Program Reviews

City scavenger hunt, class on the beach, courses that make you re-think your perspective... check. This program is so much more than I ever could have expected. The topics had all of the student discussions rolling over into lunch time, and the French instructors worked with us once on one to ensure we were all reaching our language goals. The instructors and the curriculum truly altered my understanding of development, and made me analyze the impact my cultural values had on my views of development. Additionally, I think the program and location draw in a very unique group of people, which makes the program that much more special. The people I was with really shaped my experience in a positive way. This program is not for the faint of heart, but it is for someone looking to step outside their comfort zone.

This program may not be appropriate for the faint of heart or health. However, if you're looking for a real-life adventure, I think few programs would measure up as well. The country's beauty, the richness of the culture and the thrill of studying African wildlife out in the field make the entire trip worth it already, while the challenging and difficult times did more to strengthen me as an individual than any other experience in my life ever did. The ISP is academically challenging, but the program leaves you a lot of time to focus on exploring and learning things hands-on rather than spending all your time studying. I especially recommend it for those wanting to do conservation and field biology: the techniques and research abilities you will develop will be incredibly useful in a later career. I decided that I wanted to work in wildlife conservation after doing this program; I have SIT and the people I met in Tanzania to thank for that.

I gained a new way of looking at the world through this program; the cultural immersion experience helped me understand what daily life is like in a low-income country, while stereotypical perceptions of Africa as being only known for poverty and violence. The independent study was definitely a highlight for me because I had clear academic goals and a topic that I wanted to explore; SIT provided all the resources, connections and support to make the research possible. The homestay experiences where we lived with local families were a really great cultural immersion and the families were very accommodating and friendly. However, do have realistic expectations, don't expect luxury accommodation and be prepared to use squat toilets at some point. SIT has fantastic Swahili language tutors who teach well, and with this working knowledge of the language you can feel more confident interacting with locals. Importantly, the SIT programme staff were always friendly, approachable, and trustworthy and we felt cared for at all times.

I went abroad looking for experiential education and not classroom based education and that is exactly what I got on this program. Classes were sometimes held in classrooms, but were also held on nature walks or in a national park or sitting in the grass. The idea of everything being your classroom was really fun and let you learn all the time. This is a program that will push your comfort zone in terms of how you live. For example, my clothes were washed by a machine once during the whole semester and probably about half the semester was bucket showers, as opposed to a wall mounted shower, but these were never a problem. I think that in order to get the most out of this program, you have to be open to experiencing life in a way that you've never experienced it before.

This program is super unique and culturally immersive, and amazing if you're interested in being an international journalist. I walked away with some really great clips. The friends I made on this program, American and Moroccan, are the most special part of this experience. There are some challenging times, especially in the homestay, but that's where I grew the most and having support from my friends was essential. The food is amazing and the medinas are beautiful. It is a semester I still think about every day. The program takes you on two excursions. My favorite was the week village stay. We all stayed with a family in a rural northern village and there was no running water. The people there are incredible and I learned the most in that week.

I could not think of a better program to participate in than SIT in Jordan. SIT focuses on educating the whole student. Not only did I learn so much about Jordanian politics and history, but also the role of Jordan in both a regional and international context. The Arabic professors are experts in teaching Arabic as a second language and are adept at accommodating all levels of Arabic and making the lectures interesting.

Outside of the classroom, they focus on the cultural aspect of being in a foreign country. The homestay experience is a great way to learn about both family life and traditions. I had the ability to attend an engagement party, which very few visitors have the ability to attend.

If you're interested in Jordan, this is the best program!

For the rest of your life, you likely be the one person people that lived in Mongolia.

That statement will have its own significance to you, too. Truly there is no place like Mongolia, and in my opinion, there are no study abroad programs like SIT in terms of effectively engaging their students with the local context. At one point, about 2000 miles from the nearest city while my host family yelled at me in Mongolian, and using the words I understood, I helped capture a camel. At another point, I was studying the nature nomadic labor in tourism using theories of capitalism. That's what you might do, too.

Academics:
3/5 difficulty, yet I learned so much. The academic rigor was lower than my average semester at college though the homestay and excursions offer different challenges unlike written/read assignments. You may get an A in the program with effort.

Housing:
My homestays were desirable. On excursions the accommodation left something to be desired, but that's Mongolia. If you want prim and proper the program's not for you anyways.

