WorldStrides Reviews

Jog on the beach in the morning, catch a micro bus to Valparaiso for class, and drink Pisco (liquor) at a new place nearly every night. Let's just call Viña del Mar the San Francisco of Latin America.

ISA did a solid job in preparation, orientation and offering a near by office to allow for internet access, tutoring and lounging. The program advisors were very hands on and willing to talk about all the aspects of student life abroad. Trust me, the sensitive topics need to be discussed. I hold the ISA advisors in the highest regard for their realistic and practical approach. They teamed up students personalities and level of Spanish with host families. If you stay for a year enjoy the host family for a semester and then get your own place for the second. My second semester sharing an apartment with international students was insanely spectacular.

The advisors at ISA were really put the the test with my fist semesters rambunctious group. One student got appendicitis, two guys got locked up for a night in Mendoza, Argentina, and I had surgery on my toe due to a sports injury. The ISA team in Chile was remarkably tolerant and effective in resolving each of the situations. I was eventually 100% reimbursed through my personal & ISA insurance. ISA was very prudent with paperwork. The second semesters calm group didn't have any serious issues to the relief of the ISA advisors.

The University was strung about all over the city. This can make for a challenging class schedule but it encourages exploration of the city. Scholastics were hit and miss. The oratory class with Chilean students was one of the most rewarding courses of my college career. The Chilean studies course with only international students was kindergarden. Choose wisely.

Viña del Mar is a remarkable launching point to head north to the Atacama Desert, south to the Patagonia, or catch a flight to Easter Island (highly recommended). The ISA office was happy to assist with all travel arrangements.

My first piece of advice for studying abroad is DO IT! It will end up being the best experience of your life. It seems so easy to stay home where you are comfortable but trust me, that's not living. Studying abroad is when I first felt like I was actually living my life. I loved not doing the same day to day routine. You will learn and grow so much as a person. It is so worthwhile to do it. If you're a bit nervous about being away from home picking a country that speaks English may be a good idea. Other than that I would say just jump in feet first and don't hold back. Take every experience you can. Go out and explore and try new things, meet new people and be daring and adventurous! Life is too short to waste it not doing that. There were SO many exciting adventures I got to experience! I lived on a small sail boat with 20 other people for 3 days at the Whitsunday Islands. I traveled to Sydney and New Zealand over my mid-semester break. I tried surfing. I went to the famous Full Moon Parties on Magnetic Island. I went ATVing through the rainforest and horseback riding in New Zealand. I scuba dived the famous S.S. Yongala Shipwreck and saw a bull ray. I went cliff jumping and luging. When you visit another country everyday is an adventure and that was my favorite part of my time abroad.

The Gold Coast was by far my favorite location in Australia - it had the best weather, best beaches, and most laid back lifestyle which is exactly what I was looking for in a study abroad experience.

I lived in The Village and loved its proximity to school, the little store that had a few essentials, and the pool! Also great to have lots of people from all over the world staying in the same apartment complex - it really allowed me to branch out and meet a lot of people. The apartment was about a 20 minute bus ride from the beach, but realistically its only about 3 miles. You can see Surfers Paradise from the upper levels of the Village! The Vill can get loud/messy at times but I liked living there and constantly being surrounded by people/finding more travel buddies!

School was not very hard, I actually preferred the Australian semester system with lecture and tutorial over my American quarter system.

Overall, great program, great provider, great school, great experience :)

The only downside to my time in Buenos Aires with ISA was that the one month program was too short. I regretting not staying for the two month summer or a whole semester. We studied at the Universidad de Belgrano which is located a nice residential area. My host parents were a friendly older couple who only wanted to make my time in BA as enjoyable as it could be. They were 100% accommodating and made my transition into the city/culture really easy. They made me feel like home in their home. Our apartment was not the biggest but I was welcome to bring friends around and it was very cozy. We were located a few blocks from the metro which was great!

