WorldStrides Reviews

You know how people always say things like "this changed my life" or how "unforgettable" something was? I am positive if you were to ask any student who went abroad with ISA, those would be one of many words they would use to describe their experiences.

I knew exactly where I wanted to go before I even began searching for my study abroad options, and that was Florence, Italy. And the program that offered the courses I needed to take to stay on track with my major was ISA. Before I left, I did take a semester of Italian 101, but that was just the basics. With ISA I was able to take all of my classes in English, and was able to get by very easily on a day-to-day basis with my broken Italian and miming.

This led to me studying abroad with ISA in Florence, Italy for two months during the summer of 2010. While there I took two classes (6 credits) at Florence University of the Arts (FUA). My academic schedule was set up so that the first three weeks of my program I would take one of the courses I picked, then had a week long break, and for the last three weeks I took the other course I had selected. Class was Monday thru Friday for about two and a half hours each day. It was intensive study because it was during the summer, however I never felt bogged down by school work and had plenty of time each week to spend time with friends, enjoy meals with them, go out at night, explore the city and travel on the weekends.

I lived in an apartment with four other girls that were a part of my program who were from all over the US. Being in this kind of living situation (with more girls from our program next door) led to me coming home with ten new best friends; or as I call them, my Firenze Family. We now try to have reunions once a year which gives me more reason to explore the US. Our apartment was about a twenty minute walk from our classes, but that was not a problem at all-I was walking through history every day, and passed by local marketplaces and restaurants. It was one of the coolest parts of living in Florence.

My entire experience going abroad was a highlight, but here are a few that stand out:
-Italian food and wine. Need I say more?
-The ISA staff: both on-site in Florence and at headquarters in Austin always make themselves extremely available to their students. They make their job to make you as comfortable as possible in preparing to go abroad, while you are abroad, and keep in touch with you when you come back. I could not have asked for a better support system than the one that ISA provided.
-ISA Excursions and Traveling: I loved getting to see new parts of Italy every weekend that were just a train ride away. And being able to utilize my week break to travel and explore Spain.
-Again, getting to walk through history every day.
-Picnics at Piazzale Michelangelo.
-"Family" dinners with ISA friends.
-Going to the Palio in Siena.

....I will leave it at that because I know how lengthy this is becoming. You get the idea? I had an INCREDIBLE time and had a new highlight every day of my trip. The biggest struggle I had during my study abroad experience was leaving Florence. It was like going through a break-up, except with a place.

Since coming back I have found a passion in telling others about studying abroad and helping them to go abroad. I also have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be a Global Ambassador for ISA, and am also now a peer adviser in our university's Study Abroad Office. Thanks to all of these amazing experiences I am now extremely passionate about pursuing a career in the international education/travel industry.

Thank you ISA for all that you have done for me!

I absolutely adored Buenos Aires and my experience with ISA. The staff was always considerate, and tried their best to make sure that we had an amazing overall experience. They kept everyone well informed of events that were happening in the city. They were concerned about our academics. They helped us 100% through the visa process. Even when I was sick, they gave me excellent advice on which doctor to go to and how to get my medicines. I love ISA!!

The program was incredible!

It started with a about a week of sightseeing in Madrid and Toledo before coming into Salamanca where we took our classes.

The ISA staff were great about helping us with our class schedule and offered tutoring help in the office. Nearly every weekend there was an included trip to another Spanish city. They even did some great tours and educational things in Salamanca.

The home stays were amazing and students were generally crying when they left. I was in an apartment where I met people from all over the world. Food was amazing.

ISA was there for us when we needed help, but didn't come down on us all of the time or stand over ours shoulders.

