Program Reviews

Picture this: sipping espresso at a quaint café, discussing global marketing with classmates from 80+ countries, the Eiffel Tower in view. This was my incredible semester at the American Business School of Paris with ISA!
ISA's program exceeded all expectations. Their on-site staff provided excellent support, from orientation to ongoing advice. I was placed in a homestay in a beautiful Parisian neighborhood, enhancing my cultural immersion. The academic experience was rewarding, with English-taught classes offering unique perspectives on business.
ISA's cultural excursions were a highlight, from Louvre tours to weekend trips across France. These pre-arranged events made exploring accessible and fostered connections with other ISA students.
Choosing ISA was one of my best decisions. They transformed a potentially overwhelming experience into an unforgettable adventure. For anyone considering studying abroad in Paris, I wholeheartedly recommend ISA. They ensure a safe, educational, and life-changing experience that goes beyond just academics. Thanks to ISA, I've gained knowledge, experiences, and memories that will last a lifetime!

Studying abroad in Florence with ISA was the best decision of my life. Being able to live in a new country and learn about a completely different culture and way of life is a once in a lifetime opportunity. There is no better way to learn than being able to learn through experiences. During the semester I was abroad, I was able to travel all throughout Italy as well as to many other countries all over Europe. Because of this program, I was able to meet some of my best friends and make many amazing memories. Through my time there, Florence truly became a second home, and I can't wait until I am able to be there again!

I went and studied at the American University of Rome over the summer and enjoyed everything about it. I was the only student from my university going and was very nervous but everyone in my program welcomed me with open arms and made me feel loved. The hardest part of the trip wasn't the Italian or the culture (they mostly speak English and their culture is really exciting) but I found that the one thing that made me homesick was a hotdog.I somehow got sick of eating pasta and pizza. I'll tell you though, once I got my hotdog when I landed in America, I just wanted to go right back to Italy.

I spent five months abroad in Granada, Spain, during the Spring semester of 2024. I lived with a host mother, and two other roommates from my university. There are so many positive things I can say about this program and my time. To start, ISA is such a wonderful organization that I highly recommend traveling through. They were so helpful with everything from getting my Visa, to the on site staff in Granada, and my return to home. They have everything organized in easy to locate places, and communication was always clear. I chose to study in Spain for the language. I am a Spanish minor, and have always loved Spanish and had a goal of becoming fluent. All of my classes in Spain were in Spanish (however, I had some friends whose classes were in English, it just depends on your language level :) and my host Mom didn't speak any English. Both of these components aided in mastering my fluency in Spanish, which I will be forever grateful for. My trip included excursions, which were amazing. My favorite excursion was my trip to Morocco. The Sahara Desert and cities of Fez and Meknes created so many memories for me that I will cherish forever. There are so many amazing aspects that ISA and studying abroad has to offer, and I would HIGHLY recommend you check them out!

At first I was so scared to study abroad because I was alone but I never think for a second that I regret my experience. I overcame the challenge of having to be independent in a country where I do not speak the language. I felt so much peace and happiness during my stay and wish everyday I were back there. I saw myself grow as a person and become more confident everyday. The locals would encourage us to dance with them and everyone is truly happy there. If you are thinking about doing it, DO IT!

During my time in Salamanca I had the best time. I have always been a city girl but knowing that I would walk everywhere, I was searching for a city where everything I needed was at walking distance. Salamanca was the perfect middle ground for that. I got to experience the city life without needing to travel miles across town for the best restaurants and cafes. I lived in a "residencia" with other students from other programs who were also studying abroad or were students that were studying their full college career in Salamanca. Salamanca was a city I feel in love with because of the history, the culture and the people. I enjoyed exploring new corners of the city center, expanding and challenging my Spanish speaking skills, shopping and building new friendships!

I spent my junior year abroad with ISA. While in Seville, I took the 2-Week intensive course at the ISA study center, and two semesters at the Universidad de Sevilla. The intensive course at ISA was rigorous but worth it. The professor was incredible, and the content was beyond valuable. Additionally, arriving two weeks early gave me extra time to acclimate to the city of Seville and make new friends. When starting at the University of Seville, I was surprised to find that the professors were flexible with our language abilities, understanding of our personal time, and attentive to us as students. All of my courses from the University of Seville were valuable and transferred directly to my home university.

For housing, I spent the first semester in a host family, and the second semester in the ISA residencia. I am grateful to have lived with a host family first semester, as it paid huge dividends in my speaking abilities and was convenient for meals. However, living at the residencia was at times more comfortable and allowed for more connection with other students. I would recommend any abroad student to stay with a host family if they only have one semester!

I would recommend Seville over just about any other city in Spain, as it is an extremely safe, tight-knit community. The streets are steeped in culture, and the nightlife is unmatched. I miss it daily!

Overall, my experience with ISA was positive and highly recommended! ISA was definitely the most organized staff I worked with. Compared to my friends in other programs, ISA provided great personal support and planning.

