Program Reviews

My experience with SOL was life-changing. I was able to significantly improve my Spanish comprehension and speaking. My professors, program directors, and host family made me feel truly welcomed to Spain and gave me much needed cultural context. I made such amazing friends and experienced so much life in the short amount of time I was living in Spain. I'm even considering moving to Spain after graduation!

SOL was incredible. It left a lasting impact on my life, and truly changed what I wanted to do after college. I obtained fluency in Spanish while there, and it was the best way to learn spanish. The immersion in a different culture was so much fun. I tried so many differnt foods I had never heard of before, and I was able to make so many new friends that I still keep im contact with! I would encourage anyone to study with sol!

Studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina with SOL Education Abroad will always be one of the greatest experiences of my life. Not only did I greatly improve my fluency in the language through real-life immersion both in and out of the classroom, I was also able to begin "globe-trotting" on my own for the first time through
solo trips throughout the Southern Cone, which really helped me find myself and reflect on the natural and cultural beauty of that area of the world. Without the continual support my spectacular directors, Raul and Beatriz, especially during emotionally difficult processes (such as changing host families), I would not have had such an incredible experience in Argentina. Thank you so much again to all the staff at SOL who all worked to provide me with the semester of a lifetime! :)

This summer I traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina with Sol Abroad and completed the healthcare program. In this program, I completed one Spanish course, one medical Spanish terminology course, and had the opportunity to shadow doctors at both public and private hospitals in Argentina. This was my fourth trip with Sol Abroad (with this program I have also been to Oaxaca, Costa Rica and Spain). In all honesty, I didn't think it would be possible to have a better trip than my trip to Granada, Spain, in 2017. I was wrong. Buenos Aires was by far the best six weeks of my life. The locals are all so friendly and engaging (they are all so intrigued by English-speakers), the culture is so vast and beautiful with people from Argentina, Italy, Venezuela, Colombia and more! The public transportation system is phenomenal and the night-life was so much fun. The people I met and my host mom made this an incredible journey I will never forget.

It's hard to put into words without sounding cliché, but this study abroad experience was one I will remember for the rest of my life. It challenged me in more ways than one as I got the chance to receive credit, become more confident in a second language, meet SO many awesome people from around the world, and really just dive in and explore one city out of the many many this world has to offer (with the help of SOL Education Abroad).
The best way to sum up how I feel once returning to the US would be that I would be happy with one weekend here with family and friends and then I'd hop right back on the next plane back to Spain. Everything is so new, exciting, and puts you out of your comfort zone. I felt as though I could go back and be a tour guide for my family and friends if we ever return. From the diverse cultural activities (anything from the beaches to the mountains - my favorite activity was canyoning in Rio Verde - all within an hour apart) to the jaw-dropping sunsets, Granada definitely stole my heart.
I would highly recommend any student (with a reason or without) to trust in SOL and let them help you create your own experience. Studying abroad impacts every student in their own way and more often than not it doesn't fail to broaden his/her perspective on life! You hear about it all the time from friends, so when the opportunity presents itself, definitely just say yes and spend the money because life is way too short not to go!

This was my first time going abroad without family, or a friend. By going on this trip, and doing the things I did (traveling to different cities, countries, doing new things) I proved to myself that I can be independent. Not only that, but I also learned to adapt; adapt to a new culture, lifestyle, food, mentality. After this experience I feel like I get to take home with me a deeper understanding and appreciation of culture, and widened perspective of the world and culture. This was by far the most worthwhile experience of my life! I would recommend going abroad with SOL to anyone who has a slight interest in learning more about the world.

I knew no Spanish when I stepped off the plane in Costa Rica, but the classes were so informative and engaging that I was speaking with locals in no time. The staff and directors with Sol are very kind, patient, and helpful. One of the best parts about the Sol program is living with a host family. Sol takes great care in placing students with their host families and housemates. My living situation was perfect. The people in Heredia are so kind and so willing to help you with learning Spanish. The excursions that are planned in the program are so fun and help you see the variety of adventures Costa Rica has to offer. I absolutely loved my time in Costa Rica and would recommend the Sol program to anyone.

Keep your valuables in a internal zippered pouch in your backpack and drink lots of water! This was the best trip of my life and I initially thought 2 weeks was a lot of time, but it flew by so quick. Take lots of pictures and take every opportunity to do things like go to the store or walk to town. I loved ziplining and the waterfall but I wish the waterfall was more of a private area where it was just our group and you could see the waterfall while swimming.

First, I can hardly believe that this is ending already. Since arriving in Granada, I was in awe of all the culture. But it wasn´t until soon after that the culture shock hit a bit too hard and suddenly I was surrounded by people I didn´t know and put in a classroom. It was a bit much to take in all at once. I think that every future participant should know that studying abroad is bound to be uncomfortable and that they shouldn´t feel guilty for feeling so or being homesick. However, the SOL experience was full of things to get my mind off how I felt, kicking off with some of the most amazing cultural experiences of my life. Up until the end it was filled with one of a kind experiences. On top of that, the sooner you have people to go out with, the sooner you have your own unique experiences like exploring the city, the country, or even other countries nearby. Those will make for some of the best stories. I can already tell that this has been a huge impact on my life and within this month alone I feel like I´ve grown and changed. As much as I´m looking forward to being back in the states, I don´t regret my experience here and I´m extremely thankful for it and how fortunate I am to have been in the SOL program.

SOL has created an amazing program in Granada Spain. Granada is one of the cleanest cities that I have been to and is also a very welcoming environment to learn Spanish in. From wandering the halls of the Alhambra to paddle boarding in Nerja SOL provides the absolute biggest bang for for your buck when it comes to study abroad programs. Their staff is also extremely helpful and cared so much about my well being that they escorted me to the dentist to help translate when I had an issue.