Program Reviews

I decided to spend an academic year studying in Florence, Italy, because my mother’s family is Tuscan and Sicilian, and I wanted to reconnect with my heritage. I stayed in a homestay with one roommate, and our host was a wonderful grandmother. She was incredibly kind and supportive, and I am so grateful for the year I got to spend with her.

While in Italy, I also traveled to ten other countries, experiencing their food, celebrations, shopping scenes, and more. Besides traveling, my time in Italy was one of the best periods of my life. I made close friends with many locals and foreigners who taught me their languages, cooking skills, and other cultural traditions.

The opportunity to study abroad presented itself at the perfect time. During the fall semester of my junior year, I was going through a mental rut; I felt disconnected, unmotivated, and dispassionate. As someone from a tight-nit community that intentionally stays close, I never considered studying abroad. That was until I experienced an abundance of synchronicities. Initially, I was reluctant to even apply for a program because I felt fear; the most pressing of them all was discovering a new version of myself, one that functions independent of the familiar influences and environmental factors that I was raised with. Because of the mental state that I was in, I felt that I had nothing to lose-- so I applied to the program that I felt most connected with; ISA Cusco, Peru.

After completing a semester of studying abroad in Cusco, Peru, I can gratefully say that it was one of the most impactful highlights of my life. This experience truly saved me from myself. As someone who had previously never left the continent and who has lived in the same state my entire life, I never knew how much I needed to "leave the nest." Living in another continent, studying with students from all over the world, and creating connections independent of any familiar influences allowed for me to learn so much about myself. I learned things about myself that I would have never known if I would have never left my hometown. I discovered that I appreciate living in the present moment, taking things in, and not rushing my experience of being. In the US, it is socially normal to constantly feel rushed or preoccupied with thoughts of the future, and this is reflected in our behavior. I noticed that most people in the US walk at a quick pace, with the purpose of getting somewhere else, never really taking in where they are at during these transition periods. Even once they arrive to their destination, they are thinking about where they have to be next. This robs one of the ability to appreciate life for what it is, and takes away from living in the now. In Peru, people take in the now, they are not worried about being late--because people expect you to be late, and they walk slower (the fact that Cusco is 11k ft. above sea level may account for the slower pace of walking). Living in a country that values practicing being present and mindfulness made me realize how much I had been missing out on. Furthermore, I realized how important it is for me to incorporate presence and mindfulness into my daily life.

I urge future participants to conceptualize studying abroad as an opportunity to self-discover, moreover, to realize who you are independent of the environmental factors you experience back home and grew up with. In addition, studying abroad can increase your levels of open-mindedness as experiencing new regions of the world can provide you with a bigger picture perspective about life and show what you really want from it. For me, Cusco taught me that I love the feeling of being present, and that for the sake of my well-being-- it is crucial for me to soak in the moment and get out of my own head.

It was so much fun! Gold Coast has a great social scene and there are many activities for students living on campus to socialize and make friends. I would recommend making sure your go card (public transportation) always has money on it and to connect it to your student card as people do check and you can get in trouble for it! I also recommend brining less clothes than you think you’ll need as there is lots of shopping in the area! We all had trouble finding places to donate all the stuff we couldn’t bring home

I am so grateful for the experience ISA gave me in Rome. Everything that could be organized and created into an approachable process was. Signing up for classes, getting my permit to stay, and finding a place to stay were never done alone; ISA did much of the work. I was assigned an apartment with roommates and this formed the basis of the community within Rome. Our apartment had a beautiful view and was a place where we could all relax. There were also two trips with ISA that were no additional expense. We went to Florence and the Amalfi Coast. Both trips had fun activities and hotels in great locations.

I recently completed my study abroad experience with ISA in Florence, Italy. The staff at ISA were extremely helpful and took time to thoroughly answer every question I sent their way. In Florence, the staff were some of the nicest people i’ve ever met and genuinely cared about me and my peers. I decided to study abroad alone and was really nervous leading up to departure, but ISA provides such great care and lasting friendships. When I arrived in Florence, I was greeted by a staff member and transported to my apartment quickly and easily. I went on two excursions through my program, Pisa, Siena and San Gimignano, where ISA provided comfortable transportation and guided tours of the cities. I also had a wonderful experience with the apartment ISA assigned for me, with it being located in walking distance to the city center as well as grocery stores and restaurants right next door. In Florence, I took three fashion classes and a wine and city class. Each class was always so fun and I enjoyed going to museums, tasting food I would have never tried and meeting locals. I truly had the time of my life and will cherish the memories and friendships forever.

I recently completed my study abroad experience with ISA in Florence, Italy. The staff at ISA were extremely helpful and took time to thoroughly answer every question I sent their way. In Florence, the staff were some of the nicest people i’ve ever met and genuinely cared about me and my peers. I decided to study abroad alone and was really nervous leading up to departure, but ISA provides such great care and lasting friendships. When I arrived in Florence, I was greeted by a staff member and transported to my apartment quickly and easily. I went on two excursions through my program, Pisa, Siena and San Gimignano, where ISA provided comfortable transportation and guided tours of the cities. I also had a wonderful experience with the apartment ISA assigned for me, with it being located in walking distance to the city center as well as grocery stores and restaurants right next door. In Florence, I took three fashion classes and a wine and city class. Each class was always so fun and I enjoyed going to museums, tasting food I would have never tried and meeting locals. I truly had the time of my life and will cherish the memories and friendships forever.

