Program Reviews

Overall, studying in Madagascar with SIT was one of the best decisions I've made. It is a really unique country, and I don't imagine my experience could be replicated anywhere else. I had very little exposure to international travel before this program, so being able to explore Madagascar with trusted locals and in group of American students made the experience far less intimidating. The program instructor, Nat Quansah is an incredible person and teacher. He is clearly very passionate about his work and fostering curiosity, compassion, and enthusiasm in his students. The opportunity to learn about traditional medicine in Madagascar has changed my perspective on healthcare and how it can be realized in the U.S.

My experience studying abroad abroad with SIT Nepal was easily the highlight of my undergraduate education. The program was amazing and catered to different study abroad goals. I feel that learned a great deal while still having time to explore a new culture and city. I think the program's most formative and unique aspects were the experiential learning components from conducting research in the Ladakh high-altitude desert to participating in Tihar celebrations in Helambu. I certainly learned far more than I anticipated coming into the program, from the plight of Tibetan refugees to climate change in the Himalayas and traditional architecture. Regardless of your interest, you'll likely cover something related to your academic focus in the program and the staff are willing to go above and beyond to encompass diverse cohort interests. The course titles make the program appear far more narrow than it actually is.

It's hard to summarize just how much I gained from the program, from lifelong friends and mentors to truly incomparable experiences like residing with host families on the Tibetan plateau in India. It feels surreal to look back at the diversity of experiences that were encompassed in a few months. I left the program a different person and with a greater understanding of my academic interests. From the combined experience of excursions and the independent study period, I gained greater confidence to live and conduct research in foreign places. Ultimately, I left the program with a greater appreciation of the Himalayas as a region rich in culture, history, and politics. I left with a greater hunger to explore and curiosity about the rest of the world. I feel indebted to the program in many ways.

I had the opportunity to travel abroad with SIT Study Abroad during their summer program in Indonesia. I was able to go with the funding of the Gilman scholarship and their critical need language award. We were mostly based in Bali and then traveled to Nusa Penida, Borneo, Java, then back to Bali. I was there for six weeks, and it was a very much a fast-paced program. It felt like we were always on the move, but it was also nice because we were always keeping busy and seeing so many new parts of Indonesia. I do want to add that as a vegan, it's very hard to keep up with this on the program, let alone being vegetarian. But overall, I loved the program and met so many amazing people that I still keep in touch with. I had so many great experiences:)

I studied abroad in Panama enduring a hands-on experience in environmental science through extensive field work in varying tropical environments, focusing on marine ecology and blue carbon conservation in both the Caribbean and Pacific oceans. We performed field work in coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass, the open ocean and intertidal zones. We engaged in classes, presentations, assessments and an independent research project. We partook in adventurous excursions to islands, cities and national parks. I was able to establish new personal and professional connections with peers and educators in the environmental science field. The friends I made along the way are unforgettable! The professors and advisors were extremely positive, encouraging and intelligent. This was a jam-packed intense travel, I miss the chaos every day! This experience was very special!

I loved the academic and the culture-immersion of my program! It was amazing to have a lot of excursions all around the country (so prepare to be packing every single weekend). I lived with a host family, whom I absolutely loved and were one of my biggest supporters and cared for me. I loved all of the friendships I made and all of our fun outings! The administration was amazing and I enjoyed getting to know them individually. I hope to come back to Argentina soon and reconnect with all of them! I am sure that these are connections that I want to maintain for a long time <3

My time in Chile with SIT was truly amazing. We stayed with host families, which gave me an unparalleled understanding of Chilean culture. The best part of the program was that we got to travel to the north and south of Chile, which gave me a more in-depth understanding of Chile than I would have gotten just staying in central Chile. The program team was absolutely incredible, and I felt really supported during the independent study period for the last month of the program. Valparaíso is a very hilly city, though, so be ready to walk up a lot of hills lol.

I can't express how much of a life-changing experience I had while studying abroad in Argentina on the SIT Argentina: Social Movements and Human Rights program. Read on for more detail, but overall highlights: the wonderfully supportive four core members of the SIT team in Buenos Aires (the "chicas"), the (included!) travel on 2 week-long learning excursions to Patagonia and northwestern/Andean Argentina, the opportunity to live in a sprawling and historic city like Buenos Aires, practicing Argentine Spanish every day in an immersive setting, and unbeatable opportunities and connections with important human rights organizations in the country.

