Program Reviews

I had an amazing experience at SIT India and highly recommend it for anyone interested in social determinants of public health. The workload was reasonable and I felt like all the work I was doing was for a purpose I'm really passionate about, not busy work. We got to see so many amazing places, try delicious food, and meet incredible people doing really important work. I will never forget what I've learned about health and human rights on this program from so many different sources, and I will definitely take it with me into my future work.

I did SIT Peru: Indigenous Peoples and Globalization the fall of my junior year. I wanted to go abroad primarily for language-learning purposes; I'm a Spanish major and I felt the limitations of learning a language in a classroom. This particular program aligned very well with my other academic interests too; I had taken some classes on North American Indigenous history and studied Indigenous agriculture. The program was a great fit for me and I found it to be a good balance of challenge and support. I always felt that I had the tools I needed to do what we were asked to do, whether that was field work or essay writing.

I had a wonderful host family in Cusco and got particularly close with my mom while I was there. I went to family gatherings, ate meals, and ran errands with my family as much as possible and learned a lot from them. They were very welcoming.

One thing to be aware of with this program is that you'll be taking classes and travelling with other students from the US; my cohort always spoke English with each other and that impeded our language learning to some extent. For some people having other students from the US around helped with culture shock, but at times I felt that I wasn't getting as much out of the experience as I might have if I'd been forced to make more local connections.

The part of my time abroad that I think about most often is my Independent Study Project (ISP). All students in the program complete a month-long project, the result of which is a 25 page paper in Spanish. Although it sounded daunting at first, I am so so glad I did this. I designed a project on conservation of native potatoes in a group of Indigenous communities and their collaboration with an international seed bank. I stayed in the community I was working with for a week on my own. It was an incredible way to follow my interests and learn how to be a student outside the classroom, and I met people who changed the way I think about the world.

This is a great program! Very organized in terms of logistics, even though changing circumstances sometimes altered our travel plans. I would recommend SIT Peru to students with intermediate to advanced Spanish who don't mind having to study during their study abroad.

This study abroad program was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone. You spend the first week of the program doing an orientation. You spend several months taking classes and then the last month of the program is spent during an independent study project. You also get to visit Scotland and Girona with the Program. The food in the Basque Country is great, and the program provides you with several dinners out. It's a great program and the staff and people in the country were very friendly.

I spent an incredible fall semester in Madagascar with the SIT program. I received instruction in French and Malagasy and lived with a host family just a 10 minute walk from our program center. We went on a few excursions with the school to do research and learn about different conservation experts in the area. The program culminated in independently research, where I did a biodiversity inventory study in mangrove forests up north. I left the program more confident in myself and ready for anything.

I think the program overall was very structured and rigorous but also fun. During the first two months you take a lot of classes and focus on academics. Traveling happens through the program. During the final month, you do an internship or independent study and have a lot of free time. Traveling happens on your own. The city of Buenos Aires where you live is a very lively city with lots to do, whether thats daytime cultural activities or night life. I lived with one host mom about a ten minute walk away from my classes and very near many bus and subte stops. All of the classes and activities are in Spanish, and the host families speak very little english as well. It is a full immersion program! The Argentine dialect and accent is a bit difficult to adjust to at first, but after a couple of weeks everything gets much easier! I loved my time there, and grew a lot as a Spanish speaker and person overall.

This program created a valuable combination of environmental science and Spanish language education. All of the classes were taught in Spanish by a variety of local researchers who each lectured on their specialty. We also had many excellent field trips and excursions to learn about a place or a research technique in the field. While assignment expectations were sometimes unclear, the program staff was extremely available and helpful to resolve any doubts. They were slow about returning our grades and assignments, but they always gave us detailed feedback and the grades were fair. The program staff is also a great support network for non-academic problems or concerns. The Spanish language classes were not very related to the rest of the classes, but they were helpful in adapting to the local accent. The homestay experience was where I learned the most Spanish language and Argentinian culture. As everything (classes, homestay, buying lunch, daily life) operates in Spanish, it is important to come with a decent language ability and a willingness to learn from your mistakes. The culture is very open to helping you learn, and they do not get easily offended when you say something wrong. The cost of all your necessities (food, housing, transportation) is included in tuition. Breakfast and lunch is provided by the host family, and you receive a stipend for lunch and transportation. I only used my money for activities in my free time and souvenirs. Some students do live fairly far from where we have classes, but the bus system is good, there are plenty of taxis, and Ushuaia is a safe place to walk at any time of night/day.

This program was by the far the best experience of my life! I had never been to Australia before and feel as though it's my home away from home now and I can't wait to return. I got to snorkel for the first time in the Great Barrier Reef and camp for the first time in the outback. Not only did this program impact my personal life, it also impacted my professional career path as it made me realize how interested I am in fieldwork. I highly recommend this program to undergraduate students who are looking for an outdoor lecture experience and hands on learning!

I had a fantastic time studying abroad in Australia and would do it again if I could. The program was fantastic and taught me much about Australian flora and fauna. The high quantities of fieldwork we did was a fantastic experience as I have never done that before and I can now identify many Australian plants, animals, and fish. The independent study project was excellent as well since it allowed me to do my own research and explore more of Australia outside of Queensland. I recommend this program to everyone that is considering studying abroad in Australia. This program is the way to do it since it allows you to explore the country and spend lots of time outside.

SIT India is an incredible organisation and I feel so lucky to have been apart of it. The amount of passion all of the teachers and staff have is so evident, it really feels like home. They welcomed me with open arms, love and support. The program itself is designed very well and allows for some incredible academic and professional opportunities. Through SIT I made strong connections with people who will help me throughout my life. There was a lot of travel through this program too which was very fun.

I had an absolute blast studying abroad in the fall of 2022! I've always wanted to go to Australia, and it was a true dream. Cairns is the cutest little town with plenty to do during the day and night. My program did a great job of introducing us to the culture, and letting us experience everything AU has to offer, even the indigenous lifestyle! I thought the coursework was a great introduction to a future in research and how to write scientific papers which is very helpful for my major (marine biology). The staff were amazing and very helpful with any sort of problem. Truly eye opening and a wonderful experience overall