USAC Reviews

Bangalore is an amazing city and Christ University is an amazing college with very rigorous and interesting classes. However, the USAC program staff members were terrible (one staff member did not know my name throughout the entirety of the program even though we talked almost every day and the other staff member was very nice but gave horrible advice about problems that we encountered in daily life and led us astray several times). USAC tries to sell you to this program with highlights such as the city tour, slum visit, village tour, and the optional tour at the end of the program. However, I thought that the city tour completely missed extremely important parts of the city (ex. Bangalore palace and the government buildings, Cubbon Park, etc), the slum visit was extremely short (about 15 minutes), and the optional tour was the biggest waste of money (The Southern India tour that I went on was $500 dollars for a less than three day tour-marketed as 1 week on the website- that should have cost absolutely no more than $250). Additionally, we paid about $800 for a one month stay in apartments, which is ASTRONOMICAL for India, and we did not even get reliable WiFi (which made homework extremely difficult), or constantly running water. I loved India and the people that I met, and on my own I was able to see some amazing things. The culture is so fascinating, and I do not regret going to India to study abroad in the slightest. But, I definitely regret choosing USAC as the program to go with, as it was very easy to see at numerous points during the program where so much of my money was being wasted. My recommendation is to go to India without hesitation; however, you should definitely hesitate and do further research before selecting this specific program.

Studying abroad in Europe was the best decision of my life. I spent a semester in Rome, Italy in the fall (which was incredible), but I wanted something smaller and more immersive during my second semester abroad. And so, I decided to go to Alicante, Spain through USAC. The program was cheap, the location was wonderful, and the courses offered were perfect for my academic interests and goals. I knew the smaller city would help me improve my Spanish language skills, and it would enable me to really understand the Spanish people and culture. I was fortunate enough to have an amazing host family who taught me so much, and I would even consider them my second family. I also made some wonderful friends, many whom I believe I will have for the rest of my life. The USAC program enabled me to study abroad for a second semester because it offered numerous courses that allowed me to finish college in 4 years with 3 majors and a minor. I majored in Spanish, Sociology, and Anthropology, and fortunately many of the sociology courses in Alicante were taught in Spanish, so my home university counted them for both majors! My Spanish communication skills improved immensely, and I truly believe I learned more during my semester in Spain than I had from the 9 years I spent learning Spanish it back in the states. I was also fortunate enough to have an exchange partner, and an internship in which I worked at the local museum. The USAC staff there made all of this possible, and they worked diligently to make sure I was happy and safe. They planned so many amazing field trips and activities, and made my second semester abroad spectacular. I loved every minute of my experience, and I wish I could go back everyday! USAC is an incredible program, and Alicante is a lovely city.

Studying abroad is not something you should think about, it's something you should do. I have not met anyone who has regretted studying abroad. A typical day in Florianopolis consisted of going to class, hanging out with the many friends you make while studying abroad, and a hobby you pick up while abroad. In my case, it was Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, but for many other people it was surfing, hiking, dancing, soccer, or capoeira. But regardless of what you chooses you can't go wrong. It is a good time all around, the best 4 months of my life.

The USAC program in San Sebastian was very well organized, very well staffed and over all a huge success in my opinion. The office staff and the teachers were exceptionally helpful and went above and beyond to accommodate us, help us integrate into the community, meet people, find internships and share knowledge about the region. Specifically I remember Aizpea helping me on multiple occasions to contact a family to whose daughter I was tutoring English. Cecilia was also very helpful in setting me us with an internship in the local community and was always so sweet and exciting about helping me and talking to me about my experience. I think she would make a really great teacher in that program. The teachers that I did have were also wonderful. They all were passionate about their subjects and about getting us to learn and use Spanish. My track teacher, Asun, is one of my favorite teachers of all time. Even though she was a strict grader and really like homework, she was so warm and honestly wanted us to succeed. We could tell that she actually cared about us and enjoyed coming to class every day. I really appreciate how hard she worked for us and how much she taught me. The location of this program could not be more ideal either, with the beach and opportunities for surfing, hiking and other outdoors activities along with city life. My living experience was absolutely ideal. I live with a host mom, Tina, who went completely out of her way to make me feel at home and get the most out of my experience as I could. She only spoke Spanish with me and helped me learn so much. She even took me on vacation for two weeks with her and brought me to family dinners frequently. I couldn’t have gotten luckier that I did in being placed with Tina. I do think that our classes were more difficult that other USAC programs from what I’ve heard from other students. I felt it was difficult at times to balance all of the extracurricular and fun activities with the expectations of our professors and how strictly they graded. However, we learned so much and I am thankful for how they ran the program.

