Lyon truly has it all, and USAC serves as the perfect liaison, setting you up with a community and a multitude of opportunities to become involved within Lyon. From meandering open-air markets to exploring les traboules, to attending the orchestra, plays, and opera, eating lunch in Roman ruins, and having access to a myriad of museums, and of course impeccable cuisine, Lyon has so much to offer. The program directors always had their door open for drop-in questions or simply tea and a chat. USAC provides incredible support, helping mitigate the tedious and often daunting paperwork and logistics that coincide with living abroad. The language program itself is a neat design that sets you up for success in your French learning journey - it's incredible how much progress you make without realizing. I highly recommend taking the classes offered to USAC students that are in French; it will definitely accelerate your learning process - if fluency is your goal. USAC Lyon is the perfect program for someone who wants to study abroad and get outside their comfort zone, while also having a support system upon arrival.
What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Become friends with locals so you can always have a reason to return, including when you're traveling in other countries during breaks. It's so special to have friends to keep in touch with that you met in hostels, or during language exchanges. You'd be surprised by how many people are open to chatting!
My time studying abroad in Lyon was truly unforgetable. The USAC program provided so many amazing opportunities for students to get a fully immersive experience. I got to participate in a language exchange with other French University students, volunteer with young friend kids, and learn about the history of Lyon in my classes. There was ample time to travel without having to miss classes, and tons of amazing things to do in the city as well. I will forever cherish the friends and memories I made!
If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would say yes to more things! At the beginning, I was afraid of going on trips, or attending events with locals, or going out to dinner and music events on the weeknights, or taking any time away from my studies. If I were to do this over again, I would have said yes to every event I was invited to, I would have gone to every shop and restaurant that peaked my interest, and I would have taken every adventure that I yearned for. Your time abroad goes by too fast! Make the most of it, and say yes!
Pros
Amazing food
Great support from USAC staff
Beautiful, exciting, engaging city
What other participants should know
It was colder than I expected!
More difficult to make friends with locals than I thought
I absolutely loved my time studying abroad with USAC in Chiang Mai, Thailand! The city is wonderful (as somebody who is not a city person), very walk-able, and near to a lot of other great places to visit. The CMU USAC staff are phenomenal and planned a ton of great events to help us get to know the area and were great resources for everything. The Thai buddies program that USAC sets up is a really great way to meet Thai students and get to know the area better. The courses were not very difficult (compared to my usual STEM courses) but they were very engaging. Chiang Mai is very affordable and I always felt safe. The food is phenomenal, I miss it every day! I got my degree in geology and didn't take any major related courses while abroad, but I still had a lot of opportunities to engage with my field outside of classes. I truly cannot recommend this program enough!
What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Take advantage of all of the opportunities in Chiang Mai, nearby, and beyond! Chiang Mai is a great location to live in and travel in/around, but it's also a great jumping off point for many locations across SE Asia. If you only choose one international destination, I highly recommend Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Within Thailand there is a ton of incredible biodiversity, geology, and other natural wonders so I really recommend taking advantage of the opportunity to see some really unique environments and species.
Study Abroad Changes Your Life, True or False? TRUE
Sep 30, 2025
I had the wonderful opportunity to study an academic year abroad at Yonsei University! I know there's a general impression of study abroad where people see it as overhyped and way too expensive. I had this same idea of study abroad before I started my program, but it really proved me wrong. I had incredible experiences, met life-long friends, and made memories that'll I'll cherish forever! As an out of state student whose tuition is covered by FAFSA grants and loans I was really scared that to go abroad I might have to take out additional loans, but USAC's program tuition was really reasonable and the process was very straightforward, so I was really stressing more than I needed to! Study abroad was by far the best decision I've made in my college career, but I know that it took me awhile to get over my own skepticism. So, all I'll say is you really will never know until you try it for yourself!
If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
If I had to do my study abroad experience over again, I would definitely choose to save some of my general education classes(electives) to take while studying abroad. I think by doing so I would 1) make sure that all of my credits transfer over easily and 2) I would have more time to do things outside of school, like exploring and meeting new people!
Pros
Meeting individuals from all walks of life!
Experiencing a new culture and lifestyle (You learn a lot about yourself!)
