Program Reviews

After five months in Edinburgh, I never wanted to leave. The excellent quality of the University of Edinburgh, the city's myriad attractions, and the friendly and welcoming nature of the locals all made this a memorable trip. I can't wait to go back and visit.

It was my third week in Buenos Aires and I was sitting in my first class of neurociencias (Neuroscience) at la Universidad del Salvador, I was extremely intimidated, being the only foreign student in the class. Looking around seeing all of the students speaking very quickly in a Spanish that was difficult for me to understand. A poster in the back of the room caught my eye, advertising tryouts for the university's women's soccer team. After much debate, I decided to go to the first day of tryouts that evening. Being on the soccer team changed my life. I now consider my teammates and coach to be my best friends and a part of my family. They helped me to become fluent in argentine spanish, learn the way of life and culture in Buenos Aires, and to eventually feel as though Buenos Aires was my home even more so than Chicago, IL where I had lived my entire life. They were the reason that I extended my stay from 5 months to a full year, July 2014-2015. My favorite memories with them include our weekend asados (Argentine BBQ) that lasted for hours, going together to professional soccer games, traveling with them to out-of-town tournaments in other areas of Argentina, getting dance lessons (salsa, cumbia, and bachata) from my teammates, and making them American foods that they had never tried before such as PB&J and pancakes. The lifestyle, culture, language, food, and people in Buenos Aires are my favorite in the world, and one of the hardest things I have ever done was to leave two months ago to return to the USA, but I still communicate with my team every single day and have grown in ways I could never imagine because of them.

My year at the University of Edinburgh was challenging, bewildering beautiful, and life-changing. The chance to study at an international university brought new angles and light to my studies back at home-- the classes that I took at the University of Edinburgh have inspired my thesis topic for my upcoming year. Edinburgh is the first UNESCO City of Literature, and studying lit there was a very moving experience. One of my favorite memories from the University of Edinburgh was when my art history professor took a group of students an hours drive outside the city to see the garden-installation by the internationally renowned artist Ian Hamilton Finlay, called "Little Sparta" (in conversation with Edinburgh's nickname "The Athens of the North"). The chance to see that piece really brought together the things that I valued most about my time at the University of Edinburgh-- amazing professors, a beautiful country, and unique, location-specific experiences.

If I had to describe my experience studying abroad in two words, those words would be life changing. Studying and living in a foreign country opens your eyes up to so many things, and IFSA Butler helps you in many ways. The staff is so supportive and by the end of your time abroad, you will return home with so many new incredible experiences and an IFSA family. If I could study abroad again, I would not change anything about my experience.

On our first day in China, we entered from the front, main gate, but as we left to get dinner that evening, we walked out the back gate. At the time, there was absolutely no identifiable difference between the two. I had been plopped into this foreign world, it had seemed; everything was so different from anything I had ever known that it was unperceivable that there could be degrees to the visibility of Chinese culture.

3 months later, we were identifying out meals by the gate through which we exited campus. The phrase, "do you want to just do back gate," made us immediately aware of the kind of meal we'd be eating: local, authentic, quick and cheap. You could also get treats like fresh sweet potato chips or a youzi, a Chinese grapefruit. But out the front gate, on the other hand was our portal. In walking distance, at Chifeng Lu Station, you could find a KFC and other modern/Western delicacies. The front gate was also where we would go to hail a taxi to go downtown.

It seemed like 2 different worlds as we walked out of the two opposing gates. The local elementary students getting out of class near the back gate showed us the very local, familial side to Shanghai. It showed me that my semester abroad that sometimes felt like a vacation, was giving me unparalleled insight to Chinese life. Personally, I liked the balance of the 2 gates. But what I liked even more was the perpendicular streets that slowly transition the back gate to the front gate and vice versa. The craziness we sometimes saw in the back gate culture is not that far gone from modern China. And I loved every second of it.

I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad to Manipal for the fall of my junior year! I think that you learn SO much about a culture from learning about their health and being able to study public health in a country as complex as India was incredible. The director of the program, Katie Jo was amazing and facilitated so many culturally immersing excursions from visits to Hindu temples to a ten day travel week across South India! Traveling India was an experience that I would never trade for anything. South India is a pantheon of amazing food, culture and sights to see! There is ALWAYS something to do at Manipal, including a night life scene, beaches, mountains and awesome food places. It really ends up feeling like a college campus after a while, though at first it feels huge! One of my favorite things (and what I miss the most) about India was the food. I LOVED trying all of Manipal's restaurants and it definitely connected me more to some awesome friends and places!

Spring 2014 was a completely life-changing experience for me, as I studied in Beijing, China with the Alliance's Intensive Chinese Language Program. I had already taken 4 semesters of Chinese language before my study abroad experience, and my one semester in Beijing was more informative than all four semesters back home, by far! Excursions and other trips around the country rounded out an awesome program put on by the Alliance.

I was in Manipal from January 2014 to May 2014 and I loved every minute of it! I made some of my best friends while I was there, many of whom I still keep in touch with on a daily basis. I created incredibly strong connections to the people I encountered and the language as well. I spent an extra month in India after the program ended, and everyone within the Alliance staff was extremely helpful in planning this with me. The classes are similar, if not better than my courses in the U.S. and I never really had a moment of wishing I could go home. I have plans already to return and stay with the friends I made at Manipal. It was really the greatest experience!

I really enjoyed every aspect of studying abroad in Pune, India for approximately four months. The food was so delicious and inexpensive! I really enjoyed interacting with the locals and learning more of the culture by attending festivities like a baby shower, wedding, thread ceremony, and Holi! I lived with a wonderful host mom who included me as part of her family. I lived about fifteen minutes away by rickshaw from the college. I did the internship component and was able to work with an organization that works with slum dwelling communities. During the weekends, I would explore Pune or neighboring places such as Goa, Mahabaleshwar, and local villages. There is also a week of travel and I decided to visit New Delhi, Dharamsala, and Amritsar.

Varanasi is a challenging city to study abroad in. It pushes you outside of your comfort zone and you inevitably learn a lot about yourself in the process. That being said, it is also an amazing and beautiful city, and 100% worth it. I loved living with my host family and the program staff were all super cool and helpful. Plus, the food is phenomenal.