I went abroad with the intention of learning the Spanish language and appreciating a new culture, but I learned so much more than that. Having never traveled outside of the US (and having only been on a plane once) I was more than terrified to start my study abroad experience. I couldn't chosen a better program than USAC. They were there to greet us on day one and were available to help us from that point forward. I enjoyed my Spanish language classes (and I miss them dearly now that I'm back in the states) but also enjoyed exploring a different part of the world and meeting new people. Alicante is a small, but beautiful, town, and it was a great place to spend a semester in.

I had an awesome time in the city of Brighton, which is only about an hour South of London. It's an extremely diverse city, full of culture and lively people. Brighton has many things to offer, from the famous Brighton Pier, where you can go play arcade games, ride rides, and eat fish and chips, to the Royal Pavillion, a palace that is now a museum. Getting around the city was not difficult at all, the buses ran to and from the University to the city twenty-four hours a day! The University Halls were full of international people, where we could learn about different cultures and traditions in other parts of the world. Overall, I had an amazing experience in Brighton, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves to travel, shop, and eat!

My daily activities consisted of going to school, going grocery shopping, and coming home to amazing roommates! My first semester in Torino I lived with a girl from South Korea and we instantly became friends! During the week we would have dinners, do homework, and socialize with other people from USAC.
On the weekends, I would go to the Murazzi and discoteca's! I also traveled around Italy and other European countries! I loved my time in Italy, and I would not trade it for anything!

The USAC Bilbao program was an amazing experience. Perfect for business oriented students. You get the big city experience without having to live in a huge city by living in Getxo and commuting in Bilbao.

My day to day activities during the week involved grocery shopping at the open markets, attending classes at the business university, and shopping downtown. During the weekends, my friends and I enjoyed traveling to various places in Italy, as well other surrounding European countries. We took trains, planes, and subways on the daily. It was more than just an awesome experience! Words can not even begin to describe everything I learned from studying abroad.

I found it a bit difficult in trying to find my way around without knowing Italian. It was very overwhelming at first, but once I started taking Italian language courses in the classroom, I began to gain some confidence.
For example: Attempting to read the menus and order at restaurants was at times very frustrating!

I studied at the University of Brighton from January to June 2013.

The application process is long and slow. The dollar-pound conversion is rough.

It was all worth it and then some!

I told my film professor at Brighton before I left that people like him and the rest of the faculty at the Uni are the stuff that incredible study abroad experiences are made of.

Traveling out of the country, alone, for the first time ever was a terrifying thought. USAC and the staff on site in Brighton made it easier than I expected. Also Mary Zoe an Becca are warm and wonderful women! They care about their students and love getting to know them!

Off campus Brighton has so much to offer anyone from any walk of life! It is a vibrant community of friendly people from all over the world, not just all over the UK! The pubs and recreational activities are just the a drop in the pond! And if you wanna do nothing, go sit in the sun at the Royal Pavillion.

I recommend spring semester especially because of te famous Brighton Festival that takes place for a month each spring. Professional and street performers from all over the world converge on the city's Old Stein and surrounding downtown to offer a vast range of entertainment. Not to go without mentioning the FOOD! Not bland! And the beer is even better!

4 months post Brighton, I miss it terribly. My friends still contact me regularly and I am considering pursuing a masters at neighboring Sussex Uni.

If you've been working towards a study abroad and you want to go to and English speaking country. Brighton is the place for you. Of all the places I could have gone in the UK, I wouldn't change my experience if someone paid me! It was the best experience of my life.

Go abroad. Go. To. Brighton.