Program Reviews

SIT Ecuador was an incredibly challenging, but incredibly rewarding semester. I am an ecological and evolutionary biology major in New York City, so I had not had many field experiences before this program. I have now stayed on an island in the Amazon River Basin for 3 weeks by myself researching monkey behavior. Throughout the program I learned how to conduct my own research, write papers, and analyze data. I had a heavier work load than typical semesters, but the field excursions that caused them were well worth the late nights. The professors are incredibly knowledgeable and genuinely care about the students. I could not have asked for a better program.

I had a fabulous time studying abroad in Switzerland with SIT. Top features that stand out to me are the homestay experience and the opportunity for travel. Living with a homestay family is so incredibly valuable. Not only is it a home away from home, but it gives the amazing opportunity to learn more about Swiss culture and to practice language skills. Additionally, travel was a highlight of my time abroad. The program gives students a GA travel card on the Swiss travel pass which means you can ride all the trains in Switzerland in for free. It is actually hard to overstate how amazing this was. With the Swiss travel pass I could go on excursions without having to stress about money. The academic side of the program is very solid. Compared to other study abroad programs, the level of workload is relatively higher. However, compared to my home university, the rigor of the courses was not very intense. If you manage your time, there is plenty of time to travel every weekend. Just know that for the first few months of the program you have class five days a week. The independent study project in the last month of the program was great! There are no course classes during this period, so you can travel and work on your project simultaneously. While people may be tempted to travel to foreign destinations, I would really encourage people to travel within Switzerland as much as possible. The program size is relatively small, so it is easier to make friends than in the massive study abroad programs. You take all the same classes with your classmates so you get to know everyone very well. I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to live in such a beautiful place as Switzerland for a semester.

This program was amazing. The city of Ushuaia is super safe and surrounded by mountains and the canal. So much hiking and natural places to explore. This program is excellent for developing your Spanish abilities and if you really want to integrate into the community. You get to do an internship or individual project of your choosing during the last month and really give back to your community. You also get to go to Antartica and Chile and explore the island of Tierra del Fuego. Also time for individual travel if you want. The host family was one of my favorite parts!

This program is an incredible opportunity. You will travel, improve your spanish, and learn about the environment of southern patagonia. If you have a strong base in ecology and biology, the classes will not be too challenging (apart from them being in spanish). Program directors are incredible and caring, you will be well supported through the entire process. I came into this program knowing minimal spanish and being a natural resources major less focused on science and I felt that I was perfectly challenged.

I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the SIT Social Movements and Human Rights program in Buenos Aires, Argentina! This program facilitated invaluable educational experiences, helping each student immerse themselves in the culture and material in countless ways. The program coordinators were some of the most wonderful people I've ever met. They were welcoming, compassionate, knowledgeable, and always went above and beyond to support me and my classmates throughout the semester. The same can be said for all of our host families. I know my parents were relieved when they learned I was in such good hands! Also, the program coordinators believed deeply in the material, and genuinely cared about helping us develop a similar passion for social movements and human rights. Perhaps my favorite part of the program was the Independent Study Project that each student got to complete at the end. We were each encouraged to take our project in a direction that was unique to our particular interests, and we received as much support as we needed while the projects developed. During my project, I had the chance to live with an indigenous community, where I met and interviewed community members, shared meals and laughs, sat in on some classes at the elementary school, all to learn about their spiritual identity. This semester was one of the most formative times in my life. I returned home more curious, compassionate, connected to the world around me, motivated, and inspired to use my life to help others. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything!

I absolutely loved my experience, from the program's staff, to my host family to our planned; trips, classes, and activities, all were fantastic! I entered the program with; a fair amount of exposure to Spanish immersion environments, a questionable but consistent background in Spanish from high school, 2 semesters of college Spanish, and a year break between when I took Spanish and when I went abroad. I also am dyslexic, so learning a language in a classroom is more difficult for me. I was unique in my SIT student cohort, because almost everyone had more Spanish credits than I did. At first the full immersion aspect of the program was overwhelming because it used so much energy to translate everything, while adjusting to learning my new day-to-day schedule. But it was definitely worth it to stick it out and probably my favorite aspect of the program. By the end of the semester, I left feeling confident navigating and communicating in a full immersion environment, a skill I’d abandoned mastering in a classroom due to my dyslexia. I would recommend this program to any and all!

