USAC Reviews

Studying with USAC in Santiago was incredible. The program director was helpful with introducing the students to the program and the city. The classes were reasonably rigorous, and allowed me time to explore the city and go on excursions.
I chose to study abroad in Santiago because I had traveled extensively in Central America and wanted to experience South America. I wanted to be immersed in the Spanish language so that I could gain a greater competency of the language. In addition, I was intrigued by Chile because of its extensive coastline and unique landscapes. I wanted the opportunity to travel to Easter Island, Patagonia, and the northern Atacama Desert.
USAC offered a variety of excursions, that were both interesting and culturally relevant. I was able to visit Moon Valley in northern Chile, where it hasn’t rained for hundreds of years and the Mars Rover was tested because of similarities in terrain. I had the opportunity to go sand-boarding on the sand dunes of Moon Valley. I was able to take an oil painting class in Aconcagua valley from a famous artist. I also took the chance to play soccer with my host brothers in an organized league in the center of Santiago.

I had a great time in San Sebastian. The teachers and staff were some of the best people I had ever met and I felt the courses were fun and interesting. I took primarily Spanish courses with some electives like Basque folk dance and cooking thrown in. Some friends took the surfing class and enjoyed learning how to surf on the beautiful beaches that line the city's coast. Parte Vieja (the old part) was a blast to walk around and sports some of the best food in the world. If you love food, this is definitely a place to check out. Overall my time in San Sebastian was too short, I would definitely recommend a year, but even that might not be enough.

I had chosen the USAC Hiroshima program because I heard that Hiroshima University is not only one of the best Universities in Japan but that it also has a very strong Japanese language program. In addition to that, but since Saijo is such a rural town, it is a great place to study as the English proficiency of the locals is about the same as the Japanese language proficiency of those who live in Nevada... Pretty much non-existent! So be sure to learn some Japanese or at least the alphabet so you can have a head start in the language when you arrive.
The housing is nothing special, it can feel a bit gross at times, but if taken with a grain of salt one can remember that the reason they came to this program is not for the housing but for the immersion into the local populace and the mastery of a second language. With the incredible affordability of the dorms and the state it’s in, you will only use it for a bed, shower, and food and spend most of your days out with friends and the local people.
Other than that, the festival in Kure or the Sake Festival in Saijo are just a taste of all the great things you can do to become a part of the cultural experience and traditions of Japan. Luckily, living in Hiroshima, you are so close to other great landmarks such as Miyajima or Matsuyama that there is no excuse not to explore a little bit. Even during holidays there is a ticket you can buy for the trains for traveling long distances, as for which I used to go to Kyoto.
Japan is an incredibly safe country; there is not much concern of crime. I actually lost my newly bought Ipod on the bus and got it back within a week or so. I’m positive that is a level of safety and kindness that is rarely found in the cities.
Overall, if you are interested in becoming fluent and what to experience as much of the culture as possible without being broken by housing costs, this is the same program that I have recommended to my friends and family as well as I am recommending to you as the reader. The only thing I would have re-done is instead of a semester I would have spent a year in Hiroshima. But then again, I don’t think a year would have been enough for me either because the experience is just that amazing.

Having to leave Heredia, Costa Rica after a semester was incredibly difficult. This "city of flowers" became like a second home to me in ways I could have never imagined. I was fortunate to study through USAC, who was helpful in arranging everything from housing to classes to extracurricular activities and providing support throughout the duration of the program.
A typical day included eating breakfast with my host parents and siblings and then heading to the National University where I took classes in grammar, literature, culture and even Latin American dance. After that, I volunteered in tutoring a blind student in English, which was an incredible opportunity also given to me by the USAC program assistants. I was able to get some studying in at a local cafe and had the evenings free to play soccer, go to concerts, watch movies or just hang out with the family.
Living with a host family was the best way to practice my Spanish as they invited me to family functions, and I was constantly forced to converse in the language. They took such good care of me, and again it was difficult to say goodbye. They have plans though to come visit me next summer, which I would absolutely love.
Studying abroad through USAC is something I would highly recommend. It was one of the more affordable options and the staff is extremely supportive. They were available by phone any time of the day and the office was conveniently located a quick walk away. The central office staff in Reno was quick and happy to answer my questions ranging from financial aid to course selection. I never felt like a bother with my many emails and confusions.
I would highly recommend studying abroad through USAC and encourage anyone considering Costa Rica to go.

If you're thinking about doing this program, I have two words - DO IT! My time in Pau was seriously the best 4 months of my life. My host family was amazing, perfectly picked for me. We got along great and I really felt like I was a part of their family. I was able to see what real French life is like, and my language skills improved so quickly. Classes with USAC are good quality and fun, but not overly work heavy, so you have time to travel and enjoy your time abroad. I got to see a lot of really cool places, through both personal travel and USAC and Université field trips. Not many people know where Pau is, but I ended up loving the city and region. I only have one complaint: I had to leave after only 4 months!

Lüneburg is a quaint and historical city in Lower Saxony. It's medieval architecture makes you feel like you're in another time. This naturally makes it a bit touristy in the warmer weather, but it is a really cool town to explore. There are so many shops and cafes in the downtown area, it's fun to explore and wander. Public transport in Lüneburg is good, the buses are often and consistent, and completely free for student use. Students can also use their student pass to travel in Lower Saxony for free, so it's easy to take day or weekend trips to Hamburg, Lübeck, Bremen, and many other cities. It's location to the larger cities like Bremen and Hamburg make it easy to travel out of.

