Program Reviews

This program was unique because it had a perfect balance. I felt as thought I were given all the tools to succeed, yet I also was able to learn and make mistakes and gain actual confidence and not a fabricated version of it. I had all the resources to go boldly and explore everywhere I've always wanted to go, but still know that I had a program that would have my back. They were also really focused on goals, community involvement, and professional development. It was also easy to travel anywhere in the world from Edinburgh. Edinburgh, as far as the UK is concerned, is also far less expensive. This city is walkable, and the country of Scotland as a whole has so much to explore from Glasgow, to Saint Andrews, to Loch Lomond, to the Isle of Skye to Loch Ness. IFSA will also take you there as a part of the program, which is incredible seeing as how you would have to rent a car in order to get to some of these more nature oriented places in the highlands. Those trips with my program were some of the most amazing experiences. I recommend this program to everyone.

IFSA's program, Reimagining Europe, was awesome! Not only is Prague an extremely safe and livable city, it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. I lived in a single room in a 6-person apartment in the Vinorhady neighborhood. The area was close to public transport, making going downtown really easy. This semester, the program consisted of 6 students, making for a really tight-knit group. The course workload was very conducive to my schedule of exploring both in and out of the Czech Republic. If I was ever in need of academic help, Prague College offered many resources. Outside of academics, I had a great resource in my Resident Director, Jana. As a Czech citizen, she was very helpful in making sure the group understood the social and cultural aspects of living in Prague as an American. I am waiting for the day I can return to Prague, all thanks to IFSA!

I spent the Fall semester studying in Belfast, at Stranmillis University College. I am an Elementary/Special Education major, and being able to study at a college that is dedicated specifically to teacher training was an incredible experience. I learned so many skills that I was able to use while student teaching overseas and bring back home to the States. Belfast is an incredibly safe city that is very easy to navigate, especially if you download the translink app to figure out bus routes, and the friendly taxi drivers make trips super enjoyable. The IFSA staff was also incredibly helpful, and gave great advice about things to do and places to visit. Northern Ireland is such a beautiful country, and the rain just makes everything so green! Take the advice of IFSA staff and explore outdoors!

As a sociology student, I am constantly amazed by society and the varying cultures within a community. I was able to attend classes within the university district which also presented me with the ability to meet other international students. I was able to serve a non-profit organization as a grant writer which was one of the best parts of my time in China. My internship allowed me to meet so many people from all over China and our one-week field trip to Yünnan furthered my understanding of diversity in the country. There were several cultural activities including calligraphy and martial arts classes. My time abroad couldn't have been better rounded. I was learning about social structures in China, meeting people from different walks of life, and engaging with different cuisines, music, and cultural practices which gave me a holistic understanding of Shanghai/China. The program would not have been the same without all the support of the IFSA staff and our language teachers!

My study abroad experience has fueled my desire to continue learning Mandarin and aspirations of serving communities in need, both domestically and abroad while reemphasizing the value of intercultural agility.

I am a junior physics major and thought it would be very hard to get credits while abroad, however the IFSA staff in the US and the onsite staff made it a very easy transition! I was able to obtain 2 major credits, a minor credit and a general education history credit. The classes were challenging and I was able to take classes that aren't offered at my small liberal arts college normally. I also loved my time at the University of Sydney because I stayed at an on campus residence college where I lived with Australians everyday and got to know them very well from day to day and made some of my best friends there. The campus itself was beautiful and the city was an endless adventure with something new to do every weekend. I loved this program and experience and highly recommend it to anyone interested in Australia!

The time I spent in Shanghai is an experience I will never forget for all the best reasons. The support staff was amazing and without them in those first few weeks we would have all been totally lost. They supported us when we needed it , but also didn't coddle us allowing us to explore and adjust on our own. They were absolutely amazing and I can't speak highly enough of them! The neighborhood that we lived in was wonderful and allowed s to experience Shanghai as well as practice our Chinese daily. All of the excursions really allowed me to grow closer to the other people on the program and experience so many new things. This trip introduced to some of the most amazing people and I grew so much. I would highly recommend this program if your looking for an amazing experience.

My experience in the Argentine Universities program was unique because, being a crazy language enthusiast, I wasn't satisfied with just studying Spanish. Although the program doesn't include other language classes as part of the possible course pool and the on-site staff wasn't super familiar or knowledgeable about alternative institutions or programs that students could participate in, I was able to find and enroll in a class at a local language-learning center in order stay on track with my Italian studies and was even able to find an opportunity to continue practicing Chinese while abroad. Even though I didn't get any direct assistance in the process of finding these opportunities, I had so much support not only from my IFSA advisor, but also from the director of academic program and the overall resident director who were always will to sit and talk and laugh with me about all the totally random language things that my little heart desired.
The best people -- even if they didn't have all the answers.

