USAC Reviews

The city is absolutely beautiful and the people who live there are friendly. The program offers a lot of excursions that take you to places off the beaten path and you get to experience the country like a local. The professors are patient and very good. The university campus is gorgeous. The best part would probably be the amazing food you can find. There is pinxo pote every thursday night where locals crowd the streets and hop from restaurant to restaurant and eat a small meal at each. Overall the city was very safe and had a ton to do. It is nice and close to the France border so you can make quick and fun day trips.

I have nothing but great memories about my experience in Valencia with USAC! I had a wonderful time! The USAC staff was so kind and helpful, plus our host university was not just beautiful, but also had really good teachers as well. The city was beautiful and filled with so many activities and great places to visit. The housing arrangements were really nice and close to downtown. I loved my time there. It left me with great memories and great friends. 10/10 no question about it.

The greatest experience of my life. Universidad de Alicante had great professors, my apartment was perfectly located near the beach, I made some of the greatest friends of my life, all while indulging in Spanish culture. I will remember this experience for the rest of my life. I loved all the field trips that we went on, the courses I took were very interesting, and USAC was always there to help me with whatever I needed.

This was my first experience going abroad and let me tell you: it was AWESOME!! I really enjoyed my experience in China. Originally I was only suppose to be there for one semester but I decided to extend my stay for another semester and one summer session. I knew an opportunity like this and it being so cheap is real especially after graduating college so, I was like "let me stay here a little longer". Anyways, because this was my first time abroad I had was nervous the whole time such as the flight, the host city, the people and just in general. But it's quite normal and to the future students thinking about doing this program: It's normal and you'll be fine, trust me.

Cultural shock is a thing. When I first arrive in Chengdu, China I could already tell this isn't like the United States. The locals lifestyles, outlook, and etc is completely different from what I'm used to and not gonna lie, it took awhile to get used to. But this initial shock is completely normal, but I kept an open mind and try to see things from their perspectives and tried to keep my opinions to a minimum. I think to enjoy a foreign country like China which is completely different from the United States, one must keep an open mind and be willing to try anything. Because you never know, you'll might discover something about yourself.

Some advice I would give to future participants that are applying for this program and any other programs that'll be in China would be: just try it. Whether that be the food, a new hobby/place, going to China in general, JUST TRY IT! Research Research and more research!! I would definitely research about the city that you'll be going. Read other blogs written by students because they'll be able to give a proper experience beside the stereotypical information you'll might read online. Also, do some research about other places around your host city because you might (mostly likely lol) want to travel to other places. Download your VPN before you enter China because the app might be blocked. If you want to stay connected with your social media, definitely download it before you get behind the Great Firewall. Talk to the locals!! They know the best place to eat and best places to have fun! It's easy to stay with the people in the program which is fun and all but don't forget your in a different country and making friends with the locals can be very helpful. My last advice that I can think of right now would be to have fun. This is your experience and you want to make the most of it. The people you meet, the feelings you'll feel, the food that'll eat will be something you'll cherish. Because you want it to be something when you're older and you think about your college years, it something that sticks out.

Hopefully this was helpful! I'm pretty sure there are other things I could've mentioned but I just can't think of it right now. But to anyone that is reading this, hopefully it'll encourage you to travel abroad either to China or anywhere else you're going!

I studied abroad in Torino, Italy and the experience was unforgettable. I had the chance to travel around Europe when I was not in class and participate in traveling with the program to explore other parts of Italy. When I had issues with anything, I was able to talk to the program coordinators to get the issues resolved from not having the correct wifi password to finding a pharmacy. Although the wifi at school didn't always work, I never needed it for my class. I took the culinary course and the modern architecture course. The culinary course was not difficult, but you are expected to put in effort just like any other college course. The modern architecture course was insightful and was a great chance to learn about Torino's history and culture.

Studying abroad in Ireland, with USAC, was one of the best things I ever did for myself. I am a musician and being in the cultural heart of Ireland was the best way I could explore this. The streets are filled with Irish talent, and pretty much every local I talked with was very kind and accommodating.
The dorms were located in Corrib Village. Had my own room, with a shared kitchen and bathroom alongside 5 other girls. It was very convenient and also offered a free shuttle into the city centre every hour.
I never had a problem with safety, *but always be cautious*.
The academics were great as the teachers very much cared about whether you learned the material or not.
The field trips were some of the best parts. My favorite- Inishmore. We took this trip to the Aran Islands and it was one of the most beautiful things I've experienced. HOWEVER, when you go to the Aran Islands, make sure you wear long pants, because some of us (not me) on the group got ticks while walking through the brush.

The city was amazing! Small and very easy to get around. The University provided student tickets that let you take any public transportation (metro, buses) for free in Lower Saxony. I went for the first summer session and it was an alright experience. I only got to hang out with the other American participants. There were no organized events to meet German students, which is what I wanted. The program leaders didn't even release a list of things to do in the city and surrounding areas till the last week I was there. This bummed me out as there were many cool things available that I didn't know about.
Overall, I loved being overseas and Luneburg and all the German cities I saw, but the program coordinators could have been more helpful in helping us meet German students and know things to do in our spare time.

Studying abroad changed my life. I know that everyone says that, but thats because it's true! USAC not only allowed me to travel everywhere my heart desired by placing me in the perfect location of Turin, but they also provided me with a fantastic education. Everyone always told me that when you studied abroad, the education was kind of a joke. I expected it to be easy, and just going through the motions. I'm not saying that it was the most strenuous program, but I can say that it changed my way of thinking, and almost every professor was extremely intelligent, and taught me something I never knew. Studying abroad is fantastic, everyone knows that. However, this specific program goes above the rest by providing you with opportunity, education, and experiences.

If you have never studied abroad...you need to! This experience changed my life, and my perspective about myself and about the world. My host family was so loving and they cared about me more than just a student. My host mom always called me, "Princesa," in an endearing way! The faculty and staff members at the USAC school I attended were always available and helpful with anything I needed, whether that be finding stores around town, or finding a place to volunteer in throughout my stay. Personally, I had a wonderful experience studying abroad in Puntarenas, Costa Rica through USAC, and highly recommend it to all!

All of the staff were so welcoming, polite and just fun to get to know! I loved all my advisors and they made me so comfortable with being away from home. Whenever I had an issue I would visit them and it would be solved immediately. The optional trips that they planned for the program were enjoyable and interesting, and I'm glad I went along for them! As cliché as it sounds, the friends and the memories that I made abroad were unforgettable and the ability to learn about another culture and country by living amongst the people was priceless. I will cherish the time I spent in the beautiful and multicultural city of Madrid and I look forward to visiting again, I am lucky enough to have had the ease of transitioning with USAC and would recommend it to anyone studying abroad.