SIT Study Abroad Reviews

We lived with homestays, a primary one in Panama City, and others throughout the country as we traveled around. While I was very nervous for this, it turned out to be the most valuable part. I made such deep connections with my family and my Spanish improved so much. We saw so much of the country, covering a huge span of environments, topics of discussion, and lifestyles. Never did I feel like a tourist, and we truly got to do things and see Panama in such an authentic way that someone really could not get otherwise.

The number of awesome moments and experiences are endless, such as holding and taking data on hummingbirds, learning about medicinal plants with the Naso tribe, seeing both oceans at the same time, learning to take taxis around the huge city, helping organic farmers plant lettuce, interviewing lobster divers in Spanish, hiking through the jungle at night, eating plantains in every form, riding on hand-made bamboo rafts. The variety of experiences was incredible.

The director and professors offer a lot of support for helping to decide on a topic for the final project and you have a lot of freedom to choose a topic you are really interested in. I got to interview lobster divers on an indigenous island in spanish and their native language. This was difficult at points, to try to communicate and to organize my time for 2 weeks taking data, but I grew so much from the challenges that arose and learned an immense amount about their culture and myself.

Being vegetarian is definitely possible here, though chicken is very popular. Although fresh tropical fruit was plentiful, a lot of Panamanian food is fried or carb based, which can be a bit tough after awhile. Lots of rice and beans and plantains and fry dough and salchichas (hotdogs).

If you like nature, SIT Panama will definitely foster your appreciation of nature. The program staff is extremely helpful. Program excursions included visiting an indigenous territory, Barro Colorado Island and EARTH University in Costa Rica. Through these excursions, you gain insight regarding current ecological issues, sustainable practices and indigenous resource use. This program includes an Independent Study Project, allowing you to gain relevant research skills that may be applicable to future research. This program left me with an insatiable wanderlust.

We traveled around the country in this program, so I really felt like I had a good understanding of the people and cities in Iceland. I was very comfortable in all the towns we stayed in, but loved being in Reykjavik the most. It's the biggest city in Iceland but still has the feel of a small town. I made some great friends on this program, and loved the country so much I hope to live there at some point in my life.

Went to school for several hours, kicked it with classmates, went on awesome trips to Morocco and Croatia. That was truly the highlight, because I never would have arranged to go to those countries on my own but going with my program was eye-opening and helped me understand how unique the Netherlands is as a country. Also, the speakers we had in class were enlightening. We had ample time to explore the city and make friends. The academics could have been more challenging, but that's okay. We got a genuine cultural experience since we were in homestays across the city and we took Dutch. That was a real added benefit compared to the other American abroad program in town. I definitely felt more integrated in the city of Amsterdam that I expected.

The program is essentially broken into 3 parts: Spanish lessons and guest speakers on history and culture in Valparaiso; a long excursion to the Aymara or Mapuche; and then ISP research. In the beginning, the research project seems so intimidating. The program coordinators genuinely care for your well-being, in both the physical and emotional sense. They recognize the difficulty of transitioning to a new environment and go above and beyond to make you feel at home. They know how scary and stressful the research project can be as well. "There is no way I will be prepared for that!" you think. But somehow, you are. After spending so much time practicing Spanish in simply navigating your way around the city (which is SO difficult at first); talking with your host family over meals, endless barbecues, and soccer game celebrations; and interviewing complete strangers for Spanish class (super scary!); you are beyond prepared for the ISP research. The guest speakers that provide lectures and lead seminars are distinguished professors or activists, even a director of a famous documentary. Then these speakers become your ISP advisers. The best part is that your ISP can be literally ANYTHING related to the theme of the program. I went WWOOFing for 11 days! I even got to talk to the director of WWOOF Chile! It was such an amazing experience, and I had the opportunity to put my new training in participant observation and interviews to good use. I learned a tremendous amount about how to relate to people with different backgrounds, ideas, political opinions, cultures, stereotypes, etc... Most importantly I know that what I learned through my study abroad experience, I could never have learned anywhere else.

