I can only think positive things about my experience in Valparaíso. Volunteering at Centro Bellavista, the Special Education Center, and working with the psychologist was such a great experience for me and so much fun. In the US, I have heard the statement, "The only disability in life is a bad attitude." Working at this placement allowed me to see the truth of that statement. Working with the students and helping them in their everyday school life was such a joy for me. The children always put a smile on my face no matter what. I loved the Chilean culture (especially the food), and my host family was SO caring and friendly. They made me feel like one of their own children. I still keep in touch with my host brothers on a regular basis. I really wish I could have stayed longer than a month so that I could have traveled more, but I will definitely have to return to Chile in my future. Overall, this was an amazing and valuable experience. I was able to immerse myself in the culture, strengthen my Spanish-skills, and gain life-changing skills that allowed me to grow in so many ways. Although it was hard at first to communicate with the locals (taking into account their accent, local lingo, and how fast they talk), but at the end I was able to realize that this only made me a better Spanish speaker.
What would you improve about this program?
I think it would be beneficial to organize activities with the local university students and ELAP (volunteer program) students. Since I was not taking classes, sometimes I did not know about activities that were going on.
Wow, that is the first word that comes to mind. Ireland is a beautiful country with an even better culture. It's not as much as a place but the people that make a place wonderful, that is what University College of Dublin and Dublin Ireland did for me. Assimilating into the culture was very easy and the talking with Irish and International students made it even easier. While I was at UCD I lived in the dorms which made the experience even better being on campus while close enough to the city if you wanted to do something downtown. Classes were a different style that I was used to but I learned new study habits and utilized my resources more. If you wanted to go away for the weekend the airport was close enough to be there in 40 minutes and could travel to many other European countries at a cheap price, thanks Ryanair! Having an ISA student and faculty in the country made it easier if we had any issues or if we wanted to do something fun, they were just as excited to do experience it with us students! Overall, UCD and Ireland was one of the best experience I have ever had in my entire life.
What would you improve about this program?
Letting students know that If you live on campus, there are guard gates with guards on the parameters of the dorms and can't invite friends in after 10 pm.
Upon returning from my trip abroad I had one thought on my mind. Wow, I wish I could've studied abroad for a year. Studying in Barcelona, Spain through ISA was truly the best decision I've ever made in my life. The ISA staff was more than supportive and addressed any of your needs immediately. They were even as kind to drop off a coffee machine and mugs when we mentioned (in passing) that we missed having a coffee machine.
Barcelona is without a doubt the best city to travel to. It is modern enough that you do not feel overwhelmed with culture shock. Yet it is historic enough to engulf yourself in culture and art.
ISA made a very daunting and at first intimidating process, exciting and fun. I would highly recommend traveling with ISA.
What would you improve about this program?
I virtually have no complaints about ISA. If I had to improve one thing it would be to have longer excursions. When we traveled to Valencia, Spain, it was hard to fit in everything in two days.
I absolutely loved my experience with isa! It was the most life-changing experience I’ve ever had and I wouldn’t trade my experience for the world: the good, the bad, and the ugly. From day 1 of applying to isa, the Austin staff was extremely helpful and supportive of making sure I got all the right paperwork done and my visa was processed correctly! In fact, I actually ended up missing a form the day before my embassy interview and isa overnighted it to me so that I wouldn’t have to miss my appointment. The great thing about studying abroad with a provider like isa is that they take care of the logistics for you. I got on my plane to Paris knowing that someone had set up my housing, someone was going to pick me up at the airport, I was registered for classes, etc. The on-site staff was really helpful and supportive with some health care issues I had too which I really appreciated since my French was not very good!
Paris is a beautiful city and while many say they fall in love in Paris, I would say I fell in love with Paris! There’s nothing like an afternoon stroll along the seine, eating a crepe at Trocadero while gazing at the Eiffel Tower, spending long afternoons at sidewalk cafes, or getting your bread fresh every morning. Paris is also a fantastic city to study abroad in because it is so close to other amazing cities in Europe. During my study abroad experience I visited 6 other countries and countless cities. The relatively cheap and easy travel is one of the huge perks of being in continental Europe.
Studying abroad really teaches you to be independent, learn a new language and culture, adapt to countless circumstances, and discover who you are. It takes a leap of faith to be willing to leave everything behind and step into the unknown, but I promise it is a decision you will never regret! Now what are you waiting for? Go Study Abroad!!!
