Program Reviews

Studying abroad was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! It was my first time traveling solo internationally, and I have no regrets. I made countless new friends and experienced so many exciting things. Plus, I earned academic credit for my courses abroad. These are memories I’ll hold dear forever. I still keep in touch with everyone I met during my journey. This experience truly expanded my perspective and deepened my understanding of the world. Whatever program you choose, go for it! I promise, you won’t regret it!

My month in Prague was amazing and probably the best time of my life. I got to see so much cool stuff on my own and was provided so many unique experiences with USAC, like visiting a medieval mine, a huge fort, countless medieval churches, museums, and boat tour! I got to meet several awesome people and got to celebrate my 21st birthday in a Irish karaoke bar. I got to see museums of history I have always wanted to see (I even got to go into not one but two cold war bunkers!). Overall so much fun and has defiantly made me want to move there!

My study abroad experience in Nishinomiya, Japan, was incredibly fun and memorable! The location was perfect—Nishinomiya is a charming city with a great mix of urban convenience and traditional charm, plus easy access to Osaka, Kobe, and even Kyoto for weekend trips. The local food, especially okonomiyaki, was amazing, and the people were friendly. However, the program’s support was lacking. I had to find my own housing with minimal guidance, which was stressful, especially as a foreigner navigating Japan’s rental system. While I made it work, more resources or assistance would have been appreciated. The academics and cultural experiences were great, but better organization from the program would have made it even better. Still, I loved my time there and would recommend it—just be prepared to handle some things independently!

I had the best time ever in Alicante my spring semester of 2024. The city is walkable, beautiful, and has a million things to do! Great markets, beaches, people, and experiences. There’s also an international airport that made traveling much easier. Accommodations were amazing. The USAC staff was so supportive and there for anything we needed. I think the best thing that our USAC program did was in the first week of us being there. They didn’t give us an opportunity to be jet lagged or homesick. We went and explored the city and the school immediately. They showed us how to navigate the transportation of the city and fun activities to do. I would honestly recommend this city and this program to anyone.

This program was amazing and I loved every second. I stayed with a host mom and she was patient and kind to help me learn spanish and she made amazing food. Also the safety in Alicante was spectacular because I could walk home really late at night from the bar, club or with my friends and not be concerned something would happen to me. The weather was amazing and I spent a lot of time doing homework on the beach as well as traveling around Europe since Alicante had a huge airport. The teachers were really supportive and loved teaching and made it easy to learn.

I studied abroad in Valencia during the summer and I had such an amazing time. I stayed with an extremely supportive host family, and while the language barrier was challenging, I learned so much about the local culture as well as about myself. I took an intermediate Spanish class, where we learned how to speak about relevant social and environmental issues. I also took a cooking class, where we learned how to cook authentic Valencian paella, among other local dishes! I met so many friends, went on adventures I will never forget, and solidified my knowledge of the Spanish language!

Pau was a very small, very beautiful town. Because of it's size, it was easy to talk to strangers and better my French. The people were very friendly, and were always willing to talk to me and better my poor French. The city was very walkable and there were several restaurants, and public places to visit. During the summer, there are many outdoor bars you can go to facing the Pyrenees mountains where you can meet other locals. There is also a beautiful river you can visit and swim in. It was also very easy to travel throughout France and in Spain on weekends.

It was amazing to be able to study child development in Reggio Emilia, the home of the Reggio Emilia Approach. I felt challenged yet supported throughout the program, and I learned a lot. I enjoyed the experience as much as I learned from it, and could not have asked for a better experience. The team that we worked with helped us with the language barrier, culture shock, and invaluable experiences. They helped us with any problems that came up and helped us to feel like we were not alone, even though we were in an unfamiliar situation.

This study abroad experience in Thailand was one of the best experiences of my life! I strongly encourage anyone in college looking to travel to Asia to choose this program! The staff were so helpful and friendly, I still keep in touch with them two years later! If you're looking to experience Thailand authentically, Chiang Mai is the place. It has so much history while not being too urban and touristy. Plus it is very cheap compared to other cities in Europe and the US! The accommodation was clean, comfortable, convenient, and safe. This program gives you so many opportunities to experience Thailand safely and in the best way. I would 100% recommend!!

I participated in their Summer program and I stayed for both sessions. The classes I took were very fun and interesting while also being informative about the topic. Both sessions, they provide the same field trips, so I only did them for one session and then explored Chiang Mai the next session. Everyone was very friendly and open, and they also had Thai students from Chiang Mai University to help us get around and go on the field trips with us. And the food was extremely good! I loved the program and definitely would do it again! I really recommend!!