Exploring, traveling, and experiencing everything and everywhere!
What other participants should know
Homesick
It can get confusing navigating issues like insurance, currency exchange, and sim cards
The leadership was exceptional. Under Olga and Stefano I felt extremely comfortable to ask any questions and was taken care of with so much attention. The professors are amazing, mostly professors who freelance and work at other universities in Lyon, like Lyon 2. Finally, I have to mention their exceptional job in coordinating housing. I still talk to my host maman Chantal and the community I was able to build with her friends and family would not have been possible without the lovely people at USAC.
I attended USAC in Uruguay as a way to help complete my requirements for my degree in International Language and Culture: Spanish. This program had so much language immersion from living with a host family to having courses in Spanish. I felt that I grew my speaking abilities through the format of the program. The program directors were so helpful in giving recommendations and accommodating what we wanted from the program that I was able to see so much during the month I was there. It was a great experience for Spanish immersion!
Pros
Welcoming and supportive teachers and program directors
Studying abroad with USAC in Torino was truly a life changing experience. I was scared to leave my friends and family, moving to Europe not knowing anyone in my program. However, as soon as I landed in Torino I had already met such amazing people. Little did I know that I would make lifelong friends! We were a program of about 40 students and became as close as one group could possibly be. Torino is such an amazing city, from its architecture and art to food and culture! Our program directors, Eliana and Danielle, were extremely kind and welcoming and became great role models for us all. The program trips were so much fun and I encourage you to take advantage of all of them. We were fortunate to be able to visit Lake Como and a wine tour in the Piedmont region. If you are thinking about studying abroad with USAC, do it! It was truly the best 5 months of my life.
What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
My advice to future travelers is to take advantage of everything! Everyone says this, but you don't realize how amazing the experience is until its gone. And it goes by so fast! Go on every program trip, try as many restaurants as you can in Torino, and make friends with the locals. My roommates and I made friends with the people who lived in the apartment across from us and they showed us so many amazing restaurants and bars. I would also say to travel to other countries as much as possible, and go with other USAC students! The most amazing trips with the best memories were the ones that I traveled with big groups of others in the program. However, while it is fun to explore Europe, I would also say to stay in Torino as much as possible as well. There is so much to explore in the city!
Pros
The people- everyone is there to make new friends and find adventure!
The food- authentic Italian food is AMAZING!
The culture- Torino is such a beautiful city with so much history to experience
What other participants should know
We had an issue with one of our roommates, the living situation just didn't work out, but our program directors were extremely helpful during that process and we got it sorted out!
It was common to sometimes feel lonely and miss home, but my friends and program directors helped a lot!
I had some issues with money, I didn't save enough! But it worked out.
I am so happy that I chose to study abroad through USAC Verona! The program was so well planned including group trips, great classes with great professors, and many opportunities to become immersed in Italian culture. Included in our program, we were able to travel to Venice, Padova, and Lake Garda. USAC also provided us with the opportunity to meet students from Verona and become friends with them outside of school. Overall, I would really recommend this program to anyone interested in studying abroad. It was the best 4 months of my life!
Mari Mar is the best professor I’ve ever had in any subject ever. I made so many great friends with locals and within the program and had such a great time socially, but my biggest takeaway from the program was its contributions to my academic and professional development in the Spanish language. Having the same class every single day not only helped me to quickly adjust to a new schedule and routine, but it also helped me build long-lasting relationships with my classmates and professor. I also got to spend a lot of time with my best friend’s family who live in San Sebastián, which was a great local connection to have and maintain.
I had an amazing time in Madrid, Spain. There, I learned Spanish, met locals, made lifelong friends and traveled all across the country and Europe. My academic advisors and professors were so helpful every step of the way with supporting not only my academic but also my personal journey. I loved my housing situation as I lived in a beautiful apartment in the heart of the city with my very own room and amazing roommates! And all my classes were so fun and helpful in learning Spanish and I even got to take a photography class. I would recommend going to Madrid to anyone considering studying abroad!
What was your funniest moment?
My funniest moment was a program trip to El Escorial. It was pouring rain and we all ducked into this little cafe where we got coffee and pastries. We were all soaking wet but it was still so fun!