Bilbao is a small, walkable city with great public transportation, amazing food, and stellar cultural offerings. There are numerous free exhibits and concerts every week, and I took full advantage of the cheap, incredible food options across the city.

I went to Spain as a Spanish major wanting to cement my language skills, and ISA's Bilbao program let me do exactly that. Homestay was the only housing option (which I wanted), and my host family was incredible; my host parents supported my language immersion tirelessly (talking with me over daily family-style lunch about Basque culture and and Spain and teaching me new vocabulary) while also giving me the independence to explore the city and travel.

ISA's pre-program visa-support process in the US left a lot to be desired, but Genoveva (the on-site coordinator in Bilbao) is the absolute best. She connected me with volunteer opportunities, cultural experiences, and students seeking English tutors.

Be aware ISA offers classes through CIDE (el Centro Internacional de Español) at Deusto University. CIDE is a language exchange program designed specifically for North American students, so you'll start and end the semester on a North American schedule and take classes with mostly other North Americans unless you opt into classes with locals (although you will have to push to take more than one class with Spanish students per semester). The CIDE instructors are excellent, though, and they offer a variety of classes designed to meet requirements for Spanish and Business degrees. They will cancel some offerings (like Medical Spanish my year) for low enrollment, so pick backup classes with your advisor.

I joined Deusto's Basque dance group, and you can take language classes separate from your CIDE classes at the university's language center in the evenings (including French and Basque). There is also a chapter of the international student group Happy Erasmus in Bilbao that organizes weekly events and weekend trips in English for students from around the world.

I loved Bilbao so much I took a gap year after my program to continue volunteering on a tall ship based in the city. For a student who had never left the united states before but wanted as much Spanish immersion as possible, it was an incomparable experience.

The Uni of Otago was the perfect place in New Zealand to experience a study abroad semester, especially with my passion for the environment. There is so many activities you can do: beaches galore, the Royal Albatross Center, the OPERA, and Lanarch Castle are just some of the ones I recommend. Dee was an amazing resident director, always there to help and act as a mom figure! The classes were challenging but synced with NZ concepts and I learned so much and got to push myself. The people of New Zealand are the most friendly, always there to help you. The culture and hospitality made me feel right at home even at first moments of arrival in my host city. My kiwi host was lovely and a friend to be there to guide me through this experience. Overall, my experience abroad was the most amazing thing I could have experienced in my undergraduate career. I met so many diverse people, ate local foods, traveled the country, and learned so much from my classes and professors. I truly found a new home in another country, and I am so keen to go visit asap!!!

My study abroad summer trip to Athens Greece was nothing short of unforgettable. Having never travelled abroad for an extended period the summer session was the perfect opportunity to dip my toes in. Of course this left me wishing I could stay for much longer. I had decided to take this trip solo and that was honestly the best decision I could have made. Almost everyone I met had chosen to do the same, and I made friends who I got really close with very quickly. I enjoyed the luxury of being close enough to walk to campus, shopping, markets, and different restaurant's. Public transportation was also super easy to navigate and we took many trips downtown on the metro and the buses. I went on many weekend trips with my program to historical sites and different islands. Big groups from my program also planned many weekend trips to different islands such as Mykonos and Paros. We booked boat cruises where we stopped at numerous islands or in the ocean to swim off the boat. The campus was beautiful as it sits on a mountain. The academics were a bit different than the U.S. as their grade scale and system is not the same, with little to no daily coursework. However, it is definitely manageable if you take the time to study for your midterm and final. I really enjoyed the cuisine as well, eating gyros almost every other day. There were lots of options for fresh produce and juices as well, and so many different authentic Greek dishes to try. Every Greek I met was very kind and helpful with any questions I had whether it be recommendations for places to visit or foods to try. Almost everyone speaks some English which made it especially helpful to navigate everything. My Greek classmates and Professors were very eager to answer our questions. Our accommodations were very close to the college and the apartment style living with everyone in our program made it so much fun to spend time together. The RA's living in the buildings were extremely kind and helpful and even spent time with us on various outings. I loved being in close proximity to everyone and so close to town where we could always find something to do. The views of course were extravagant. The beaches are unreal, with water so clear you can see completely to the bottom far off the shore. With the hot summer climate the water felt amazing. The historical sites and temples are truly something to behold, so much ancient history and Greek mythology associated with every place. It seemed that every site had a story of sorts behind its name. Greece in itself is truly everything I anticipated and more, I had many moments that felt so surreal. My biggest takeaway however, is the relationships I made. I was very fortunate to have met so many amazing people, and many which I kept in touch with after my trip. It is hard to see people you spent everyday with return back to every corner of the U.S. but I am so grateful to have experienced my summer abroad with them.

Ever since I left Cusco, I have been wishing I could go back. It is the most magical place full of delicious food, incredible people, and breathtaking scenery. The staff at ISA was so supportive and did a great job making me feel safe and comfortable in a new place. They gave great recommendations, taught us how to use public transportation, and took amazing care of us whenever any of us got sick. We got to go on amazing excursions such as the jungle and Machu Picchu. In addition all the classes included a bunch of amazing field trips.