USAC Reviews

My experience in San Sebastian was incredible. I was in one of the most beautiful places in the world, met so many interesting new people, and was completely immersed in a fascinating culture. The city was not only gorgeous, but it was extremely safe and welcoming. I felt very lucky to have studied abroad in Northern Spain, because Basque Country is the most unique and interesting culture I have ever come across. Through my classes, field trips, and personal adventures, I was able to surround myself completely with Basque culture. It will always hold a very special place in my heart, and now that I am back in America, I am very open about my love for Basque people, language, and culture.

Chiang Mai Thailand holds the perfect combination of the lively bustle of a small city plus the serenity of nature right in your backyard. This second largest city in Thailand is nestled up to a mountain that holds an ancient temple on its peak. Chiang Mai University makes up a large part of the city so it has the feel of a university town with students from all over the world making it their temporary home. It’s inexpensive to live there and it’s easy to get a cheap flight down to Bangkok to travel to the islands or anywhere else in Southeast Asia. Weekend trips up to Pai, Chiang Rai, Doi Inthanon National Park, and Mae Hong Son are a quick bus ride away.
Chiang Mai is a hidden jewel of a city and quickly became home to me. I was able to arrange my classes on M-Wed, and have the rest of the week to explore this beautiful country and surrounding areas. I'm so thankful I chose to study abroad here during my senior year. This was truly a unique time in my life, before I had to face the responsibilities of starting a career and taking on adult life. I found tranquility and peace in this beautiful place and I crave this feeling once again. If lively street markets, hipster coffee shops, vintage clothing stores, used bookstores, ancient temples, fantastically cheap food, hiking, muay thai, and scooter adventuring is an interest of yours, Chiang Mai is the place for you.

This was life-changing! I changed as a person and now am planning to return to Latin America to work after graduating from my university. I have already recommended to one friend and would wholeheartedly recommend it again. The program has so many enriching programs that allow travel and have excellent internships available. I was able to get an internship translating and researching, and I was also able to teach English volunteering. There are programs to allow for connecting with local people and practice Spanish and cultural exchange, and the housing is accommodating for any and all dietary needs. I learned a lot about other cultures, myself, and the Spanish language, and I grew exponentially as a person. I also recommended the program to a friend, who then also attended USAC in Heredia, and we still talk about what an amazing experience it was.

The Experience was amazing. They provided us with a pick up from the airport, which is was amazing. we were giving a buddy through the program and I was with 4 students as well. We went to a baseball game together and also during the tour program were together. There were do many different student that it was easy to adapt especially because of the buddy. the food was amazing, I had one travel partner when I was there and we went to different restaurants. I am still in contact with her till this day. It is an opportunity to get out your comfort zone. I was able to explore Gwangju and other locations, we went to a temple, Busan, and went to a mud festival and meet some nice people there. my favorite memory was when my buddy had us over for a homestay and his parent cooked for us. They were very amazing people, so kind, and I really appreciated the fact that they took time out of their day to cook for us and talk to us. Some helpful tips are if there is a meeting or activity plan, it is a good idea to go and participant because you never know who you will meet. Make sure you have enough money and budget out how much you want to spend. don't be scare to try something new, you are in a different place and you never know what you might like. This wasn't my original location but I am glad everything fell into place and I went to Gwangju.

I absolutely love Lyon! It's a wonderful location that is beautiful, central, large enough to get all of the benefits of living in a big city, yet much smaller than overcrowded cities like Paris or New York. If you're looking to study here, I would definitely recommend it!

Going through the USAC Program was a little complicated since the classes and grading are not the same as what you sign up for. You basically sign up for classes, then are integrated into Université Lumière Lyon 2's CIEF (Centres International d'Études Françaises) courses that are built to prepare for entrance into a French university. You are broken up into levels (A1-C2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), then you attend those courses (11 classes of 1 hour 45 minutes per week) with foreign students working towards a B2 or C1 DELF/DALF. It was hard work, and for me, Monday through Friday. Some days were so long that my body ached for sitting for hours at a time. It was also difficult to travel during weekends because of the late classes scheduled for Fridays and early classes scheduled for Mondays (they discourage skipping courses, but I definitely needed to sometimes). You can tell that this is an intensive program made for those who are seriously working towards the language skills to integrate into a French university, and since it was not my goal, it was a little difficult to remain motivated sometimes.

