WorldStrides Reviews

Studying in Meknes was one oft he best decisions in my life. The staff was accommodating. There were always available for help from getting a phone to getting the best deal for clothes in the medina. They were even willing to practice Arabic and French with us if we wanted. Our safety was always a top priority but they made also let us have fun. The itinerary was planned in a way so we were able to travel to see the sights of Morocco (Fes, Tangier, &Asilah) but we were given free weekends so we can travel independently if we wanted.
Meknes was a great city to study in because there were not too much tourist so we could interact with locals with ease. We lived in Ville Nouvelle the newer part Meknes. Our classes at Moulay Ismail University was 30 minute walk from our apartments or a five minute taxi. The classes were small enough so that each student had individual attention. The professors were excellent and always available for help.
After class, we we had the rest of the day to go around the shopping at the Medina/the older part of the city. Fes was a quick train ride away if we wanted to get away for a day or afternoon.
I think the only thing I had to get used to was the heat. It was HOT, so keep hydrated.

The staff at ISA Salamanca are incredibly helpful and always devoted to their students. Every question that they answer is with a smile, and it's positive that they enjoy their jobs very well. Salamanca is a stellar city to study abroad since it's basically a college town (where you will meet people from all over the world), and it's big enough to not get bored easily. You will find a lot of things to do and the historical charm of the city (like having classes next to the cathedral or seeing a 14th century monastery on your way to class every day) will surely add to that experience.

I think that this program is definitely worth it for those who are beginning to learn Spanish and those that are taking college courses with Spaniards in various fields.

I enjoyed my experience with ISA so much that I couldn't bear to let it go as soon as I got back to the USA. I chose to become a Global Ambassador for ISA. Now, I tell students about my experience and hope that they choose ISA for their study abroad experience.

The best part of being abroad was the every day adventures I would take. It could be something as little as navigating the tram to planning a long, eventful weekend in another country - no adventure was too exciting!

I loved the ISA staff. They made us feel so welcome from the start. I enjoyed all of our excursions, especially since I didn't have to plan them - it was like a bonus having it planned out already! The activities like day tours/trips and cooking classes broke up the weeks in a fun way, and helped me not miss my family so much.

The American University of Rome was a great place to meet people from all over the world, and learn things that you wouldn't normally learn at a university in the United States - like having a hands-on Archaeology of Rome class.

My living situation COULD NOT have been better! I was matched up and lived with the most wonderful group of girls. We got along from the very beginning, and cried our eyes out when we had to say goodbye. Our apartment was very nice, clean and functional. Of course it took us a while to get used to Italian appliances and their quirks, but it was all part of the fun.

I had to jump over several hurdles to study abroad, and I even lost a scholarship because I left the country. But I would do it all over again, I have ZERO regrets and TONS of memories.

I absolutely loved my study abroad experience in Peru! So much so, that I am trying to talk my family into traveling there with me. The professors and staff were excellent and were not only seen in the classroom. We would see them around town and they would travel on some of the trips with us. It was one of the best traveling experiences I have ever been on.

ISA Florence fostered the absolute best experience of my life! Although confusing at first, having students spend the first week in Rome with our roommates really made bonding and getting to know each other a lot easier. You also find out fast the program is about 90% girls. At FUA, classes are longer than at home (2.5 hours) but the teachers are incredible - studying Fashion Marketing with an actual french fashion designer? HELLO. Bring a couple notebooks, or a five star though because we all freaked out trying to find some and never really did. Books are a lot cheaper here also (maybe 30E for the semester). The nightlife is a lot of fun (way better than Rome although not as awesome as spain), going much later than what's normal at home. There are a lot of american bars with a lot of students and, if you make some italian friends, some really cool italian bars and clubs. And EVERYTHING is walking distance (be careful trying heels on the cobblestones!) and that's coming from someone who will cab it a mile. The food is absolutely incredible, of course, but trust me you will get sick of Italian 24/7 as there's not a lot of cusine variety. The included trips with ISA go to some really really awesome, insanely beautiful places but honestly for some I had more fun ditching the tour and walking the city with my friends. Overall, it was a life changing semester and I would recommend it to anyone especially if you love art or history.

