Program Reviews

Shanghai definitely is the best example of a global city. There is evidence of foreign influence while still retaining traditional Chinese culture.
Even though my program was not centrally located in the downtown/business central of Shanghai, the public transportation system was accessible and incredibly affordable for a college student.

21st Century program is located in a residential area between SUFE and Fudan university. The area that I lived in catered to international student's tastes, but there was the quintessential late-night food vendors selling all sorts of delicious chinese street food.

I enjoyed my time in this program because even though this is a program for international study abroad students, we lived in a neighborhood that forced us to interact with Chinese locals in their mother tongue. We were encouraged and pushed to speak in Chinese, whether or not we signed a language contract. My level of Chinese increased exponentially by the end of four months. In the beginning, I was incredibly uncomfortable speaking chinese to anyone besides my teachers and my roommates. But by my last couple of weeks in Shanghai, I was able to carry on a conversation with locals and understand directions, even though sometimes they had a heavy accent. We had many opportunities to immerse ourselves in Chinese culture and to get out of our comfort zones.

The highlight of the program was the study trip to the autonomous region of China, Yunnan providence. We learned about minority groups in China and how their culture differed from the Han Chinese. We traveled in rural areas, observing another face of China outside of the city.

I would have to say, an area that can be improved on for this program is finding more opportunities for alliance students to interact with non-alliance program chinese students. Even though there were club fairs which all were encouraged to go to, I felt like there was not enough facilitation for interaction. A suggestion would be to maybe have an Alliance - sponsored/supported club on a Chinese University might be able to create a foundation for this?

When I first arrived, I was nervous to be in a new area with new people so far away from home. It was easy to get involved and explore because all of the students also wanted to explore. Classes were difficult at first but after a few weeks, I developed a routine. I loved my time in Shanghai and want to go back!

The best thing about the Xi'an study abroad was the fact that they pair you up with a Chinese roommate, forcing you to practice your Chinese. The hardest part was that many of these Chinese students were very bright and therefore already spoke English fairly well. Because of this it takes self-control to make sure you don't "cheat" and speak English with these students. It's difficult, but The Alliance program promotes it strongly and encourages students to interact together so that you learn as much as possible. The Alliance program also has incrediable Chinese teachers. I've never been worked so hard in my life! Every day there was a quiz, then a review of the chapter with questions in Chinese and a in depth discussion.

This program was great. I loved the teachers I had who really pushed me to get better at mandarin chinese. I enjoyed every little part of it such as the exertions we went on as a group. I definitely recommend staying with a host family even if at times you might feel left out of the group but there are many chances you get to see your classmates such as the free time you have to do hw and group exertions.

I would get up before the sunrise every morning and go to the river to watch the city come to life. I'd watch the holy men do yoga and greet the blazing Indian sun as it broke the horizon. I will have already had at least three clay cups of chai tea by the time I walked to school, navigating through the bustling rickshas and the slow moving cows. My school day was spent contextualizing our daily experiences and learning in-depth the complex concepts of Indian religions, women's studies, and the insanely useful Hindi language! After school I'd walk along the river, hang out with locals, do my own version of the real-life "Temple run," explored ancient structures and admired the monkeys climbing on the concrete jungle that was Varanasi. By evening time I would snuggle up with my host family, gossip about the biggest Bollywood stars, and watch the festival lights parade down the street from our window. This was the most difficult and rewarding experience of my life. You will be challenged in ways you never imagined, but every second is worth it.

I studied in Pune, India for 7 weeks over the summer through Alliance for a Global Education. I stayed with a host family near the college where I had class every morning. In the afternoon I worked on a research project using Indian college students. Most everyone else had an internship. Weekends were for exploring the city and short travel trips, including an excursion to a rural village.

I was personally on a different study abroad program at St Andrews, but many of my friends were on this one and they all spoke highly of it. They enrolled in St Andrews' classes like normal students and for most of them, grades were received as pass/fail at their home universities. They all said that they though the St Andrews program was better than the other IFSA Butler programs offered in Scotland. All the Scotland students from IFSA Butler got together from time to time, but the St Andrews students all said they seemed to be enjoying themselves far more than the other students. The IFSA Butler students at St Andrews were a cohesive group and became really good friends, which they did not find to be true of the students at the other universities. I can personally attest to how wonderful St Andrews is. The town is so wonderfully charming and Scottish. It is the birthplace of gold and I loved walking the Old Course (one of three courses in St Andrews). There are three beaches lining the North Sea and there is a beautiful walking trail through town. There is plenty of shopping: everything from little cheese shops to H&M, from adorable bakeries to Rymans (an office supply store). There are many dining options. There are lots of pubs and two nightclubs (I definitely recommend the VIC over the Lizard). You feel immersed in history at St Andrews; you can see the cathedral ruins and the castle easily. My experience there was amazing!

The Butler faculty were very organized and easy to contact. The Butler contacts at NUI were absolutely wonderful, extremely friendly and always ready to suggest fun places to see during our stay in Ireland. The program was very small the year I went, so we formed a pretty tight group, but other than that there weren't any group activities organized by IFSA. However, Irish culture is very welcoming and it was easy to make friends and have fun on a night out!

Studying abroad in Valparaíso, Chile through IFSA-Butler was a fantastic experience! Even thought I was there during the student protests of 2011 and my university was closed, I received a lot of support from IFSA-Butler staff in Valparaíso to ensure that my semester abroad was everything I intended for it to be. Although I was not able to take classes with Chilean university students, as was originally expected, my classes were still taught by Chilean professors and they were challenging. In addition, I had a wonderful experience living with my host family and I was able to meet other Chilean students. I also volunteered for a local organization, which was overseen by the IFSA-Butler staff. This allowed me to meet new people and add a unique, meaningful experience to my semester abroad. The city is a lot of fun and there are ample opportunities for cultural and language immersion, as well as travel within the country and the rest of the continent.

I am the sole person that I have ever heard who had a genuinely horrible experience while studying abroad, and I had the displeasure of having this semester abroad at the University of Auckland. University accommodations are in pitiful conditions - I hope you enjoy creepy crawlers in your room, and bedbugs! Also, let me tell you the real truth about academics here. DO NOT come to New Zealand with the idea that grading is easier abroad. Every other person I know that has studied abroad has come to find this to be the case. It may be, however that may be everywhere outside of New Zealand. Read up on "Tall Poppy Syndrome" which New Zealanders fully embrace. The phrase "Cs get degrees" which we use in the US in a more joking way is a way of life in NZ. Cs are all the students expect so as not to be a "tall poppy," hence, the professors also feel the same way. You will not receive an A at this institution, you will barely get a B, BUT if your grades transfer as P/F then you're set, because everyone is guaranteed a C. The final thing I would like to point out is that New Zealand is a small country, the physical size of Colorado with the population of Kentucky. There is only so much to do in the country, and once you have run out of these things and you would like to explore "the region" you've got a minimum 4 hour flight and $800USD ahead of you.