I would say that, overall, Lyon is a great study abroad city with a vibrant social scene for young adults, but I was less than impressed with Lyon 2's CIEF program.

This experience truly changed my life. To say my entire experience abroad was easy would be a lie, but I learned so much. This trip truly opened my eyes and allowed me to understand other cultures. Viterbo is a very small Italian town. The classes were educational and fun, and the town is very safe. Viterbo allows you to truly experience the Italian language, culture, and experience Italian life! If you’re looking for the small town feel, family oriented experience I highly recommend Viterbo! You’re life will never be the same!

Studying abroad in Ghana was the best decision I ever made. USAC provided support from the beginning to the end and were always there to offer help. I had never been out of the country before going to Ghana, but since then I have traveled to 11 countries. My favorite part was I volunteered at an after school program called the Mawulolo Youth Network where I taught math and English to 1st and 2nd graders. When my four months were up I was so sad since I had made so many lasting friendships and did not want to leave the beautiful country. I recently went back to Ghana and stayed there for a week since I missed it so much. This experience has had a huge impact on my future goals as I have just accepted a job to teach English in South Korea for a year. I never knew just how big of an impact this trip would have on my life, but I can not be happier that I decided to do it.

When I arrived in New Zealand, I was all on my own, not knowing a single person. I left the airport balling my eyes out after my program ended because of the lifelong friends I was leaving behind. The staff at the on campus housing was amazing. They put events together that everyone was excited about and it gave me a chance to make these great friends. The academics were totally different from what I was used to in Colorado. There were very few homework assignments but most of the classes were essay based. Being a finance major, I was not used to all that writing and it actually made me an overall better college writer. I wouldn’t trade the memories made while I was in Auckland for anything. I grew into someone that I’m proud to say is my best self.

My experience studying abroad in Heredia was incredible, and my only regret is that I wasn't able to stay longer. As a Spanish minor and someone with a goal to become fluent in Spanish, this program was very effective in pushing me from barely a beginner to proficient / conversational in two months. My host family was amazing as well - I was vegan while in Costa Rica and my host mom was so accommodating. The field trips outside of Heredia were another highlight for me. Manuel Antonio and Puerto Viejo were my favorite - so much to explore in this tiny country! I am also an avid animal and nature lover, and CR is so gorgeous and full of life in that aspect as well. My top tips for this program are: 1) stay as long as possible! 2) Dive into Spanish and stay away from English as much as you can while you're there. 3) If you can, opt in for as many of the optional field trips as possible - see as much as you can!

I chose this program on a whim but I'm so glad I did! Oslo is a great place to study, the people I met were great, and studying at the University of Oslo was a wonderful experience. It's helpful to do this program through USAC because you meet other Americans in the same boat as you and the orientation at the beginning was helpful in learning your way around the city. After the USAC orientation is buddy week for international students at the University, which is great in meeting people from all different countries. (Another reason this program is great is because there's people that come to study in Oslo from all over and you get to meet a lot of people from various countries!) I think both orientations are helpful in meeting people, though for me I was most excited about being integrated into the University (as opposed to some study programs where you only study with Americans) and I made many friends from different places.

I lived in Grünerløkka, which is a sort of hip neighborhood close to the city center. This area of Oslo is beautiful. It's a very safe city overall, the shopping is great, and I recommend learning the language because it's helpful & it's also a fun language to learn! I think Oslo is great because it's a large city, but it's not overwhelmingly large so you can explore the various parts of the city easily (definitely go to Aker Brygge!). If you want a beautiful view you should go hiking at Kolsåsstoppen!

I'm really glad I chose this program. The location is beautiful, safe, and fun; the people are nice; and the study programs are great. I took Norwegian and Norwegian Life & Society at UiO and learned a lot about Norway and about the language. I definitely recommend the experience! The only thing to look out for is that Oslo is very expensive.