I can't overhype this program. It was such an amazing experience and if you are are someone who wants to study these subjects in this part of the word consider these 5 points:

1) You will not be able to find better staff and professors anywhere because SIT's program staff are so amazing

2) Buenos Aires is an amazing wonderful city that is both surprisingly safe given its size and filled with amazing cultural opportunities to explore.

3) You will learn so much: both through the classes and the ISP/Internship period

4) More on ISP: this was an amazing opportunity to conduct research and do what I wanted while still receiving plenty of support.

5) You will absolutely improve your Spanish, and it's not scary like it can sometimes be because the vast majority of Argentineans are so kind and patient

The SIT Argentina program was an incredibly formative academic and personal experience. With a strong foundation in Spanish, I found the coursework to be intellectually engaging and well-paced, though even students with less language experience were able to succeed thanks to the supportive and accessible teaching environment. The small cohort size allowed for deep discussions and consistent interaction with professors, and the classroom component was enriched by two weeks of fieldwork, which brought our studies to life in a powerful way. The local staff were one of the program’s greatest assets—deeply caring, present, and helpful long after the program ended. While my individual housing situation was not ideal and my host family did not provide great meals, I believe that was an exception rather than the norm. Outside of that, Argentina offered fantastic and affordable food options, though being vegetarian was a bit limiting. Socially, I enjoyed exploring the city through daily swims, café hopping, and public transportation, even if I didn’t prioritize making local friends. Health services, including therapy and acupuncture, were easy to access and well-coordinated by SIT. I felt safe throughout my time there by using common sense and being aware of my surroundings. Financially, the favorable exchange rate made it easy to live on a student budget. Ultimately, this program launched two thesis projects and laid the groundwork for my Fulbright application and master’s degree. I would absolutely choose it again.

The SIT program in Cusco offers an extraordinary immersion into the Andes—an experience that is at once academically rigorous, intellectually generative, and deeply human. Over the course of just a few days, we moved from high-level institutional briefings to intimate conversations with rural cooperatives, from formal lectures on extractivism and globalization to storytelling sessions with weavers and community leaders in Huilloc. The pacing is demanding, but the richness of the experience more than rewards the effort.

One of the most powerful moments for me was the rural homestay in Huilloc. It was not simply about staying in an Indigenous community; it was about encountering knowledge systems embodied in daily life. Our group was welcomed with such grace and generosity, and the conversations about weaving, land use, and autonomy gave texture to broader themes of Indigenous resistance and adaptation. I came away with a renewed sense of what field-based learning can be.

SIT’s team in Peru is extraordinary. Their ability to move between Spanish and Quechua, and between academic and community settings, models what it means to be an engaged scholar-practitioner. The program doesn’t shy away from complexity—in fact, it leans into it. The conversations on extractivism, mining conflicts, and intercultural health (especially the visit to the Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco’s ethnobotany program) were thoughtful and challenging. Students are invited not to consume knowledge but to co-create it with those they meet.

Also worth noting: the logistics are handled with care, which allows participants to be fully present. The group sessions back at the hotel—many of them debriefs or structured reflections—are where so much of the integration happens. And in a city like Cusco, that holds its own tensions between tourism and tradition, the chance to reflect collectively is crucial.

In sum, SIT’s Spring 2025 Cusco itinerary offers more than a study abroad experience—it cultivates relational, embodied, place-based learning. I’d recommend it to any student ready to engage Peru not as a destination, but as a dialogue

Oh where do I start? This program is densely packed with content. You go from exploring museums, to city tours of old history, to chatting with various underground, above ground, and indigenous leaders! There is a vast amount of cultural enrichment within this program, many, many visits to differing places with the goal of teaching you about various social movements and history of human rights. You are given the opportunity to do an internship, or qualitative research project which both set you up for success following your time in the program. Additionally, the various places you'll visit in this program are beyond beautiful and the cities and towns have a lot to offer! I very much recommend this program for so many reasons. It helped me gain in-person experience in my field, enrich my Spanish speaking skills, meet amazing friends and collaborators that I wouldn't have otherwise got the chance to meet. Many of my peers in my program have also gone on to get accepted to Fulbright programs due in part to their time in this program. Don't regret it! Choose Social Movements and Human Rights!