Program Reviews

Florianopolis, Brazil was a beautiful place to study abroad. I lived on an island in a little fishing village near the water, and I could walk to the nearest market. One day I met a fisherman who was singing "Sweet Caroline," which was rare because there weren't many people who spoke English there. The fisherman and I became good friends, and we would sit in front of his little fishing shop by the water telling stories. He would fish sometimes, and tell the most extravagant stories I had ever heard. I learned so much from this man, and would have never met him if I hadn't traveled to Brazil. That is one of the best things about studying abroad; you get to meet amazing people and learn from them things that you would never learn in your own country.

I participated at Konkuk University and it was amazing! First of all, the korean people make you feel welcome (which I think is one of the most important reasons to travel to a place). They are really kind and helped me a lot even though I didn't understand Korean much. Second, Konkuk University is one of the hub places for young people to hang out, because of the food, shops and things to do. Third, the food was amazing. I didn't know I liked spicy food that much but Korean food is just awesome. Fourth, the classes I attended really helped me understand the Korean culture much better. However, it was hard for me to get a decent mobile plan. I chose Pocket Wifi Korea and had a great time with the pocket wifi system. I'm not sure what other data plans people use but I feel this is a great choice!

I am sure this only happens to a small amount of student travelers but everyone should know what happens if you get injured while on a study away program with ISA.

I was unfortunately only in the Czech Republic for 4 days when I broke my leg. It was broken to the point that I needed emergency surgery. I was brought to a Czech Hospital where no one spoke English and I was not provided an interpreter. On the day I was released from the hospital (Friday) I was put into an UBER with an ISA Staff memeber and he dropped me at my apartment and was left alone for most of the weekend. The staff member did check in on 1 time through email on Saturday and, after a phone call was made by my mom to the administration, a staff member checked up on me on Sunday for approx 30 min and then every day after that for approx the same amount of time until my mother arrived in country to take me home. (ISA Prague staff was friendly and did bring me books and fruit) I did not have a working Czech phone number so in the event of an emergency I would have just sat there until someone could get to me.
Next, You are required to purchase insurance before you go but your insurance will NOT pay for the initial hospital bill (cost $1500). AXA was the company we were required to purchase from and THEY decided that my injuries ( a plate and 8 screws and I was told not to walk on it for 3 months) were not severe enough to bring me back to the states. (Note: my commute from to the university was a 5 min walk to the tram, a 30 min tram ride and another 5 min walk to the university) It took my mother writhing a letter to my University President to get me home. My home school is my savior. MSU used their own insurance to fly my mom over to assist me to get home. Due to my injuries the cost to fly me home would have been somewhere around $10K.

Also, You should be warned that there is a STRICK no refund policy. If you are injured you WILL NOT get a full refund for your trip. I was there for 2 weeks (4 days in Prague, 4 days in the hospital and 1 week against my will) and we are liable for approx 40% of program costs.

Finally, ISA continues to tell me that I chose to leave the program. I was not in a cast and the commute was not only difficult but dangerous. Their answer to my situation was to offer me a condensed class schedule but that did nothing for how I was going to get back and forth to the university. They still do not seem to understand that.

The true character of a person/company is measured in bad times not good and in my opinion this company failed and they are backed by an insurance company that cares more about money than caring for the student it covers.

Disclaimer: **** this review site requires that you put in a score for all areas I rated academics a ten because it would not be fair to rate something low that I did not take part in and there is no N/A button.**

Studying at Otago University and experiencing New Zealand through my ISA program has been the most incredible experience I have had to this date! I made life long friends, got to partake in amazing excursions, and had a support group unlike any other! I would suggest this program time and time again to anyone considering studying abroad in New Zealand! Go enjoy the kind kiwi culture, the beautiful scenery, and the millions of other things New Zealand has to offer!

I decided to spend my summer (winter) in Wellington, New Zealand interning in the Clinical Trials Unit at the Regional Hospital.

I came into this internship with an open mind, because that's basically what all of the reviews I read clearly stated one should do when traveling to a totally different country on the other side of the world. I chose New Zealand because it isn't the typical study abroad spot where I'm from.
I've attached a few photos to this review, mainly of the sky or landscape because I’m continuously amazed each day. Literally, one day you wake up and it’s bright/sunny and feels like summer - then the next it can be dark and gloomy as if the sun never existed. My favourite times of day are when the sun comes up and when it decides to go down especially when it’s not raining.

One of the photos attached is a picture of what looks like an orange/blue lake with smoke rising from it. This is located in a place called Wai-O-Tapu or sacred waters, which is part of a Scenic Reserve that has been administered by the Department of Conservation. I didn’t expect to find such rich Maori culture/history or such diversity when I was planning this trip. I can say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Aside from the obviously beautiful landscape and sky, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with some amazing and wonderfully friendly kiwis during my 8 weeks.

As part of the internships BCP, I’ve been in Auckland and Rotorua prior to starting my internship in Wellington and I can say by far, Wellington is a home away from home. In my opinion Auckland reminded me of New York where it’s busy, hectic, crowded, and big. Rotorua was just pleasantly small, but smelled like sulfur everywhere. Last, but certainly not least – Wellington by far is my absolute favorite. It has the small town feel, yet the big city vibe, the downtown life, the crowded traffic, the obvious animosity between strangers, and of course the good-more so than bad weather habits.