Food:
consistently enjoyed the food. Though I had no allergies or dietary restrictions, and I like meat. I did buy fruit and recommend my host family to cook more balanced meals, since this wasn't common. You will have to adjust if you eat salad and fruit daily.

Integration:
I felt the programs allows you to integrate as far as you can. You are put into the most intimate situations with Mongolian people, such as spending time on holidays, sleeping in a ger (just google it), living with a family. Of course, there's limits on "being local" given that you are not, but these are important ways to become as acquainted with Mongolia as possible. By the end of the program, I was conversing with taxi drivers and locals in the main square, bargaining for things, etc. Even today, one year and a half past the program, I was able to interact with a Mongolian family in their language, so the language component is there if you work hard. I know a significant amount of Mongolia history, politics, and economic change. The ISP is important for that. Also, I'm familiar with key sites and was able to interact, and you may maintain connections with groups like the Wild Conservation Society, the WWF, the United Nations, and more specific NGOS if you try.

SIT's program in Vietnam is an incredible opportunity. It is the most immersive program I have ever taken part in- from homestay families in Ho Chi Minh City to eating local food and trekking through the rice paddies in Sapa. You will travel everywhere from remote jungle to mega-cities that never sleep (especially when Vietnam wins a soccer match!). Experiential learning is the focus of this program, so while the material may not be difficult, you are constantly learning something new (including how to cook a local dish like Banh Xeo, how to buy clothes in a Vietnamese market, etc.). The food is phenomenal and unbelievably inexpensive, I would suggest trying everything! It is so easy to engage with the culture, explore, travel, and make lasting relationships. The coffee shop culture is also huge there, and every coffee shop is a unique space with delicious drinks! Definitely get the golden bubble tea from Koi.

Being on the IHP: Cities in the 21st Century program allowed us to meet so many amazing social organisations, activists, and everyday heroes who were fighting for social justice everyday in their communities! From a famous graffiti artist in Sao Paulo to the current spokesperson for la PAH in Barcelona to a fisherman/activist/program coordinator in Cape Town, these humbling and enriching encounters could have never been possible without the deep networks that IHP has established in diverse local communities over many years. Learning through experiencing and speaking to people on the ground, while being able to live with local host families and see the beautiful landscapes of three other countries has been my most enriching and fulfilling academic and personal experience so far!

Argentina: Transnationalism and Comparative Development in South America was, in my experience, a life-changing program packed with unforgettable moments. I studied with a small group of 12 other students from U.S. universities. Group projects and the program's many excursions and visits provided ample opportunities to get to know my classmates. The program directors were absolutely incredible and willing to help us however they could over the course of the semester. I constantly found myself excited to get the most that I could out of every moment. I learned in firsthand ways that I never had before and reshaped my perspective on the world.

The program is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and students spend most of the semester there, starting with orientation during the first week and culminating with Independent Study Project (ISP) and internship presentations during the final week. Students take courses in the program's core content, transnationalism and development, and social science field research methods and ethics in el Instituto de Desarrollo Económico y Social (IDES) in Palermo, Buenos Aires. They also take a Spanish language course in la Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) in the center of Buenos Aires. All courses are in Spanish. Students live with a homestay family during the semester and engage with Argentinian culture firsthand.

The program includes incredible excursions that greatly enhance students' development of transnational and comparative perspectives and generate experiences that, while certainly cross-cultural, emphasize shared struggles and regional integration with regard to social, political, economic, and cultural organizations and movements. Meetings with organizations, groups, and communities allow for an unparalleled understanding of the way people are impacted by, and themselves shape, political and economic changes. Students, through these experiences, lectures, and assignments, get a sense of the way local communities, nations of the Southern Cone region, and the world are interconnected.

In Argentina, in addition to living in Buenos Aires, program participants visit La Plata. They also leave the country on program excursions that feature more visits with local groups, lectures on program content specific to the places visited, and opportunities to explore new cities and world-renowned landmarks. Students stay in Asunción, Paraguay; see the binational dam at Itaipú; tour the powerful Iguazú Falls; explore Río de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil; and study in Montevideo and Colonia, Uruguay.

During the last month of the program, students either put together an ISP or participate in an internship. An ISP student, I was able to study the social construction of collective Argentinian memory by way of three memory sites in Buenos Aires that functioned as clandestine centers of detention, torture, and extermination during Argentina's military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. I observed the sites, went on official tours/visits, and interviewed employees at each one to gather my own data in the places themselves where history and memory have been shaped, an experience completely irreplaceable.