USAC Reviews

I had a wonderful experience with USAC in Santiago. The staff are super fun and willing to help at any moment, usually just a text or visit to their office away. Santiago has activities for everyone. I spent a lot of my time going to see live music and attending the many free festivals that are put on throughout the year. My favorite part about living in Santiago was how easy it is to take an inexpensive bus to any part of Chile at any moment, allowing you to experience the diversity of natural beauty the country has to offer, whether its the Atacama desert, glaciers in Patagonia, the Pacific, or the Andes right outside of the city. Another great part about Santiago is the metro system, which allows you to visit all of the different neighborhoods with ease, which all have very different vibes. Overall, my time in Santiago with USAC will be marked by both personal and academic growth, the extensive travel I was able to do throughout the country, and all of the incredibly kind Chileans and international friends that I made during my time there.

I always wanted to go to Germany since most of my family is German. I had the summer of a lifetime abroad and would study abroad through USAC again. I did an apartment and it was awesome. I wish it was more dorm style since we were all pretty spread out throughout the city and it was sometimes hard to hang out with friends when the buses were not running. Make sure to get a bike! The USAC advisers were awesome (Vero and Lenart). Travel as much as you can while you are over there!

USAC Pau was an incredible experience. I had the oppoturnity to study abroad twice once with Kent State University in Florence, Italy and with USAC in Pau, France. I felt that I had a better experience in Florence because of the housing location in the center of Florence. The only downside to USAC Pau is that the dorms are located farther from the city center. Public transit is a great option but not necessarily reliable as the French workers often strike leaving the busses not in operation. The staff is wonderful and the location is fantastic. If you are able to travel on the weekends, you have many options! Bordeaux, Bayonne, Biarritz, Lourdes, Barcelona, Toulouse, Lyons, Paris you name it!! The food is wonderful as well! Try foie gras (a local speciality) and the local wine Jurançon. Excellent trip and would absolutely recommend!

Shanghai is a really unique place to study abroad. Half is very immersive into Chinese culture while the other half of the city is very international, with a lot of expats. Living in Shanghai is pretty cheap and there's tons of fun things to do. It's also a really good place to work on your future careers, a lot of international business connections there, and I was even able to tutor Chinese to earn extra cash while there. China is great because even with such a large city it's super safe overall. You definitely have to get used to some pollution and heavy crowds while there, and it's really cold in the winter. It's not quite picturesque get away, more for people who want to experience a big city, and/or get into international business.

This program site is absolutely wonderful, especially if you are looking to improve your Spanish. I literally lived right on the beach with some of the friendliest people I've ever met (and they made me great food). Costa Rica is truly one of the happiest places on Earth. If I weren't graduating I would do this program over again. The healthcare system there was phenomenal, I had a few hiccups and the program staff helped me out so much.

I went to Alicante in Fall 2016. I met amazing new friends from all over the U.S. and even some who happen to go to Cal Poly, my home university. I lived with a host family, mainly just a host mom whose daughters, aged mid 30's, came to visit every Sunday. I also had an American living with me in my host family as well. I became great friends with my American roommate. We both loved our host mom and her daughters. We learned a great deal of Spanish because our host family spoke zero English. We took the tram or bus to school everyday. I really liked that because it made me feel more a part of the community there. I also signed up for a program where I gave private lessons to Spanish girls wanting to learn English. The girls were ages 7 and 11. I adored them and they loved me too. I was able to explore all parts of the city while I was there and Alicante really gained a special part in my heart after this experience. I am glad to feel connected to another part of the world now. Coming back to the states, I feel like I really learned so much by living in Spain, but I didn't realize it until I came back and noticed all the changes. Overall, I think everyone in the states needs to study abroad because I can't think of one negative thing about it.

The beautiful thing about being a biology major at a major university in Costa Rica is that my ecology classes could just take a walk outside to find examples of things we learn in class. Every day, my plant taxonomy class would take a walk around campus identifying the families of plants we learned about. There is a small forest for study right behind “la U”, as they like to call it.

The first day of tropical ecology class, our professora Sonia took us on a walk around campus just to find what ecology we could see. The very first bush we stop at, she sees this giant spider and starts cooing “Que linda, chiquitita” (“how cute, little girly”). Next thing you know she’s picking it up and explaining about the native spiders, as the class cringes a little. That is how you earn respect day one, let me tell you. By the end of the semester, we were all doing the same, and I can still tell you about the 3 major species on campus.

Not only do we explore our campus ecology to the fullest, but we’ve also gotten a chance to study so many other ecosystems in the country of Costa Rica. Our field studies, take us all over the country. Studying in San Ramon has given me the chance to explore in real life the tropical systems I would study as an ecology student in a text book anywhere else. While studying these ecosystems I’ve had the chance to snorkel in the Pacific and Caribbean, visit the major research station for tropical rainforests in Costa Rica, and hike through multiple cloud forests in various stages of restoration and establishment.

San Ramon is perfect for any student that is interested in learning more about nature and Latin American culture. This is also a great place to learn Spanish, you’ll get plenty of practice. Making friends with locals and learning salsa and other latin dances has been a highlight of my semester, and a fun way to learn about Tico culture. And, if you’re pre-med: I’ve only heard good things about the hospital or clinic internships, if your Spanish is already pretty decent. They are very interactive, and challenging in a good way. I have so much love for this city and country. My year was such a positive experience overall, and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s a little crazy to me, the Carolina girl, to think that I felt like I was returning home when I got back to San Ramon from a week in say, Panama or Cuba. I’m so grateful, and wouldn’t have it any other way. Viva Moncho!

I had always wanted to study abroad and I am so glade I added a 6th year to get my minor in Spanish. The teachers at USAC reignited my passion for school and learning and showed me that it was fun. Staying 2 semesters in Madrid allowed me to get familiar with the people and the city. I worked after school as a nanny to 3 children to help then practice their English. I met tons of friends through out the city and since Madrid is a hub for flights, got to experience all of Europe for a fraction of the cost! I truly feel that had I not studied abroad it would have been the regret of a life time. Since then, I am more empowered to travel alone to new places and can easily navigate through any city's metro. Everyone should study abroad!

If you have the opportunity to study abroad at Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape, South Africa, DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF PASSING IT UP! My only regret is leaving. Studying abroad here was my first time in Africa, and I had plenty of support from staff here. The opportunities are endless, and you have so much freedom and safety to travel to neighboring countries if you're interested! The academics are so interesting and I highly recommend taking South-Africa oriented history/sociology courses. Don't be afraid to talk to your neighbors, no matter where you are living, everybody is friendly.

My time at Deakin was the best four and a half months of my life. The university was great and they provided so many resources and a lot of support. My courses we’re great and so were my teachers. I loved Australia so much and I met some life long friends. I’m so thankful for my experience and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I learned so much about myself and others, more than I could have imagined. I would love to move back here because I loved it so much. If you have the opportunity to go to Australia, do not hesitate!!