I studied abroad in Seoul, South Korea with TEAN and wish I could do it all over again. The TEAN staff made the process of obtaining my required documents and entry into the country much easier than I had anticipated, and when I had difficulty with course registration at the beginning of my semester, the TEAN staff was able to help me by speaking to the university, and the university made exceptions for me which was almost unheard of. TEAN also included activities and excursions, and gave students plenty of opportunities to meet other students and make friends. I loved being in South Korea. The food was delicious and affordable, the public transportation was very clean and convenient, the people were very polite and welcoming, and the city overall was beautiful and fun to explore. I would highly recommend visiting Seoul, and I would recommend doing so with TEAN.

As a graduate student of social work and pastoral ministry with interests in community development, I researched a number of internship placements in a number of international settings. I soon found ISA/TEAN's wide array of opportunities. After some initial applications, their admission staff connected me with their Service-Learning program which allowed me to specialize in nonprofit work. What particularly struck me about ISA's programs in general was the amount of logistical support they lent me leading up to, during, and after my internship program. ISA/TEAN has a friendly, caring staff across the globe ready to support students. Through organized conversations, Zoom meetings, and micro-credential courses, ISA/TEAN gave me ample opportunities to reflect on my experience abroad—allowing me to approach my experience intentionally and informatively.

I studied abroad in Perth Australia during my spring semester junior year, and I can confidently say that it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Before I left I was beyond excited, but I was also extremely nervous because I wasn’t going with anyone I knew, and I had some fears about not being able to make new friends. I shouldn’t have spent a second worrying, however, because TEAN set up our program in a way where there were multiple opportunities to meet people. All the TEAN students studying abroad in Australia for our semester had orientation in Cairns together. So as soon as I stepped off the plane I was greeted by our advisors and introduced to the other students who had been on my flight. I ended up chatting with a girl on the bus on the way to the hotel and we became good friends during our orientation. Everyone in our program was welcoming and kind, and we all kinda became a big family for a week. I remember being in a bit of disbelief that we’d all clicked so fast, and it made me realize that a lot of students had come alone, and I certainly wasn’t the only one nervous about meeting new people.

Orientation in Cairns was fantastic. There were included excursions as well as extra excursions, which I took advantage of because who knows if I’ll ever get back to Australia again in my lifetime. Within a few days I had scuba dived in the Great Barrier Reef, skydived, saw a crocodile farm, met with Aboriginal leaders, and swam beneath natural waterfalls. And I had it all with the amazing people I’d only just met. It was a bit hard to say goodbye, but I was able to see some of them again on the additional TEAN trips, like the one I took to New Zealand.

During orientation I hadn’t spent much time with the students who were also studying in Perth with me, but again, that wasn’t a problem because as soon as we landed in Perth TEAN provided so many activities to help us get to know each other. There were 12 total students studying in Perth, but 6 went to University of Western Australia and the other 6 (including me) went to Murdoch University. The two universities were only a quick train ride away, so we were able to all see each other quite frequently during the semester. In the apartments at Murdoch, TEAN split us up so that there were two TEAN students in each apartment. At first I was a little bummed because I had wanted all 6 of us to live together but splitting us up was actually a good thing because we were able to get close to the other Australian and Japanese students that were living with us in our apartments. I became best friends with my Australian roommate, who I likely wouldn’t have met if we hadn’t lived together, and we still talk everyday despite being on opposite sides of the world. TEAN also made arrival easy because they gave us transportation from the airport, arranged our apartments, including apartment necessities such as kitchenware and bedding, and helped us move in. Not to mention they provided endless support for us after our arrival.

We arrived in Perth two weeks before our classes started, so we were all able to explore the city and the little beach town close to us (Fremantle), and just get adjusted to Australia. During that time our TEAN advisor took us to see the Fremantle prison, the Fremantle markets, downtown Perth, King’s Park, and we even took surf lessons. Thanks to TEAN I felt like I had a built-in friend group despite only having been in Perth a few weeks. And once classes started it turned out that we were in a lot of them together, so I always had someone to walk to class with and work on assignments with. There were 4 of us in Marine Biology and we ended up making a documentary together, and we had a lot of fun filming that. The structure of classes were a bit different in Australia compared to the US. In Australia there is more of an expectation that you are responsible for mastering the material on your own, so there are only a few assignments for each course that you’re actually graded on. At first I was a bit intimidated by this because one assignment could be 25% of your grade, but I found that I actually preferred it this way because I wasn’t tied down with busy work and had more freetime. Because work outside of class was less demanding my friends and I went out to dinner exploring different restaurants a few times a week. We also went to trivia every wednesday at a bar in Fremantle, which became one of our favorite things to do. Also because the class load was later, I was able to travel and easily make up the work I’d missed. While I was there I went to Bali, Sydney, Melbourne, New Zealand, and even did an outback camping trip up North.

I could go on and on about how amazing my TEAN study abroad experience was in Australia, but I’d have to write a novel to include everything. All in all, I made life-long friends while studying abroad, both from the US and from Australia, continued my education at an incredible university, and was able to see parts of the world that I’d never thought I’d see. I would do this program again in a heartbeat, and I hope everyone gets to have an opportunity like this. I miss it everyday.