Program Reviews

My time spent living and learning in Alicante through USAC was a truly transformative experience. I was on the Spanish language track 3 and the process of learning Spanish in Spain really increased my confidence in speaking the language and many other aspects of my life. I now have the confidence and passion to continue learning and practicing Spanish every day. I lived in an apartment with 3 other USAC students and although I didn’t experience the same level of immersion as those who stayed with Spanish families, I took advantage of many other immersion opportunities. I tutored for a Spanish family, assisted in English classes at Colegio de San Jose, and attended many community events with other European students also learning Spanish. I was also so grateful that my program group was small. We all experienced the same culture shocks and differences and were able to cope and grow together. I made friends in Alicante that I know will be with me forever. Overall, I would recommend this experience and this city to anyone who’s decided to study abroad. This semester was my first time traveling outside of the US but it ignited a desire to travel and experience different cultures around the world!

My host mother was one of the kindest people I've ever met! She truly was a Grandma-Away-From-Home for me, taking me under her wing as though I were her own kid. I've made some lifelong friendships, both with fellow students and locals, which allowed me to truly assimilate into the Tico lifestyle! The coordinators and teachers were extremely supportive and went out of their way when I expressed interest in graduate school at the UCR, even setting me up with a campus visit!
As the title suggests, I'm totally moving back someday.

Studying at Yonsei was an amazing experience! Thanks to USAC, it was super easy to do so since they took care of the most difficult parts (guides for visas, insurance, etc)! And through the program, I was also able to connect with many other students before departure, which made making friends even easier! I had so much fun during my semester, I decided to extend my time to the full year! USAC made this process super easy and checked in frequently about visa changes and more. Yonsei is also an amazing school! The facilities are top notch, the location is fantastic, and the intensive korean program taught me so much! If you want to study in Seoul, USAC and Yonsei are 100% the way to go!

I made some wonderful friends when I was there. They had weird rules about COVID but that was due to the university. I had an amazing time and really enjoyed the fieldtrips. I wish we had more information earlier about our living situation because it was hard to plan a month before. Otherwise, they prepared us well with zoom meetings, although I think the best thing our program could have done would be to connect alumni with future or interested students. I would have loved to connect with a past student because as an alumni I feel like I have very valuable information. Especially when our main source of information was someone who didn't live in or only specialize in our program. As we were leaving and talking about our program, that is the main thing everyone in my program wanted. Overall, that is the only thing our program needs.

Along with the obvious improvement on language that one gains while studying abroad, one can expect to create strong connections with not only the other students from the states that are studying withing the same program, but also with many other global students. I now have connections with friends all across the United States and could probably drive anywhere in the continental US and be at most an 8-hour drive from one of my new friends, and if I choose to travel to Europe in the future, I have friends in over 7 countries that have offered to host me (hopefully that puts the power if study abroad into perspective). While abroad I stayed with a host family, and I could not have asked for a better experience. My family really pushed me to work on my Spanish and was overjoyed to take me out and explore not only Valencia, but many areas outside of the city. We grew very close, and I can't wait to visit them soon. As a student, Valencia could not have been a better city to study in. The weather was always fantastic, and you couldn't turn the corner without finding something interesting to explore. I was able to balance school, life, and travel very easily. I would 100% recommend this program to anyone considering studying abroad. It has altered my perspective on the world and helped me to grow more than I could have imagined.

This program exceeded all of my expectations. I was impressed with every part from our resident directors to our group trips as well as our professors. Our directors always had their office open if we wanted to just come in and chat, needed help planning a trip, or had any concerns about our homestay or academics. Our included trips were extremely fun, and I always learned something new. My classes contributed significantly to my Spanish fluency, and our professors really cared about us and our success.

Verona is an easy city to navigate and not a busy, overwhelming city. I believe this helped in actually seeing the city and living comfortable compared to tourists cities nearby. It helped with getting in touch with the culture and having an experience that is a personal learning experience. Verona is also close to other top destinations like Venice and Milan. I enjoyed taking solo day trips to get out of the familiarity of Verona and have a new perspective. I gained so much experience and learned qualities about myself that I wouldn't have learned if I did not step outside my comfort zone.