The university was not very far away from my apartment. I think around a 15 minute walk. It is not a typical "campus," more like a very tall building with classrooms in it. Upon arriving, we took placement exams to figure out what level Spanish class we would attend. This was only a suggestion because you could go up or down a level, depending on what you felt comfortable in. Unfortunately, I tested into a lower level but I should have taken the next level up because my classes were too easy. I also stayed at this level because I preferred the scheduling, I had more time in the afternoon to explore the city. I still learned a lot but would have improved more in a harder class.

The staff at ISA were very friendly and always there to help us when needed. They spoke as much Spanish as possible so we are able to practice and understand it more. When they spoke in English, it was only to clarify on important matters. Just to make sure we all understood. They encouraged us to speak Spanish as much as possible with locals as well as people in our group (even though we still mainly spoke English to each other). In the four weeks I was there we had a few different excursions and one weekend off, for free time. My favorite was the trip to Misiones and Iguazu Falls. We had taken a bus up to the falls and made a few stops on the way to different points of interest. After going to the falls we went to a few villages in the area. We had stayed at a nice hotel with a pool and also had time to explore with our friends. We flew back to BA.

I really liked working with ISA, they answered all my questions prior to signing up. The price was reasonable and it was really easy to pay. We had an airport pick up and the office was in a location of the office was convenient. I studied abroad a second time and I did use ISA again. They even offer a discount for people who have used them in the past. I signed up for their semester abroad in Guanajuato, Mexico as well as ELAP (volunteering). I would definitely recommend ISA to anyone. If you sign up for classes which are too easy, it is very easy to switch into a different one. Do it! Don't cheat yourself!

Trying to sum up my time abroad in a few short paragraphs seems impossible - four months of my life were spent blissfully living in and exploring Australia. I owe all of my experiences to GlobaLinks Learning Abroad.

From the start, planning for my trip abroad GLA helped me stay on track with deadlines, helped we decide which school to choose, where to live, and also had representatives come to my home university and present a pre-departure info session! Every step of the way, GlobaLinks was two steps ahead of me! Organizing all of my online materials, providing me with contact information for when I went overseas (my mother loved that) and in truth so did I...it is a huge leap of faith to study abroad, and knowing that I had several GLA staff in the same country put any worries to rest.

GLA also organized a trip to Cairns where I was able to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef! Many other incredible adventures awaited and I was glad to know that GLA would assist me in any way possible. I would HIGHLY recommend this program to anyone and everyone. Get out there and see what GlobaLinks has to offer!!!

Going to Shanghai was a great experience, but the program itself was not as good as I expected. Like many people I usually read a lot of reviews before deciding which program to choose and the reviews for TEAN were great. There are two summer programs for you to choose from: 5-week or 10-week. You will find that those who went on the 5-week program were generally satisfied with their experience, while those who went on the 10-week program many have been less happy. I went on the 10-week program. I don't want to waste your time so I will get down to the review. Based on my experience I will assess the pros and cons of the program only (This is not a review of Shanghai):

Pros:
+On-site staff: The staff was so helpful and friendly with all of us. She took people to the doctor if they were sick and she always checked in with us to make sure we had no problems. She was one of the best parts of the program.
+ Service activity: The community service activity was a wonderful experience! Our activity involved teaching migrant children English for one week. Despite having to wake up early in the morning to go see them, I enjoyed every minute of the activity, I only wish it was longer that one week. The school was about an hour away but it really took you away from the bustling city of Shanghai into a more rural part. THIS IS THE SINGLE REASON I DON'T REGRET CHOOSING TEAN.
+ People: As with many study abroad programs, you got to meet so many people from different countries. TEAN organized some activities so you could get to know one another.
+ Living: Being able to live in a dormitory at Fudan University then living in a typical apartment was great! You were given the rare opportunity to live as a student then live as a local.