Overall my program was the best experience I could ever ask for. My housemom would make me some great food every day and was very understanding if I didn't like something or if I couldn't come in for a meal or needed something specific made. She oved to talk and that helped a lot with practicing Spanish. The staff was extremely helpful with anything I needed. Manuel, one of the directors, even helped me plan a Spring Break trip through northern Spain because he was from there and told us exactly where we should go, where we should eat, and what roads to drive on to get to places. Valencia had an amazing beach super close to our classes, only a 20-30 minute bike ride away! Our classes weren't extremely difficult and most of them encouraged us to go out and explore the city. The bars, clubs, and restaurants were very cheap and so much fun! I loved the people of the city they were always nice and outgoing and loved to party. I honestly can't think of anything wrong with this program it was by far the best decision I have ever made in my life! I made some of the best friends I could ask for that I have visited since I've come back home and I know I will continue to see for a long time. Definitely come to Valencia!!

I enjoyed every second of my experience in Costa Rica, and I think program and the staff had every bit to do with it. The family that ISA chose to put me with was fantastic, I still skype with them today. They wanted to be involved in my life and I even took dance classes with my mama, and she taught me how to cook traditional food.
The food was full of carbs, and I gained lots of weight, but it was delicious. Gallo Pinto, Platanos, Casados, everything that I was served or ordered out was always very traditional. It was so different to what I would eat at home, but never once was I homesick for American food; however, now I'm homesick for Costa Rican food! Their food uses a lot of meat, but also a lot of dishes that were chopped vegetables, and it would definitely be easy to be a vegetarian if that was desired.
The staff at ISA was wonderful, from when they picked us up at the airport to our very last goodbye. The director did not only want to be our director, but also wanted to be our friend. She held meetings with us to make sure everything was going okay, and any problem was immediately addressed. When we were in the office they would help us plan trips, with our homework, tell us the best places to go, or just hang out with us. The classes I took were challenging because they were all in Spanish, but not only were they challenging, I felt like I learned way more in these classes than I ever did in any Spanish class in America. Also, the school was very welcoming, everyone wanted to get to know the Americans. There was even a club made just for us, the "culture club" where students from the university got together to show us traditional things that Costa Rican's would do.
I was always worried before leaving to go abroad; going to a foreign country, with a foreign language, with no one that I knew. However, once I arrived there, I immediately bonded with people in the program, and realized that these would be great friends. Now looking back I know that every single person I went on this study abroad with will be my friend for life. The experiences we had together are to great to put into words. I wish that someone would have told me to relax before I leave, be less uptight, because I didn't have anything to worry about.
Bottom line, I would recommend this program over and over again to a friend. I got to live in a city and experience a life completely different to my normal one. I think this program made me a better person, and I take so much less for granted now. Also, I had the opportunity to travel to beaches that people go to for their honeymoons. Some of the sites that I saw were incredible! As soon as it was time to leave I wished that I had signed up for a year abroad. Even now I find myself wishing I was still there living the Pura Vida life.

This program is an opportunity that you can not afford to pass up! The Education Abroad Network takes care of you from the moment you enter the country till the moment you leave. School was a little intimidating for me because I had heard that it was drastically different than American teaching and sure enough it was. But what really helped was that before school started, you attended an orientation with other people that were going to that same school from TEAN. They showed you what classes you were signed up for, how to change them, the major buildings on campus and where the study abroad office was. It was really helpful since I had to change my schedule and I could only do it in person. I went to the University of Sydney which has 50,000 people. I chose that school because my home university has 52,000 people and I wanted to feel like I was at home! It was a great experience and I met many Australians in my classes because of group projects and homework assignments and I still talk to a couple of them!! It was so comforting to know that Study Australia had everything set up for you including housing, orientation, and academics. Although they had them set up for you, you had the power throughout the semester to do anything you wanted!! I traveled to Cains and Byron Bay on the pre-semester trip and to Melbourne on a weekend trip with my roommates. I also went to New Zealand during spring break!! I can honestly say that you will never want to leave this beautiful country!! This is a trip of a lifetime and I am forever grateful to Study Australia for making it a trip that was worry free and one that I will never forget!!

I absolutely LOVED Scotland. Stirling is amazing in that, its not a huge city but its big enough. If you want the big city, Edinburgh and Glasgow are less than a hour away. There is a pub down the street from the university and downtown Stirling has a busy nightlife on the weekends. The highlands are the real secret of Scotland, it is just breathe taking.