This program involves traveling practically every two weeks so be prepared to be constantly moving. We often did not have traditional class and got to spent the majority of our time outdoors. You spent time getting close with a tight knit group and every place you visit is incredibly beautiful. We participated in a homestay for two weeks with a family which was incredibly as well as travel the island of Tasmania for 10 days. We spent 5 weeks for on an independent study project of your choice that relates to sustainability. It is a great learning and growing experience that further integrates you into the culture of Australia.

Best semester of my life. Staff was amazing, learned so much, ISP was an experience I will cherish forever. Fell in love with South Africa. Rural village, Mandela's memorial, internship at Missing Persons Task Team, and the lifelong friends were the best parts. Never thought I'd get to live on the beach with my best friends, learn Zulu, discover the fates of political disappearances, learn from a man who was on the TRC and exiled, hear Obama speak at Mandela's memorial, and fall so in love with a new place and people. Best decision I ever made was to study abroad in Durban.

Daily life:
The director who teaches everything, Alex Alvarez was not a good teacher. He rambled on and on, got off topic sooo easily and was super boring and I didn't learn very much from him. BUT the guest speakers were awesome and Milly, the program director (I forget her exact title) is just the best. We used to call her Mama Osa because she was our mama bear. Rosi was also amazing, I forget her title...
I happened to be sick non-stop because of the altitude but I was the only one. The hospitals in Cusco will try to charge you a ton for everything but my host mother fought for me.
My host mom was the best. You eat 3 meals a day in their house and she couldn't have made me feel any more like her own child, I even called her "Mama" which they suggest you do to build a better relationship with them!
Cusco is a party center. It's just the best time, lots of free drinks, dancing, etc. I wouldn't say it's the most "authentic" experience in terms of getting to know Peruvians because the classes are only US students, but if you really try you can!
Our group was small so we got very close and had a great time.
The excursions were also great! I studied abroad in Cuba as well but in SIT Peru you get the chance to see so much of the country. The capstone project also adds so much and I'm using my research for my thesis. I highly, highly recommend this program!

SIT's experiential learning is exceptional....in order to teach us about the different neighborhoods in Kigali, practice the basic greetings, and the local bus system that we would be using everyday, our academic director assigned us in pairs to go out into the city, take the bus, and go anywhere just to learn about a specific subject (education, internet access, social life, market, etc) so that we could report back to the group what we found and the main words we need to know. SIT challenged me to go outside outside of my comfort zone on many occasions. I am so grateful to the staff and my friends from the program for their support. The independent study was a great opportunity to delve into a subject of interest and practice basic research methods. While not too academically rigorous, I learned so much everyday just by nature of who I was meeting and the kinds of conversations I was having about Rwanda's history and development. Be prepared for an intense, eye-opening experience. Kigali also has everything you need for an abroad--great going-out scene, lots of cafes and restaurants, and awesome people to hang out with.

From the first day we donned our rain gear and headed into the rainforest, this program was full of surprises. There are few places on earth as magical as the tropical rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, and this program allowed me to explore both with the wisdom of my Aboriginal elders always in mind. The program was my first experience working in the field in the natural sciences, and from data collection to bird identification to searching for platypus and tree-kangaroos, there was never a day that I didn't learn something new and wonderful about the natural world. The independence I gained during this program has served me well in the years since; it has also inspired my now constant wanderlust and craving to learn more about new cultures, places, geographies, ecologies, and people. The most memorable experience from my semester abroad was camping with two Aboriginal elders in the schlerophyll forest of Far North Queensland and being given my own Aboriginal name, Guyibera, which arrived to Russell in the Dreamtime. I had only known Russell for a few hours, but he knew me well enough to give me a name that fit me perfectly. I cherish both that moment and the name itself. This is an experience I never could have had in a different type of study abroad semester. I am continually grateful for everything I learned with SIT and for the path it helped to shape as I've continued my education and career.