Studying in San Sebastián, Spain has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Not only did I get to immerse myself into Spanish culture but also the Basque culture as well which I did not know much about prior to arriving. San Sebastián offered the best of both worlds: beaches to surf as well as surrounding mountains to hike and a welcoming community that wanted to help you practice your Spanish. The location was also amazing because the French border is only a 40 minute bus ride away and the Bilbao airport is just over an hour away making it very easy and accessible to travel to other places during the semester. The city itself was also super easy to get around. The public transportation was super efficient but a lot of people including myself, loved just walking or biking to places because of the beautiful views of the ocean. Not only was the location amazing, but so were the professors and directors of USAC. From the beginning the program directors helped answer any questions that we might have about the location site and other general questions we might have about studying abroad. When I came to San Sebastián I was not super comfortable speaking Spanish, especially with other people that spoke it as their primary language but with tue constant help and support of the amazing Professors I can confidently say that my Spanish had improved so much. I also appreciated the amount of opportunities provided to immerse ourselves in the culture in San Sebastián. I had the opportunity to volunteer with an organization that read stories to kids each week. Through this I got to give back to the community but also learn more Spanish and even some things in Basque as well. Another amazing opportunity to learn more about the Basque Culture specifically was the Basque Folkdance and Basque Cuisine class which gave us the opportunity to experience different parts of the culture aside from just the language. I also had the ability to learn new skills such as surfing thanks to the surfing class that was an option which was a fun laid back class that got students out of their houses and out experiencing what San Sebastián has to offer. I also made lifelong friends and connections with people that I would have never have had the opportunity to make prior to this one experience. Overall, my study abroad experience in San Sebastián has been life changing. I am so happy with the location I chose and came out knowing more about a different culture, language and myself!

USAC’s Nagasaki, Japan program had been my number one choice when looking into study abroad programs. I applied to this program in the hopes of just getting in. That was my biggest goal at first. Initially, when I questioned one of USAC’s advisors about applying, they said that I probably wouldn’t be allowed to participate in one of their Japan programs because I was a community college student. Yet, they still made an effort for me, someone who was only a potential applicant. And after a few weeks, I got the email saying that I had been approved and that they would be changing their policy so that community college students could now apply for their Japan programs. I knew right then, after the incredible effort that they had made for me, that studying abroad through USAC was best possible choice I could’ve ever made.

They walked me through every step of the process. Whenever I had a question, they were ready with answers. The school application, forms, and visa stuff was all scary, but the advisors were able to support me when I was unsure and worried.

Since arriving at Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies, I have literally never been happier in my life. Being in this program may actually have saved my life. It is so easy to make friends at this school. The people are so kind that if you are shy and sitting alone they will just come up and talk to you. The classes are great and the professors are amazing. I feel like I am learning so much here and it is all stuff that I want to learn.

The dorm is much nicer than I was expecting. I got a single dorm. It comes with the obvious stuff like a bed, desk, closet, sink, shower, and bathroom. It also came with an electric stove top, which is actually really nice. The bed has storage draws, so I can put a lot of stuff under there. They gave us a pillow, sheets, and a blanket, but you might want to buy some extras. And you should definitely get a little mattress for your bed. You don’t absolutely need one, but I would highly recommend it. The lobby is where most people socialize. There are usually people playing games in the lobby and they are always very welcoming to more players. I will say, guys and girls aren’t allowed on each others floors, so that is a little annoying when wanting to hangout with friends, buts it’s not too bad since we can hangout in the lobby.

The area is absolutely gorgeous. If you are a nature person, then you would love it here because there are mountains everywhere. If you are a city person, then you would love it here because basically just down the street from the university is a city. I thought I would miss my car but I love walking around and the transportation system in Japan is amazing. Almost everything in Japan is so much more affordable, as well!

I would recommend for anyone who is interested in studying in Japan to apply for USAC’s Nagasaki program. I love this program so much that I extended my stay from one semester to a whole year! Because of this experience, I am now planning to live in Japan. None of this would have been possible for me if the USAC advisors hadn’t done everything they could to help me get into their Nagasaki program

I completed my BA in Art History in Viterbo last fall and I can safely say it was the best experience of my life. Viterbo is a small town, but it’s really centrally located so you can go north or south on weekend trips easily, it’s also about an hour train ride outside of Rome, so that makes for easy day trips! I would say Viterbo is really quaint but there are fun bars and local events to hang out at! (77 is the bar notorious for study abroad students to go to, Ghost Pizza and L’antica Latteria for gelato are favorites as well).
personally I loved my roommates, we are all still best friends and we made so many memories living in an apartment together, but if you’re more culture/language focused, you would love the host family there I met them a few times and they are super lovely.
Looking back to what was most memorable for me, the weekend travel and time with the friends I made within my study abroad group is at the top of the list. the culture shock is real, and can sometimes leave you feeling frustrated and lonely as you miss trains, struggle to communicate with people, or when things don’t work the way you’re used to. overall the experience is worth it, and one I’ve only grown to appreciate in hindsight.