University of Stirling is beautiful, it has a loch on campus where students can learn how to canoe. There is a golf course, a castle, and the William Wallace monument is just across the street. Stirling is filled with Scottish history, and all the classes taught during ISS incorporate it into the curriculum which just makes everything much more interesting. The academic standards are higher in Europe, so the classes are tougher, but your grades get inflated when they transfer over. All the Scottish teachers are amazing story tellers, and Scottish history is definitely nothing to skimp on.

The staff encourages trying new things and helping students plan trips in and around Scotland and trips to different countries on the weekends. Every Wednesday, the staff would come by our dorms with a new Scottish treat for us to try. They weren't all good, but it was worth trying!

The living situations were really nice. We all had our own bedrooms with a shared bathroom/kitchen between 4 people. Scotland is expensive, but if you plan right and try not to eat out too much, you should be fine. I traveled to Spain one weekend during the soccer world cup, and it was amazing! After my time in Scotland, I took another month to explore Ireland and Greece. Being in Europe is really amazing because there is just so much culture around you, and its so easy to book a weekend trip to so many countries!

If you enjoy the laid back lifestyle, Fiji is the place for you! The whole country runs on "Fijian time" which basically means that people will do things in their own time. It can be very frustrating for an American to take it in, but once you learn to let things go, it is amazing!

I loved starting my days by waking up with the sunrise (its natural!) and not ever feeling like I woke up too early. I took a class called "Ethnic Relations and Conflict Management" during the 2009 coup, which was very interesting. Our teacher did not want to censor his thoughts and beliefs because he wanted to educate his people on what was going on. The professor ended up moving to NZ after the semester.

Suva is not a pretty beach town, it actually doesn't even have a real beach. But it has a lot of character, it is a dangerous city if you aren't careful. People yield to cars, and beware of people who are trying to pick pocket. However, I believe that living in a third world city will make you appreciate everything you have a lot more. It is a very fun city to go out on the weekends. Fijian beer is quite cheap, and at one point, beer was cheaper than Fiji water!

The living accommodations that AustraLearn provides is very nice, and the nicest of all study abroad programs in Fiji. It is suite style with your own bedroom and bathroom with a shared kitchen with one other roommate. In addition, there are washers and dryers on site. Other study abroad programs had to hand wash their clothes or carry it half a mile to the laundry mat. In addition, there is a housekeeper who comes in once a week to change the towels and the bedding. Pretty sweet for a college student.

Fijian culture is definitely different, but very amazing. Fijian and Indian food will become an addiction. You will have Kava sessions every weekend with your friends and the locals. Also, being a USP student will get you a discount at almost all touristy things! So use it to your advantage! I can't say enough good things about my time spent in Fiji, I would love to go back soon!

TEAN was fabulous. They helped us from the very beginning--before we arrived, as soon as we arrived, during our study abroad experience, and after! The orientation program was a great opportunity for all of us in the program to get adjusted to the Aussie life before uni started. Once uni started, they were there if we ever had questions. I had the best four months of my life in Australia and I plan to move there after I graduate!

Spending a semester here in Auckland has been the best experience of my life, hands down. Auckland is a huge city with so much to offer, while at the same time being a short ride from beaches, mountains, and other natural beauties of New Zealand. I live in Parnell Student Village, which is a little community of apartments situated outside the main city that houses people from all over the world. I have made the most amazing friends that I will always have for the rest of my life, and have learned so much about different cultures. I study engineering, and the university's program has been really supportive in helping me out when I need it and the course material is interesting and challenging. My friends and I have done the most amazing things: skied on a volcano, white water rafted the largest commercially rafted waterfall, went zorbing, bungee jumped, went sand-boarding, dug for hot springs at the hot water beaches, and so many others! The beauty of TEAN is that I got to make friends before the semester even started, and even though some of them went to different cities that only means that I had places to stay when I was traveling. TEAN also has a wonderful support network of friendly staff that are always looking to help you out. It's really amazing how spending 5 months in a country, exploring it and getting to know the people around you can make it seem more and more like home.