The USAC program is on the Leuphana Universität campus. Classes are only with USAC students, so there is some limitation there, but the staff is very helpful if you're interested in enrolling in a course with Leuphana. They also will personally set you up with a German language partner, likely someone who wants to learn English, so they're great to practice with. Upon arrival you're also given a German "buddy" to bring you to your housing and tell you a bit about Lüneburg, and so forth. Mine was very friendly and we got along well. She gave me a lot of useful info and hung out with us for the rest of the semester, but apparently some of the other buddies weren't like that at all. If you want to make German friends, you'll have to reach out outside of USAC on your own.

The classes themselves were great! I was in beginning German with no previous experience, so naturally it was hard at first. The language courses are intensive, so you're learning 4 semesters in 1. In the beginning I studied a lot during the week, but I had no problem traveling on the weekends. After a few weeks, things eased up so I had tons of time. As for other classes, some have a lot of work and some have almost none You'll get a good picture on the first day and be able to switch your schedule if you want. Also, Fridays have no classes, so you have long weekends to travel.

The staff at USAC is amazing, and they all genuinely care about the students. They are all Germans, so at first they can come off as slightly cold or overly serious, but all of the members of the staff there are actually really cool and interesting people. My German teacher was energetic and funny, he made long classes bearable. I had a class with Uta, one of the Assistant Directors, and she is an extremely sweet and caring person. I also had a class with Sören, the Resident Director. He is serious in class and expects students to do the work assigned to them, but outside of class he's really funny and relaxed.

Housing in Lüneburg is a bit more limited because it's a small city. There are apartments available downtown that are extremely convenient, I spent a lot of time in my friends', but they're also on the small size and landlords and roommates can be hit or miss. I had a host family, and I definitely would choose a family again. I had my own room, bathroom, and full access to the kitchen. My host mother was genuinely interested in my experience there, she invited me to eat with them from time to time, and we talked often (usually in German so I could practice) about what was going on. I didn't have any problems with privacy or independence - my room was mine, and I was able to come and go as I pleased. The only downside to the home stay was that it wasn't close to downtown, so I usually had to be back home on the last bus, or camp out at a friend's apartment.

All in all, I really enjoyed my semester in Lüneburg. It was a great opportunity and I met a lot of lifelong friends. I got to see a side of Germany that I would never see as a tourist, and I'm now comfortable enough with German to travel around on my own. I would suggest bringing some warm clothes though, it's really cold in the winter.

I had the best host family. I had the best teachers and the best USAC staff helping me the entire time. I met amazing people, who I am still in contact with, and I saw places, sites and art I had only read about. I recommend going abroad in the first place, but I recommend Pau if you're looking for an authentic French experience. I walked to a local bakery every morning with my host father so we could buy the bread for breakfast. I played with the small hedgehogs that were in my host father's garden while he pulled mint for our tea later. I took a bus to school every day and had a 20 minutes coffee break every two hours.
This place is drenched in culture and history. King Henry IV's castle is a 10 minute walk from the university and a two minutes walk from the center of town. There's parks everywhere you look and a French language to be learned.

Bring your walking shoes!

My semester in Alicante was one of the best semesters of my life. During my time there, I went from an intermediate Spanish level to an advanced Spanish level, and now I am actually majoring in Spanish. I loved being able to immediately apply what I was learning in the classroom to my life, and I was able to overcome a language barrier that was initially frustrating for me thanks to the incredible teaching of my professor in Alicante--one of the best professors that I've ever had. I also highly recommend living with a host family because it gave me a great insight into the culture and the day-to-day lifestyle of the Spaniards. My host mom would prepare delicious meals, and I also got to play board games with my host brothers. Alicante is a perfectly-sized city because there are lots of things to see and to do, and most things are within walking distance or easily accessible by public transit. The coastline is gorgeous, allowing for an abundance of outdoor activities from hiking in the mountains to swimming in the Mediterranean. Finally, the USAC staff are some of the nicest and most caring people that I've met in my entire life. Luis and Sylvain were always there to answer any questions or concerns, and they set up great activities and field trips for students. They even helped me get a job tutoring a doctor in English. The only sad part about my experience was that I had to leave!

I could easily say studying abroad was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It taught me about cultural acceptance, how to speak another language, dealing with different types of people, how to get out of and stay out of my comfort zone, and much more. San Ramon is an excellent, out-of-the-way location with a very small-town and community feel to it. Non-locals are few and far between, whereas the locals are very accepting of us and willing to show us their language and culture. The classes were not so difficult that I spent all of my time stuck in my bedroom studying, but plenty challenging enough to give me a broad depth of the topic and language. We still had plenty of time to go travel on the weekends to the far reaches of the Costa Rican countryside and attractions.

USAC was also very accommodating for housing, classes, and any problem that arose. The on-site staff were only a phone-call or a short walk away to help answer or solve any problems that came up, from medical problems to helping book a hostel. I also had an internship in the hospital with the local orthopedic surgeon, and was able to experience many surgeries as well as how the Costa Rican healthcare system truly works. I strongly recommend an internship. I also was able to take 3 upper division biology classes (9 credits) plus some language while abroad. You won't set yourself behind by studying abroad.

Just a few recommendations: 1. Do not bring too many clothes; 2. Bring only what you would wear at home. If you wouldn't wear it at home, you will not wear it abroad; 3. BRING EXTRA SUNSCREEN. The sunscreen is very mediocre over there and is very, very expensive. Bring enough for your travels; 4. Don't be afraid to travel on your own! Get a travel backpack, throw in a couple shirts, pants, socks, and underwear, and get on the road! You will see so many things and meet so many incredible people; 5. Be free and have fun!

Go out and try new things everyday. Meet new people. Travel. Play soccer.Experience the food. Go on the program trips because you don't see enough of all your friends in the program. Speak as much Spanish as you can. Enjoy every minute there.