Cons: (Please be aware that this is just my experience, others may be different)
- Off-site staff: I am most annoyed with the off-site staff based in Chicago. I contacted him fairly early in my decision process and, although they were friendly and fast at replying, I got little information from them. So despite fast replies getting the actual useful answer is a long process, it felt like pulling teeth. And some of the information I did receive was wrong, therefore was useless to me. Towards the end of the program I, as well as my house mates, were very annoyed that they seemed to avoid/prolong replying us until we had to call him. Here are some examples (quite long, sorry):
- When trying to choose my classes for the program I was given an old list of classes. Some of the classes I got approved by my home university adviser were no longer applicable so I had to redo the whole process.
- Giving information very late: We received an email advising us to buy our plane tickets, without giving us actual days when we should arrive. One week after I bought my ticket I received another email saying only some people would be provided free pickup from the airport, despite the website saying free pickup as part of their package. I along with a few others did not receive free pick up. I have never been out of the country so I emailed him expressing my concern, and he just told me to take a taxi or the subway! I had a tough time getting to school. The same thing happened at the end of the program, luckily I expressed my concern to the ON-SITE staff instead and I was given the appropriate accommodations.
- I was given a visa for 60 days although I would be staying longer. I do not travel much so I was not sure if this was correct. He assured me that every student got 60 days and it was standard. When I got to China I found that many people actually got a 90 day pass. I had to get out of the country or else I had to pay around USD$100 to renew my visa (as some others had to do). Although this may have been out of his control I felt I could not trust him, as he seemed to find a quick solution to a problem (even if he did not know the answer) without actually fixing the problem.
- The apartment we were given was significantly worse than others on the program. Appliances were broken and rooms were small. It was clear that it was a last minute solution. The way the situation was handled was horrible. When we complained the only attempt to solve the problem was to add a microwave into the kitchen. After numerous complaints, we got some monetary compensation.
- Even after the program ended I still had to deal with stuff. My home university informed me that Fudan only awards 2 credits for each class, not the 3 credits as advertised on the website. I also emailed him before I enrolled on the program in which he assured me that I would receive 3 credits per. When I and my university emailed him about the problem, he pretty much said "there is nothing I can do about it". We were both displeased by this answer. The website STILL advertised 3 credits!

Overall:
Regardless of the cons, it was an overall once-in-a-lifetime experience. TEAN's accommodations were good to some not others. I thoroughly enjoyed living in Shanghai and the on-site staff made everything easy. But it was getting to Shanghai that caused me the most headaches due to the staff based in the US, as I had problems before and after I was in Shanghai.

My thoughts:
Definitely go to Shanghai! But make sure you look at all your options before make a decision. I have no regrets but I really wish some situations were handled better. Thankfully, the pros outweigh the cons. If TEAN can better prepare their staff in the US then this program is worth it. If not, then please give it some thought before you commit to a program. Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoys your time in Shanghai!

Studying abroad in the Gold Coast was the best experience of my life and TEAN definitely contributed to that experience. I lived in serviced apartments two minutes away from the beach and it was pretty much paradise. Waking up everyday knowing it was going to be 80 degrees and sunny was the best feeling ever. I studied at Bond University and the campus was beautiful. I rode the bus to campus for class and I took advantage of the public transportation and visited every beach I could on the Gold Coast. At night I would go for a run right next to the ocean and reflect on my life and every day just kept getting better. I met some of my best friends and I even met a guy who I am currently still dating.

Studying abroad is an experience like no other and it helped me grow into a woman I dreamed of becoming. My favorite time of the entire trip was bungee jumping in New Zealand, I will admit it was the best 30 seconds of my life. New Zealand was beautiful and I'm so glad I got to make a trip there. I also made a trip to the great barrier reef and went scuba diving which was also amazing.

The Australian culture was so interesting to learn about. It was exceptionally easy to get to know the locals with them speaking English and everywhere in the country is just a beautiful sight.

I would push and encourage every person to take the chance and go abroad, regardless of money and regardless of whats currently going on in their life. I had to pay for everything on my own, I took out loans and I'm not in a lot of debt but it was all worth 100% of every penny.

