Program Reviews

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.

Switzerland is a remarkable country with so much to offer. I decided to participate in SIT's program because it allowed me the opportunity to stay with a Swiss family and blend into a pocket of Europe for an entire Spring. I traveled almost every weekend with a group of close friends from the program. Each city was different and charming in its own way. SIT understands the priorities of students attending: a study of global affairs mixed with a hands on taste of the international world.

SIT facilitates access to the World Bank, the UN, and other important epicenters of international politics. Additionally, the final project and its research requirements does an excellent job in stretching the students to find subject-matter-experts and conducting research. As a result, I learned significant lessons on obtaining my own data and networking with professionals.

Without a doubt, choosing the SIT Netherlands program was the best decision I could have made. As a Sociology major and a Women, Gender, and Sexuality studies minor, I was incredibly excited about the coursework, excursions, and independent study project. I had high expectations going into this program, but was still completely blown away by the experience. Although there is an emphasis on gender and sexuality, all of the professors make a committed effort to also discuss other intersections including, but not limited to, race, immigration and citizenship status, ableness, and religion. The various excursions, guest lecturers, and independent work also all helped in creating an incredibly positive, inclusive, and vast learning environment. I never felt as though we were missing out on learning opportunities and greatly appreciate all of the work done by the professors and staff to make sure that we explored a range of topics.
It is definitely unique in the way that classes are conducted- SIT brings in guest lecturers/professors to teach the different classes. I personally really liked this style of teaching/learning. I felt like it gave us the chance to hear many different perspectives and I was never bored.
Amsterdam itself is also an unbelievable city to live and study in. I have never felt safer in a city and loved being able to explore everything by bike. There is always something to do, whether you just want to sit in a cafe, go to a park, or go out at night. And, although everyone has different homestay experiences, I have to say that mine was nearly perfect. The SIT homestay coordinator did a wonderful job matching students with families and keeping in touch to help sort out any problems. I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested in learning more about the interplay of gender, sex, sexuality, race, and migration in the Netherlands!

My experience in the SIT International Studies and Multilateral Diplomacy program in Geneva, Switzerland was truly wonderful. I was amazed by the variety of instructors that lectured us on their respective fields of study, covering a wide range of topics that you cannot possibly cover in a simple university class at home. In addition, the opportunity to numerous international and multilateral organizations in Geneva was incredible. These included visits to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Trade Organization, etc. My cohort felt very lucky to meet impressive leaders in the field of peacebuilding, economics, and more. I also would recommend Geneva's location as it is in the center of Europe, making it easy to travel both abroad and within Switzerland!

My time studying abroad with SIT has influenced the person I am today. I returned to the U.S. with so much valuable and applicable knowledge that even my family and friends commented on the growth I made as an individual, socially and academically. SIT provided every resource for me to delve into a foreign environment and capitalize on the beauty and knowledge South America has to offer. From traveling to Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and other areas of Argentina to connecting with political leaders to connecting me with an internship with a grass roots organization that provides resources for migrant and refugee women, SIT helped make this an unforgettable study abroad experience!

Gracias a SIT, Nuria, Julieta y Pablo por hacer esta experiencia inolvidable! Un gran abrazo!

I learned a lot about climate change (Dan, the professor for all the classes, is great). I came in with almost no knowledge of environmental science (I'm a physics major) but was still able to keep up in the classes. We didn't get much busywork, so there wasn't much stress and a lot of time to go sight-seeing. They also took us to do some big sight-seeing things (we saw a lot of waterfalls, we hiked on a glacier, we went to the Blue Lagoon, etc.), which was really cool.

We mostly stayed in hostels, where there were 5-8 people per room, but we only shared a room with other people from the program. In the hostels, we got breakfast, which was nice, and were given a food stipend for lunch and dinner. The food stipend was very generous, as long as you cooked your own food and didn't eat out very much.

We had one 3-week homestay, which I really enjoyed. I loved my host family and have stayed in touch with them. One person in our group had trouble with their host family and was moved immediately.

My absolute favorite part of the program was learning Arabic. Our Arabic teachers were wonderful and taught us so much, not only about the language and culture of our environment, but about life as well. I went in as a beginner, not even knowing the alphabet, but by the time the semester ended I was able to speak with other Moroccans and navigate a Moroccan city entirely on my own with my language skills. There are a million opportunities to practice it with the people around you as many who you interact with will not speak English. This immersion is a unique experience.

While we had three hours of Arabic class every day, it did not feel like too much because we were constantly changing activities and being asked to go out into the city and practice what we were learning. For example, when we were learning the alphabet, we took pictures of signs and tried to read them together in class. When we were delving deeper into vocabulary, we went to the national library to write about what we observed.