Learning about the Northern Ireland conflict and peace process was a large component of this study abroad program. It opened my eyes to a European conflict I had never even heard about before arriving in Ireland. The BCA program has strong connections in Belfast through the Kennedy Institute at Maynooth. This allowed our group opportunities to learn about the Troubles first-hand from former political prisoners (from both sides) and from those involved in the peace process. We were fortunate enough to hear perspectives that most tourists do not when they visit Northern Ireland. It was an incredible, eye-opening experience that I will never forget.

I honestly had no idea what to expect when I came to New Zealand. I was sure that I would have great adventures and see some very beautiful scenery. What I did not know is that I would fall in love with the country. All of it. The beautiful sun rises and sunsets, the magnificent beaches, the amazing wildlife, but most of all the people.

As soon as I landed in Dunedin, the BCA program director, Ashley was very welcoming and made me feel right at home. Throughout the semester, she was always there to help with anything, whether it was advice with trip planning or encouragement with your classes and daily life.

In fact, it was Ashley who helped me get involved in volunteering for Rock Solid, an organization that works with the youth in South Dunedin. Through my volunteering I was able to meet a lot of people from different walks of life, some students, some full time in the work force, and many from different countries and backgrounds. I was also able to give back to the city that was now my home.

Looking back on my experience, the trips were neat, the other students were great, class was well class, but some of my favorite moments were playing games and hanging out with the staff and kids at Rock Solid.

So, my advise would be; enjoy the sightseeing, nature, and student life, but take time to volunteer and be a part of something bigger than yourselves. I did - and it made my time in New Zealand something that I will cherish forever.

Opened my eyes to my love of travel-- and has influenced my life ever since. Program directors were fantastic-- accommodation was perfect. An experience that led me to meet some of my closest friends, and boyfriend. I have been back to Cheltenham many times since my first study abroad trip, and loved the school so much that I chose to get my MA there! I highly recommend BCA and its study abroad program.

My study abroad experience was one of my top college highlights. I was able to take needed courses in my major at the University of Gloucestershire while living and studying with students from all around the United Kingdom. The program directors were fabulous; super approachable, fun, and helpful. Several fun day trips were planned for us. It was also easy to get around the town on our own. I also took trips to neighboring towns and around Europe. Cheltenham gives you a more relaxed experiences with easy transportation options into London and other places.

Being out from my experience longer, I can only keep reiterating the utter invaluable experience studying abroad has on your life!! I studyed abroad in Dunedin, New Zealand, on the lovely south island :D

Unique, exquisite and breath-taking are words that describe New Zealand's natural wonders and experiences it has to offer. Rather than talking about skydiving, bungee-jumping, and tramping (of course great options, but typical of NZ travelers), I seek to offer a different perspective. I was able to study art history while at the University of Otago, and for all the Art History lovers and art lovers out there, this place is a gem! My professor was from America and I am from America, so I felt an innate connection to her and felt completely comfortable in her classroom. Her teaching style was like no other -- so comforting, knowledgeable, and yearning in want for the students to learn how to learn, appreciate, and articulate what we love and what exists in artwork. Dunedin has multiple galleries and museums that my class walked to in order to go over how Modernism is reflected in current works of art. What do you see? What is the artist trying to convey to the audience? How does the color pallete effect the the mood? It was a great opportunity discuss the works with my professor and classmates. We went to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery and the Hocken Library to review works of art and see first-hand local artists and their work, internationally recognized works, and local art events where you could be surrounded by curious and passionate people! It was a time to bond and become more passionate about art and art history!!! I have to honestly say that through my professor's teaching style and my curiosity of art, I gained an unquenchable thrist for gaining knowledge and skills in the arts and art history! I came to New Zealand knowing that my passion for earth, healthy living, traveling, and appreciating animals would grow stronger during my discovery of pure natural beauty of NZ, but I left with more than that. I left with a deep growing love of art, of turning strangers into friends, of embracing "Sweet as", of loving the flightless birds, of smooth sailing on the TransAlpine, and of watching sunrises against snow-capped mountains on the Routeburn track. So come to Dunedin, New Zealand or at least some part of the Land of the Long White Cloud. Grow your passion, free your spirit, and learn to embrace life come what may. So join me with the great, proud alumn travlers of NZ and DO MORE than JUST EXIST.