Also, I can't even begin to describe my love for all things food.
Bad for my health, but (metaphorically) good for my heart.

The most memorable part of my experiences at Otago was joining a laser tag team! As the only American, I was constantly surrounded by kiwi culture while doing an activity that was both fun and not too far out of my comfort zone. I think the university's clubs are a perfect way to meet people with similar interests and they really defined my experience.
I also have to recommend traveling as much as possible, across as much of NZ as you can. It really has everything for a tourist, be they nature junkies, history buffs, movie buffs, or someone just looking for the best coffee shop. The people are super friendly and always willing to point you in the right direction if you're lost, so sometimes it's very rewarding to put away Google Maps and go on an adventure!

IFSA has created a wonderful experience in Prague:
* The housing was amazing, so much better than any academic housing I have lived in before. My flatmates were amazing people (also students) with a good mixture of other IFSA students and others. It was spacious, clean, right in the middle of Prague, and the neighborhood was beautiful with plenty to do.
* Prague College, the school, was a unique and refreshing experience from American university. It is so small that staff really connect with you, students are friendly and all very involved in student orgs, and class sizes were smaller than twenty in most cases. I found the work to be less demanding than American school (tests and quizzes aren't really a thing) but at the same time more rewarding (projects are the emphasis).
* The excursions were fantastic, and all memorable. Hiking trips, staying in the countryside, visiting new parts of the city, historical tours, etc. You won't be cooped up in Prague the entire time (not that being cooped up in Prague would be a bad thing).
* The staff (both of IFSA and of Prague College) are some of the best people. The resident director Jana was simply great. She took her job seriously and was always happy to share her knowledge and experiences. I always felt that any concern I could possibly have would be handled by her, and she was always had something fun planned around the corner. Plus, she plays the accordion pretty well and without her the Czech language is an enigma. The Prague College staff were, without a doubt, some of the most well educated and brilliant people I have met. Also, they are truly international group with some amazing perspectives. And, (I only include this because I know it can worry some students) their English is very clear. I have professors in America that I can hardly understand through their accents, but no such problems at Prague College.
* This last note is somewhat unrelated to IFSA and more a characteristic of the city of Prague: food is affordable. I spent $2,000 or more on a campus meal plan in the US that only gets me cafeteria-grade food. In Prague I was not careful with my spending, I ate out at restaurants every day, the food was amazing, and I still spent less than I do with a university meal plan. I miss it :(

In the fall 2018 semester I had the opportunity to study abroad in Israel with the IFSA Diversity and Coexistence program. I was extremely excited to go to Israel as I had always wanted to go see the country and experience life in the Middle East. IFSA gave me that opportunity and I could not have asked for a better experience! My IFSA support staff in Israel was amazing! Our adviser Monica was like a mom to me and the fellow students on my program. We could ask her anything and she was always there to help us and make sure we were having a great time in Israel in addition to academics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Monica organized excursion trips for us so we could see other parts of the country and meet with local peoples such as the Ethiopian community and the Druze community. I really enjoyed these trips as it exposed me to different peoples and the food was amazing everywhere we went! As a requirement of my program, I had to take either Hebrew or Arabic the entire time I was abroad. I decided to take Arabic and found that the IFSA staff and the Hebrew University staff are very accommodating and excellent as teaching Arabic. I learned a lot about the language and was able to read street signs in Arabic and have an elementary understanding of the language by the end of my time abroad. Learning Arabic was an extremely unique experience and one I was very grateful for. I did not take any Hebrew courses, but from my time living in Israel I did pick up on a few words. Other academic courses besides language at Hebrew University I found to be both interesting and challenging. As a history major I focused on history courses and had some amazing professors and learned a lot about the history if the state of Israel. All the professors I had were very engaging and offered support to their students. The academic side of my study abroad experience was very good as it provided enough challenge while also allowing you to still experience the country on the weekends by not being overloaded with work. The one thing that was not great about my experience was living in the student village at Hebrew University on Mount Scopus. My apartment was not very clean and had a lot of issues with things breaking such as my hot water heater. Things did get fixed, but it took time and the hot water was a recurring issue for my apartment. Other than that, I absolutely loved my time in Israel and would do it all over again if I could! I highly recommend this program!