TEAN was the best decision I made regarding my decision to go Australia. Discover yourself and go abroad!

I looked at several program options for studying abroad in Sydney, Australia. I picked GlobaLinks because of two main factors: the Bridging Cultures Program and their 24/7 in country support.
The bridging cultures program was an orientation to the program. We went to Cairns for ours. While there we met all of the other GlobaLinks students going to Macquarie and learned about the country and culture. We also held Koala's, fed and pet kangaroos, visited the rain forest, went snorkeling and scuba diving, and had the option to go skydiving, bungee jumping, white water rafting, or horseback riding. It was an amazing four days and really helped to not only adjust to jetlag and homesickness but also make great friends who lasted during the program. Our group really bonded during the BCP.
I also loved that GlobaLinks had 24/7 in country support. They always had someone there if me or my parents needed to talk to someone. I also utilized the coordinators a lot to help plan trips or find things to do.
Macquarie is the only University with it's own train station. This was very important because it's a ride into the city. That was the only negative about studying abroad at Macquarie, however the price difference was well worth the transportation time.
Macquarie also had a nearby shopping center which included an ice rink and grocery store.

Overall my study abroad experience was one of the best of my life and I'm so glad I chose GlobaLinks Learning Abroad

Studying abroad in Berlin with GlobaLinks is an experience I won't soon forget. Their application process is simple and quick, I had a reply within only a couple weeks of applying. Before departure the staff helps you through a easy to-do list for things such as visas and housing, etc. and prepares orientation material so you're not left in the dark. Each group even has its own Facebook group to meet other students before the semester starts.

A typical day started with a three-hour German language class (don't worry - breaks are included) which is based off your previous ability. The difficulty ranges from absolute beginners to almost fluent speakers. Classes sizes are relatively small and you get to know each other very well, not to mention the teachers are excellent. Other classes include history, political science, literature, business and architecture to name a few.

Berlin offers plenty of outside activities and the program makes good use of getting students out to see the city. Museum passes and other students discounts made it easy to find things to do. Your student ID also lets you use public transportation for free! The city is full of students and other young folks with all kinds of clubs to visit each evening and on the weekends.

Travel to other cities and countries is painless with trains traveling just about everywhere. In the spring semester I had a normal spring break along with a week-long excursion not long after with my program. In under a month I was able to visit four different countries.

Throughout the semester GlobaLinks does a terrific job checking up on students. A local Resident Coordinator is nearby 24/7 for all kinds of emergencies and problems, or even to offer some suggestions for weekend activities. At the start of the semester your coordinator leads you through a Bridging Cultures orientation program which is a great introduction to the city and sets you up for a great semester.

I miss Berlin each and every day and I would highly recommend this program to anyone. If I had the chance I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

When I got to New Zealand, we had a day in Auckland and 5 in Waitomo for the Bridging Cultures Program. We were met at the airport in the early morning on arrival day, and had an incredibly busy week - the best way to avoid jet lag! There were around 15 Americans during my semester - July-December is always a small group.
We stayed at Kiwipaka, a great local hostel in Waitomo. There's a bar and small swimming pool and it's a launching pad for all sorts of activities. My group went caving through an underground river, getting to rappel down waterfalls. I used a free day to visit The Shire movie set from Lord of the Rings. We all learned the Haka and visited a Maori village where we ate a hangi, or Maori feast.
Through these activities, I got to know the other Americans and had some friends in NZ. It definitely eased my transition because when I got to Wellington I ran into my new friends around town - it's not a big place. Our group split into a few smaller segments that stayed close throughout the semester.
I didn't use GlobaLinks for much after that first week. However, when the Tongariro volcano erupted, they had great communication with my parents keeping them up to date and telling them that I was safe. I also met with Richard, our on-site director, for some travel advice for my trips to Australia and Fiji afterwards.