I definitely plan on coming back to Wellington, whether it be for a holiday or to work. If ever presented with the opportunity to intern abroad – take it. It won’t be a poor decision. I’ve studied abroad and I’ve also interned abroad. The key difference is having the confidence to be able to venture out without the “supervision” that comes with studying abroad. As an intern, you learn the “ins and outs” of the local life of the country you’re visiting without presenting yourself as a tourist. And of course, you can also do all of the touristy things as a local.

I had such an amazing experience in this city, this school, and this program. I had never been out of the country until I traveled abroad, and IFSA made it so easy to figure out where I was supposed to be. They set us up in our apartments, had a multiple day orientation, and gave us a ton of good advice. The people in the program always ensured my safety and my health, and helped me get on the right track from the start. I became really close with our program adviser, and she was always there for us when we need anything. The school aspect of this program was the most challenging; NUIG enrolls their international students with regular students, and this was great, but difficult. Irish style of education is different than American in terms of testing instead of work, but this challenge is one of the reasons I'm so proud I went there. I was able to navigate a new education system, and receive a transcript from another institution that was complete and real! I really believe I earned the transcript I got, in comparison to people who just take joke classes that don't matter. That is why IFSA was amazing, it is an academic focused study abroad program that cares about you and your grades while abroad. I loved everything about Galway and the NUIG and I wish I could go back right now! Overall, the best experience of my life!

While it's been several years since my study abroad experience, it was something that left a lifelong impact on me. The ISA staff, both in the U.S. and in Granada were always helpful when I had a question or needed assistance. While we were given the option to find our own place to live or stay with a host family, I'm glad I chose to stay with the host family. It was a great immersive experience and while challenging at times, I loved it! The classes were also challenging and you were placed depending on where you tested for an initial test. ISA also had great opportunities, even for the five week program to see other cities. Upon arrival we saw Madrid and Toledo before heading to Granada. We also went to Sevilla one weekend. You can also plan excursions on your own of course and I was able to visit the beach one weekend as well as Cordoba. I'm also glad I opted to sign up to meet with a local student who was taking English classes so I could practice my Spanish and she practiced her English, I always enjoyed those meetings and the city of Granada as a whole!

Through participating in ISA's Service Learning Program in Valparaiso, Chile, I gained concrete job experience and immersed myself in Chilean culture. ISA providing ample support, introducing me to Chilean workplace culture, answering any questions I had, and helping me market my overseas experience to potential employers. By being able to teach English in Chile, I gained tangible job experience from my time abroad that I have been able to take home with me and apply to my undergraduate degree through getting involved in English language programs in the United States. I would highly recommend ISA Service Learning to anyone looking to have a meaningful and immersive experience overseas!

The summer before doing my semester in Chile, I worked at a day camp. One day, I made "water bottle lava lamps" with my campers. They are simple to make (all you need is oil, mostly-empty water bottles, food coloring, and Alka-Seltzer or a similar medicine), but they were a hit. During my semester, I participated in the Service Learning program, and spent several hours a week at a school for children with various special needs. Through helping the teachers with daily tasks and working with students, I got to practice skills from both of my majors (Psychology and Spanish) and familiarize myself in a unique way with another aspect of Chilean culture.

Toward the end of my program, I asked my ISA program staff, and later one of the teachers at the school where I was doing Service Learning, if I could do the project with one of the classes I helped in. Everyone approved. After I found all of the supplies (the Alka-Seltzer the morning of due to a couple of miscommunications), I lugged it all to the school on the bus. Even though they had autism, the kids in this particular class were older than my campers, so I wasn't sure how they'd react. The teacher had told me that they had done the experiment before without the medicine, so I was hoping that the medicine would be enough to hold their interest.

Thankfully, it was. I think it actually made it better that they had done a form of the experiment before, because then they were surprised when they saw how the medicine made it even more exciting. The teacher enjoyed it too, so much so that she asked if I'd be okay with using the extra oil to do it with the kids in the afternoon class as well. (She had some extra water bottles, but the kids in the first class were so into the experiment that they used all of the medicine, so the teacher would go get more during our lunch break.) Although I was skeptical if the younger kids could handle it, I agreed.

As it turned out, the younger kids loved it even more than the older ones. We only had three bottles, so they had to share and take turns, but it still went better than I had anticipated. It was more fun to watch as well, because they were amazed by every step of the experiment, and not only by the medicine like the older kids were.

I'm really thankful that I got to do Service Learning with ISA, and days like the day I did this experiment are part of the reason why. Even though it was a little harder than I thought to prepare for the activity and it didn't go exactly as I had planned in my head, everyone still really enjoyed it. I also appreciated having the opportunity to take initiative and use my previous knowledge and improving language skills to share an appropriate activity that they could also use in the future.

The throughout the internship and my adventures I kept a journal of everything I had done so that weeks from then, I would be able to reread what I had wrote and remember in full detail what had happened. I had a lot of great experiences and lasting impressions. I met some amazing people through my internship that I was lucky enough to work with. One of the stories I have to share was even more important to me by the time I got back to the US. I had the opportunity to hold the boom mic to Maisie Williams interview about a project we were working on (the BFG Dream Jar Trail). At the time, I knew that she was in the Game of Thrones, but I had never actually seen it. The way she conducted herself in the interview and the way she spoke was actually a whole different experience than I ever had before. I knew that I had to watch the Game of Thrones as soon as I got back to the US (considering I didn't have access to previous seasons in London). When I got back to the US, I binged the Game of Thrones in under a weeks time. Every time I saw Maisie Williams' character, Arya, on the screen, I was a bit upset with myself for not watching the show sooner. Then again, I would have been fangirling over how much of a bad ass she is so it's for the best that I didn't. During the interview, I could tell my coworkers were trying to keep their composure as well.