SIT Study Abroad Reviews

From discussing the fire regimes of Eucalyptus trees on hikes through the rainforest, to listening to Uncle Rus' stories about Aboriginal tradition around the campfire, to conducting fish behavior surveys on the great barrier reef, this program takes you beyond the classroom to learn in the environment. This program is perfect for students who want to experience more than just city life (although there's some of that too) and explore ecology with their own eyes. A typical class might include a bus ride where you use those 'car window ecology goggles' to observe how the landscape changes, then stretch your legs with a proforma to classify the rainforest type before lunch. After a group picnic, you might swim in the nearby waterfall or switch locations to explore a different ecosystem. While in the marine unit, you might have a lecture after breakfast, then put that new knowledge into practice by snorkeling the nearby reefs. The program ends with the opportunity to join a research project or possibly design your own which is a great way to apply everything you've learned, explore an interest, and potential find a future career.

This program can be very challenging, as it moves quickly, exposes you to various different environments, etc, but the amount of learning (both personally and academically) that can be gained makes it well worth it. Personally, I found the ISP (independent study project) especially challenging, but I learned more than I could have possibly imagined about the topic of my research, the process of doing research, and my own personal interests and boundaries. Also, the SIT community in-country (the director, coordinator, and my classmates) formed a really incredible community that was an important support system and also a highlight of the semester.

I had am amazing time with SIT this past semester. I absolutely loved the other students in the program and made some close friends. The directors of the program were always supportive and I felt comfortable with them. And they made everything fun! Classes were not terribly hard academically as long as you stayed on top of your work. I got to know my host mom very well and shared dinners with her every night, talking about lots of stuff together. I felt like I had an insider look into Argentina culture and made friends with some argentinians my age. I loved my time here, even the hard parts, and would recommend it to anyone.

This was an amazing experience! I had such a fantastic time in Argentina and I learned so much not only about human rights and social movements but also about myself. I was able to make such incredible friendships as well. I couldn’t be more thankful. I highly recommend this program. The staff and advisors were incredibly supportive, kind hearted, and truly desire to make your experience as wonderful as possible. For anyone considering going abroad, Argentina is the place to go. Buenos Aires is such a beautiful city with such wonderful people.

This was such an amazing experience. If you are interested in human rights, grassroots social movements, and Spanish language immersion, this is the program for you. I cannot emphasize enough how safe and secure I felt throughout my experience with SIT. I needed to be babied a bit throughout the beginning of the program, and SIT walked us through everything we needed to know and more. My host family was absolutely amazing and I will miss them so so much. Please take the time to learn about the program before deciding on it because it's not for everyone. My heart hurts to leave this amazing country, but I know I'll be back.

My experience abroad with SIT exceeded all my expectations. Initially, this program stuck out to me as a hands-on learner and someone who loves to travel. In reality, it was all that and more. This program is a nice balance of academics, hands-on activities, and cultural immersion. Over the course of the trip, we traveled all over the country to dozens of locations I had never even heard of before, and I was thrilled by their natural beauty and rich culture. I was also able to greatly improve my Spanish while in Panama and loved the opportunity of living with several Panamanian families. It offered a truly unique perspective into Panamanian culture that was truly amazing. Overall, I strongly recommend this program.

I 100% recommend SIT: India. Although going abroad to a less conventional country may seem daunting at first, the people you meet, the experiences you have, and the places you go will make every penny worth it. I wasn't sure what to expect out of this program, but every moment exceeded my expectations -- the academics were rigorous and interesting enough that I felt satisfied in that regard, and the program staff were both welcoming and flexible (and incredibly in tune to how to tap American students into Indian cultures). I can say with absolute certainty that I had zero regrets -- I would do this program over and over again if I could! Much of the credit goes to the people who ran the program, and the other students who chose to take the leap of faith like I did in coming here <3. While my time in India has ended for now, the bonds I formed with staff and students will last forever :) GO ON THIS PROGRAM!!!

This program was more than I ever could have asked for! From my first moments in India, the program staff went miles to take care of me and curate a meaningful and rewarding experience. They were so welcoming and helped me integrate seamlessly into the community. The classes include a variety of lectures from local professionals, and there's something new every day! We traveled frequently on excursions to other areas of India, so I was able to learn from and explore a variety of different communities. For the last month, I participated in an independent study project. While the independence was daunting at first, it was not as hard as I anticipated to interview people and produce the final paper!
SIT really took care of all of the details and supported me throughout it all!

I had an amazing experience at SIT India and highly recommend it for anyone interested in social determinants of public health. The workload was reasonable and I felt like all the work I was doing was for a purpose I'm really passionate about, not busy work. We got to see so many amazing places, try delicious food, and meet incredible people doing really important work. I will never forget what I've learned about health and human rights on this program from so many different sources, and I will definitely take it with me into my future work.

I did SIT Peru: Indigenous Peoples and Globalization the fall of my junior year. I wanted to go abroad primarily for language-learning purposes; I'm a Spanish major and I felt the limitations of learning a language in a classroom. This particular program aligned very well with my other academic interests too; I had taken some classes on North American Indigenous history and studied Indigenous agriculture. The program was a great fit for me and I found it to be a good balance of challenge and support. I always felt that I had the tools I needed to do what we were asked to do, whether that was field work or essay writing.

I had a wonderful host family in Cusco and got particularly close with my mom while I was there. I went to family gatherings, ate meals, and ran errands with my family as much as possible and learned a lot from them. They were very welcoming.

One thing to be aware of with this program is that you'll be taking classes and travelling with other students from the US; my cohort always spoke English with each other and that impeded our language learning to some extent. For some people having other students from the US around helped with culture shock, but at times I felt that I wasn't getting as much out of the experience as I might have if I'd been forced to make more local connections.

The part of my time abroad that I think about most often is my Independent Study Project (ISP). All students in the program complete a month-long project, the result of which is a 25 page paper in Spanish. Although it sounded daunting at first, I am so so glad I did this. I designed a project on conservation of native potatoes in a group of Indigenous communities and their collaboration with an international seed bank. I stayed in the community I was working with for a week on my own. It was an incredible way to follow my interests and learn how to be a student outside the classroom, and I met people who changed the way I think about the world.

This is a great program! Very organized in terms of logistics, even though changing circumstances sometimes altered our travel plans. I would recommend SIT Peru to students with intermediate to advanced Spanish who don't mind having to study during their study abroad.