Program Reviews

I participated in the ‘SIT Argentina: Transnationalism and Comparative Development in South America’ program during the spring of 2018. I had a fantastic experience with the program overall and would recommend it to students who want to gain a well-rounded perspective on the current and past political, economic and social issues facing Argentina and the Southern Cone region in general. My classes were small and taught by experts in different fields, which allowed us to gain different perspectives on the issues we were learning about. Our classes often included experiential components: they included field trips to different NGOs and social justice initiatives in Buenos Aires and beyond. The program directors in Buenos Aires (Nuria, Julieta and Pablo) are some of the kindest, most supportive people I’ve met and made me feel comfortable and supported at all times.

One of the best parts of the semester, and the thing that separates this program for other SIT programs, was that students get to travel to three surrounding countries (Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) as part of our curriculum. During these excursions, we took classes, went on site visits to the MERCOSUR headquarters and local NGOs, and spoke with local activists and academics in order to better understand various issues facing the Southern Cone region as a whole. We were able to do some tourism on these trips too, which was incredible! These international excursions really complimented my learning and experiences in Buenos Aires and were definitely some of the highlights of my semester. Most SIT programs do not incorporate international travel, so this one is particularly unique in that way.

Buenos Aires is very exciting, bustling city to live in and there is always something to do. I lived with a wonderful host family and was able to improve my Spanish while living with them and through my classes. If I could go back and choose this program again, I absolutely would!

Really wholesome program for this field, excellent language improvement and immersion opportunity as well as travel! I enjoyed being there and every excursion pertained to the class material so it was definitely a good field study opportunity. It can be challenging because of the density of the programs and the material as well as the amount and frequency of travel but it really is worth it.

REPEATED for word count satisfaction:
Really wholesome program for this field, excellent language improvement and immersion opportunity as well as travel! I enjoyed being there and every excursion pertained to the class material so it was definitely a good field study opportunity. It can be challenging because of the density of the programs and the material as well as the amount and frequency of travel but it really is worth it

There is very little that this program could have done to make my experience better! The staff support when I was there with Nuria, Pablo and Julieta was really incredible-- they were always available to help talk through any issues with academics, homestay, language learning or just general social/emotional learning. As study abroad programs go, this one was also pretty academically rigorous as well-- all coursework in Spanish and biweekly presentations/paper.

However, I personally didn't have the greatest time, though I believe the rest of my cohort really enjoyed themselves. Here are a couple of the reasons why:
- The program travels a lot (Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil!) which grated on my ability to acclimate to one area and really form long-term relationships. Still really cool experience though to experience such a diversity of places though, and definitely a good fit for folks who love travel!
- Buenos Aires for young people has a strong nightlife (boliches, bars) and feria scene, which wasn't super my jam, but could definitely be yours! I don't think I realized that I didn't love cities before and prefer a more suburban/nature-y/laid back vibe. Buenos Aires is a really bustling place.

This program gives you everything that you could possibly want out of a study abroad program while really allowing you to pursue your own interests within the framework of sustainability and environmental action. As a biology and political science major, this program allowed my to bend my interests in a new way and explore them from within the framework of environmentalism.

We studied global and Australian environmental movements, political movements, the structure of activism and tools and methods for actionable change at the individual, societal and global levels. Our three major professors all have different backgrounds and contribute different but really valuable qualities to the program.

You travel with a small group of students, and you become remarkably close to the people who accompany you on the program. To me, this was one of the greatest elements of the semester. You have huge freedom in the final six weeks to design your own independent research project while still having enough guidance to create something legitimate and valuable. This liberation from typical academics gave me the opportunity to focus on something new that I never would have been able to research at my home institution. If you are adventurous, love the natural world in all of its forms, and want to learn how to become a change-maker, I recommend this program.

Beyond the academics, there is no better place to live in Australia than Byron Bay (where you spend around a month cumulatively) particularly for someone who loves the outdoors. You also are able to spend a few days in Sydney and Melbourne, and are able to return to the city for the final six weeks if you choose to. Through the program you explore and learn about more remote areas like the Tasmanian wilderness and the city of Lismore. This program is was an incredible experience and I feel more ready to pursue my future interests because of it!

My time in Argentina was unique, fun, and I learned so much. Just a few reasons to consider this experience:

1. The staff are wonderful. Even before I landed in Argentina, the staff were communicating with me about everything I needed to know. Throughout our excursions to other countries, I had full confidence in them. When I had a family emergency occur back in the US, the staff helped me manage those logistics. Overall great leadership, which made it possible for me to focus on the learning and fun.

2. I learned a ton. Going to other countries meant I had a comparative mindset from the start. We had well-balanced and engaging lectures, and great field visits that left me thinking more deeply about the issues of development and transnational processes.

3. I had so much fun. I can't believe we packed in so much over the semester. Our field visits were relevant to the classroom experience. I also benefited from recommendations and must-sees in Buenos Aires. My host family took me to experience the city, and I bonded with them as if they were really my family. SIT did a spectacular job in placing me with a homestay.