I was really grateful for the administration within the country. From the very first day when all four of the primary program admins met us at the airport and brought us to our hotel, where we would all stay together for the next couple of days, I felt so supported. Even though we were across the world from my house, I felt at home with the “chicas” (the term they call each other and we adopted to refer to them collectively — the work they do goes way beyond their individual titles). Not only was the program layout very straightforward and planned-out, but they really made the effort to create a tight-knit community within our group. I felt very comfortable going to them with any problems or even feedback when things were not going well. The main vibe was that everything felt very taken-care-of, for the most part.

One of the more important components to SIT Argentina is the homestay aspect. This was something I was excited and nervous about going into the program, and one of my favorite parts of the experience once I left. It feels anxiety-inducing at first that they won't let you know your homestay assignment until after you get there; I still don't really get why this is. However, it seems like they want to get to know us in-person for the first few days of the program to make sure they made the right choice. For me, it was the perfect choice. I got to stay with a young queer family with a cat in a neighborhood which I grew to adore (go, Boedo!) I felt so seen by them and both integrated in their lives and able to do my own thing. We would eat dinner together every night and they were great cooks who made sure my vegetarianism was taken care of. Integrating myself into their family was really easy for me -- but if it hadn't been, I could always have reached out to Gri, the homestay and student affairs coordinator, who was always supportive and ready to lend an ear. This was so important for my cultural immersion and feeling like I had the support of a family while I was abroad (they even came with me to my doctor's appointments!)

To be honest, I felt really safe overall. Buenos Aires is just like any other major city. You want to watch what you're doing, know where you're going, and keep an eye on your surroundings. That's it! I will say, 3 people had their phones stolen from them while we were here, which is a common occurrence for foreigners. None of the encounters were violent; however, I *always* kept my phone in a small pocketbook when I was out and it never got stolen. People in the city are genuinely very kind and everyone exercises the same amount of caution as you. The one thing I will say is I didn't feel comfortable walking around alone after dark, but as a young woman that will be the same in any city.

Argentina is generally an inexpensive country for people traveling from the U.S. -- that is not the case for Argentinians themselves, so be careful how you speak about money there. But for instance, a tea and two medialunas (pastries) might cost you less than $1 USD. The program provides breakfast and dinner to you, and gives you a stipend for transportation to and from class and lunches during the week & weekend. Above this, I did find myself spending more money when we would travel places because I wanted souveniers. However, compared to U.S. prices, getting around was cheap and there were many weeks when I spent very little; check out Don Ignacio right by the main academic center for cheap and large portions that could easily be 2 lunches.

The academics are not the most challenging I've encountered, but because they are in Spanish and there is a lot of material to cover in a short time period (the final month of the program is all dedicated to your internship or independent research, so classes are only from late February to May 1st), it can be a lot of reading and writing (mostly reading). However, super interesting content and the grading is forgiving, with the focus being on trying your best and showing what you know. I also am very proud of the work I produced through this program, so don't think it's completely a free-for-all! The content is of course pretty heavy at times, as well, so prepare yourself! <3

This is an excellent program if you are passionate about public health topics and are looking to improve your Spanish. It is language intensive and can be intimidating at first, the academics are intense, especially if you are not confident with your Spanish skills, but the professors are patient and understanding and will accommodate your levels to help you learn and grow. We traveled almost every other weekend, and while it is a program that focuses on urban environments there are many opportunities to explore and visit lots of the beautiful natural sites across Argentina!!! I highly recommend taking trips to the amazing Patagonia, El Calafate and Bariloche! This is not a Europe-like clubbing and partying study abroad experience and can be challenging at times, but rewarding at large. Argentinians are extremely loving and warm people and this program will allow you to make connections and meet many interesting people. I am studying public health and looking to pursue a career in health care and have felt that this program helped me an incredible amount not only with improving my Spanish and understanding another country's public health system, but also with understanding the importance of how the social determinants of health shape not only the individual's, but community's experiences with health.

If you want a study abroad experience where you can spend the whole time traveling on your own, this will be too academically intensive for that. I loved all the excursions that the program took us on to visit different public health institutions. Additionally, I learned a lot from the individual study portion at the end when I did an internship. I loved my host family, them, and the administrators in the country made me feel like I had a home there. I would recommend this program to anyone looking for practical development in different ways to work in Public Health.

My time in Valparaiso was amazing and exactly what I needed. I felt so at peace and comfortable there. The program paired me with the perfect host family for me and they are a big part of why my experience was so amazing. I created a great relationship with my host family and had the funniest host brothers ever. The food was pretty good and things in Chile are a lot cheaper than the U.S. I will say I had an advantage in the language as a native Spanish speaker and did not really feel out of place.