My experience in Amman, Jordan was unforgettable! ISA was incredibly reliable and supportive through every step of the study abroad process. From the daunting pre-departure tasks to finally arriving and getting acclimated in the culture and studies, ISA helped me every step of the way. Although I was studying in a place as unique as Amman, I never felt in the dark or worried about my safety while abroad. The on-site staff and resident director for ISA was so helpful and reliable. I would recommend any program ISA has to offer to anyone looking for an affordable, reliable, and amazing study abroad experience.
International Studies Abroad is an incredible organization with FANTASTIC people working for them! They all helped me with every single thing I needed, were encouraging, supportive, fun, and great people to get to know!
What would you improve about this program?
I just wish I had gone with someone I knew, but that is a personal choice.
Where to begin. I cannot rave enough about my experience in Malaga. I loved absolutely everything about it, from ISAs friendly and helpful staff to long afternoons spent on the beach, sunbathing and eating gelato. The climate is perfect: warm and sunny, and it barely ever rains (at least in the fall). The host family I lived with was absolutely phenomenal - even though they didn't speak any English, they were kind and understanding, and living with them helped me improve my Spanish by leaps and bounds. A normal day consisted of going to Spanish class for a few hours, and one or two classes later in the day. I usually went home to eat lunch with my host family (which gave me great access to the local cuisine,) and would spend the rest of the afternoon either on the beach or hanging out with friends. Because of the airport, train, and bus stations in Malaga, it's very easy to travel, nationally or internationally.
Essentially, I loved everything about the ISA program in Malaga. I would go back in a heartbeat if I could, and treasure every memory I have from my phenomenal semester.
What would you improve about this program?
I wish we would have had classes with local students. We did, however, have classes with other Erasmus students which was very cool and helped me to meet a ton of awesome people!
I always knew I would return to Madrid to study abroad ever since I visited for 3 days in high school on a cultural immersion trip. The city life, the loving people and the overall Spanish vibe provided me with the best study abroad experience I could have asked for. My homestay experience was everything I hoped for and more, I can't wait to go back and visit my host mom again! Universidad de Antonio de Nebrija was the perfect place to take classes for an American looking to meet people from all over the world while still feeling at home in the classroom. The ISA Office staff in Madrid are all perfect humans and will answer to your every beckon call. They really made you feel like you belonged in their city while showing you the best places to sightsee, eat and enjoy what España had to offer. Overall, my study abroad experience with ISA provided me with a whole new outlook on travel, culture and life in general and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!
I absolutely loved Costa Rica! I would definitely recommend this program! I would go to the ISA office almost daily because the ladies in the office were so welcoming and accommodating that I made friends with them. I was in intermediate Spanish which was not difficult but somewhat challenging. I wasn't honestly overly fond of the classroom but when you are there, the classroom is not the best place to learn Spanish anyway: the people are. If you really want to learn Spanish, then I would highly recommend that you make friends with the Ticos and not with Americans. Then use the classroom to facilitate what you learn from speaking with constantly with locals. With that being said, I didn't follow that advice very well. I made very good friends with other American students there with me and we spoke too much English (which was not my plan), but I forged friendships that were so tight that I still speak with most of them regularly almost two years later. I
I had a host family that I loved and we became so close that they even too me to a family reunion and later included me in their Father's Day family photo.
I also liked that ISA provided two excursions and left the rest of the weekends open. This way I was able to be lead in the first two weekends to get my bearings in the country and then my friends and I could plan our own trips after that (which were not very expensive at all).
Overall I can easily say that I had a 5-star experience!
What would you improve about this program?
I would have stayed longer for sure! I actually tried when I was there but it was too expensive for me to extend so late and I would have had to have found my own housing.
My favorite part of living in Malaga was the people I encountered while living there. My host family was wonderful and so willing to help with anything. Same with the ISA Malaga staff. However, beyond that, so many of the locals I met were wonderful as well. I met so many lifelong friends while in Malaga and I think that is because it is such a social culture. I went to multiple intercambios and met so many wonderful people there who I continued to spend time with while I was in Spain and even now that I am home we still talk. The people and culture are so welcoming and friendly!
What would you improve about this program?
I think it would have been better if we could have gone to school with locals. However, it was awesome taking classes with people from all over the world, it would have been cool to be in classes with locals.