I would absolutely recommend that future students select the Argentina: transnationalism and comparative development program.

My experience was so unique because I feel like I did a program that was very different than the rest of the programs my friends or fellow students had done. As well as the choice to study in Chile. Not many students choose to study in Chile and this is what makes this program so unique. The academics were difficult in my program, but the support from my professors and directors is what pushed me to improve my Spanish tremendously. I went from speaking some beginner level Spanish to an advanced level. Some things that differentiated this program from others in Chile was the fact that I traveled and did excursions with my program. We went on two, two week excursions and then usually had an excursion during the week. During the two, two week excursions we traveled up north and then down south to learn and study the indigenous people of Chile. The aymara and the mapuche people. I learned to much from them that textbooks or online articles could have never taught me. It was nice to have hands on learning and not textbook learning. A lot of my friends who went abroad went to the UK. I've heard from them that their school work and academic rigor was easy and that they rarely had school. If you are looking to slack in school and not take it seriously this program is not for you! For instance, in my program I was never late, never missed a day of school and always had homework. I also was never not speaking Spanish. I don't regret my decision at all because everything you do in the program is to help you. Especially, to prepare you for the end of the program, the ISP and internship section. I highly recommend doing the ISP, it helped me gain a lot of self confidence in my self and in my Spanish speaking abilities and research a topic that I am interested in. I wish I could relive my study abroad experience. This program is truly life changing.

I had a wonderful time in my experience with SIT. The language situation was approachable and they were flexible with different levels of Spanish. The classes were interesting, with frequent varied guest speakers that gave us perspectives from government officials, academia, and non-profit organizations. My host family was attentive, caring, and helped me learn about opportunities in the city so I could grow in my autonomy and security exploring alone or with friends. If anything, sometimes I felt the classes could be a little easy; students could get by without doing *all* of the reading and the classes weren't very high-stakes. I also spent more time with the US students and less time meeting Argentine students my age than I'd hoped. If you're confident about your Spanish and want very rigorous courses and more dynamic socializing, perhaps local enrollment would be right for you. In the end, I think this program was great for me. Plus, the traveling part of the program was wonderful! It wasn't only tourism; we got to learn from people and local organizations that I wouldn't have hear from otherwise.

The program absolutely lived up to the expectations of being immersed in Ecuador's amazing biodiversity and complex conservation challenges. I learned so much through the experiential, comparative approach of the program. Furthermore, the opportunity to perform independent real-world field research was invaluable and allowed me to develop practical skills for my future. The Galapagos alone makes this program worth the value, and it is so much more beyond that! Visiting the paramo, cloud forest, Amazon, and other ecosystems gives a comprehensive view of research and conservation methods. The program staff is passionate about what they do and very helpful throughout the course of the program. I would absolutely recommend this program to anyone passionate about ecology, conservation, and Spanish! I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

I studied abroad in Peru through the SIT Study Abroad program in Spring 2018 and it was definitely the highlight of my undergraduate experience! The program is based in Cuzco, so a good amount of my time was spent there. However, I was able to visit so many different parts of the country. For example, I visited the Sacred Valley, where I hiked Machu Picchu; the Peruvian Amazon, where I got to travel through the Amazonia; Lake Titicaca and Puno, where I lived with an indigenous family, and lastly; Arequipa and Colca Canyon, where I got to relax but continue to explore another amazing region. Besides the excursions, traveling to Peru through SIT allowed me to immerse myself in the culture by living with a Peruvian host family in Cuzco and again with an indigenous Peruvian family where I was able to practice my Spanish and even learn another language: Quechua: the language of the Inca empire. And to top it all off, I was able to travel independently as I conducted field research and developed my very own independent study project. Specifically, I was able to choose a topic that I was personally and academically interested in, travel to a region where my topic was relevant, live in such area, interact and investigate that community and then produce a piece of writing that illustrated my findings. It was quite intense but it was definitely a one-of-a-kind experience that allowed me to continue learning about various aspects of the Peruvian culture. I would say the program has a strong anthropologic basis. However, if you are interested in learning about cultures, globalization, the environment, religion, and anything related to such, studying abroad in Peru through SIT will allow you to learn and experience each and everyone of these focuses in multiple facets. Ultimately, if you would like to be in a country and with a program that allows you to be in the city but also the country- side, learn inside and outside the classroom, and most importantly, allow you to learn about a different world while also learning about yourself, SIT Peru is the program for you!

The academics were amazing, we learned so much about so many different things and were able to be taught by some of the best professionals in the field/visited wonderful organizations. The people were fantastic, I met some of the coolest people and the directors of the program were also some very impressive ladies. The excursions and adventures were unforgettable--we were able to explore different parts of Argentina while also continuing to learn awesome things . I truly had an amazing 3 months participating in this program and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. As cheesy as it sounds it was very life changing and eye opening! If you have specific questions or concerns I really recommend you reach out to the program specifically through their website!