ISA sent me an orientation packet and packing list before I left for Chile, so I arrived feeling prepared. Upon arrival we stayed in Santiago for a few days to have a more in-depth orientation and learn about the culture and history of the country. This orientation was combined with field trip to various cultural sites and a vineyard. Through out the semester abroad, ISA arranged a couple other day trips/weekend trips, all of which were included in the price of the program.

ISA also provided us with the option of living with a Chilean family or in a guesthouse. I think ISA is one of the only programs that has both options. I chose to live in a guesthouse and it was the best decision I could have made. I had my own room, another roommate from my ISA program and 5 Chilean roommates. This was a great way for me to meet other young Chileans my age.

I took classes at the Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso and could choose between taking classes with international students and taking classes with Chilean students. I did both and and enjoyed having the opportunity to learn more about the Chilean higher education system.

The ISA Salamanca program was great! The program staff were always willing to help and were available for assistance anytime we needed. The side trips that they took us on were amazing, well thought out and extremely fun! I loved my host family and ISA was great with setting them up. The University had amazing professors and great academics. My only complaint was that if you are not a big party person, look into another city Salamanca is a college town so there was a lot of partying and not as many other options for your free time.

If you want to go to a country and really be immersed, ISA is the program to go through! I obviously wanted to learn spanish and from the host families to in the ISA offices strictly speaking spanish was encouraged and I can say I easily came away with a better spanish speaking ability than many of my friends who studied abroad through other programs in other countries. ISA prepares you for everything they can before you arrive, once you get there, and for anything else that comes up they are there to help you out 100%, 24/7. I have never met a more caring group of people than those that work for ISA-Peru. They expose you to so many different cultural aspects through amazing excursions and plenty of activities within Lima as well. I could never say enough good things about this program or my time there, I still love telling others about my experience and encouraging everyone to study abroad, of course I always put a little plug in to recommend ISA becuase if all the ISA programs are as amazing the one in Lima, then there's nothing to lose!

Without a doubt, I would head back to Sevilla with ISA in a heartbeat. The culture is something completely different than what I am used to, and I have to say that I miss it a lot! ISA's staff was so supportive and helpful, from giving directions to chatting about the language and fun Spanish phrases, they helped me through every step of the process. Whenever I would go in to the office, I would be asked how my classes were and how my host family was. They genuinely cared.
The school is absolutely gorgeous- it is the old Royal Tobacco Factory. During the warmer months, it got sort of stuffy in the classrooms because they don't have great air conditioning systems, but it was not unbearable.
The people in Spain, and in Sevilla especially, can come off as stand-off-ish. You really just have to put yourself out there and get to know la gente! You can't be shy if you want to make Spanish friends! Along the same lines, get an intercambio! The language exchange is so helpful and the intercambios are really helpful with finding the cool places to go and showing you around.
Overall, I had a wonderful experience with ISA and recommend them to everyone I know who is looking to study abroad!

I had the best experience of my life in Swansea! The staff at GlobalLinks and Swansea's study abroad centre helped to make students at home right away!

I lived in Hendrefoelan Student Village in a house with 9 other students (2 from US, 4 from Wales, 3 from England), which was only a short bus ride or about a 1.5 walk from the main campus. The orientation program and field trips were a great chance to meet the other American students before classes started and the GlobalLinks program in Manchester was also very informative and a lot of fun!

I had an amazing experience overall and thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people, traveling, experiencing the epic night life on Wind Street (Yates, Odyssey, Oceana), and taking classes across the street from the beach! I definitely recommend living in the student village and London is only 3 hours away by train. If you want to travel, I recommend getting a Young Person's railcard and also to book train tickets way in advance. Finally, definitely explore the Gower Peninsula. Buses leave from the Quadrant and from the bus stop at the bottom of the student village and go all the way to Rhossili. Caswell Bay, Three Cliffs Bay, Oxwich Beach, and Rhossili were my favorites. There is a wicked long break in April so plan ahead to do lots of traveling then!