During my semester in Cheltenham, England with BCA Study Abroad, my friends and I were fortunate enough to have a class schedule that gave us long weekends off. So, we maximized this opportunity by planning trips to various countries throughout Europe over various weekends. On one such 4 day trip, we explored Switzerland and then France. However, we were what you would call budget travelers, and in the most severe sense of the term possible. We figured out the cheapest way possible to get where we wanted to go, and then we went for it. The problem is, when you're aiming for the most affordable option, it often means adding additional, drawn out legs to your journey and booking everything in advance. Well, on this particular trip, we have planned to get back to England on a Sunday by taking the train from Paris to the French port city of Calais and then taking the ferry across the English Channel to Dover. From there, we planned to take a train back to London, where we would grab a late night bus back to Cheltenham in time for classes the next morning. Tired yet?! However, as our luck would have it, we missed the second leg of our journey home (the ferry across the English Channel from France to England) in the most melodramatic way possible. The scene involved the 5 of us girls running down a highway with all of our luggage like crazy foreigners, trying to climb through a hole in a fence desperately trying to get to the ferry, and being questioned by French police as a result. Thankfully, it all worked out eventually, and after being escorted by the French police to a later ferry and arriving to the White Cliffs of Dover in the dark, we ended up having to take a bus to another train station (because the train wasn't working in Dover for some reason-go figure!), where we caught the train back to London and then had to buy new bus tickets back to Cheltenham because we had more than missed the bus we had booked in advance. Can you say domino effect?! Needless to say, the 5 of us will never forget that trip!

One Saturday morning, I had the idea to venture out of the Quito for the day. For some reason that I can't remember now, I was feeling extremely restless. I think I was nearing the end of my semester in Ecuador, and I wanted to wring out every last drop of my time there before having to leave. BCA had done an amazing job of organizing a number of incredible group excursions to the Galapagos, the Amazon, and to the mountains and the coast throughout the course of the semester, but it's still fun to venture out on your own, especially in a country as ecologically diverse as Ecuador! Anyway, without much research, I invited my friend Brit to join me on the day's adventure. My host mother tried her best to dissuade me (she was, naturally, concerned about my well-being, which in hindsight I complete understand), but I was determined to live it up! It ended up being one of the longest and most tiring but most memorable days of my life. Brit and I ended up taking 2 buses and a pick-up truck to get to Lake Quilatoa, which is a gorgeous crater lake in the mountains a few hours from Quito. At each leg change in our journey, we didn't know how long we would have to wait and what mode of transportation we would have to take next. That was the most adventurous part! Finally, we reached the lake, and we were able to manage the hike down to the bottom, where its green water boiled like in an evil scene of a Disney movie. However, we nearly died having to hike back up due to the sandy nature of the soil. I think we forget that we were inside a volcano! Apparently there was a reason why almost everyone else hired a donkey. We were too cheap! Anyway, we survived, leg cramps and dehydration and all! We were able to meet some really interesting people along the way, and we were thankful for that. So in total, our adventure took us 16 hours, as we left Quito around 8 am, and didn't return until around midnight. My host mom was, of course, extremely relieved to see me, the loca gringa!

Deciding to study abroad in Dunedin, New Zealand is one of the best decisions I have ever made. A part of me had always wanted to study abroad, but for the longest time I was too nervous to actually go. But then I was convinced into it and I am so glad that I was because it was an amazing experience. The five months that I was living in New Zealand were life changing, and I learned so much about myself and the world. When it was time for me to go home I didn't want to leave as New Zealand had become a second home to me. I wouldn't trade my experience for anything and if you are considering studying abroad I would highly recommend it!

I, like any other person who considers studying abroad, thought about all the things that could possibly go wrong. I was nervous about making friends, about fitting in and about missing home. It wasn't before long that The University of Otago, The Brethren College Abroad Program, and Dunedin, New Zealand became my home also. Within the first week, I felt confident enough to go out on my own, explore and experiment with public transportation. By the end of my time, I had seen all corners of the lower-south-island: from the beautiful beaches that were right in the city I was living to the southern most point of the south island to the beautiful mountains and lakes of the west coast.
Aside from travel, I learned an exceptional amount of information about Maori culture and society. I was able to dive into first hand opportunities like: Haka performances, Maori Literature, Religion, visiting a Marae (and participating in traditional ceremonies), and other preforming arts. Dunedin, New Zealand is one of the only places that allows BCA students to engage in such rich cultural experience.
As a Social Work major, I also spent a significant amount of time engaging with the community. As part of my degree, I interned at SCOUTS, New Zealand as a community development social worker. I was about to work towards accessibility and affordability for scouts, well being a Cub Scout Leader and participating as a scout myself. The SCOUTS organization allowed me to make kiwi friends, create a sense of self awareness and confidence. SCOUTS NZ lets you grab the reins on your adventure while helping to build a better world where young people are self-fulfilled. SCOUTS offers the one thing that every person studying abroad is afraid of missing, a friend.