USAC Reviews

I really enjoyed my experience abroad and would recommend it to anyone who want to travel abroad. I learned a lot about myself and gained insight on the US in a global context. Costa Rica is a beautiful country full of lush greenery and an abundance of animals. Anyone who loves the outdoors would feel at home there. The beaches look like they came directly out of a movie. There is clear blue water and depending on where you go you can see dolphins and sea turtles.

When I signed up for the USAC Bangalore program, I was ecstatic. I thought this program was going to be perfect for me and I falsely judged off of the video provided. To say the least, I was surprised. India is nothing like you thought you had expected. Specifically, the program I signed up for. I expected to be integrated into India's culture right away and make endless friends and become more comfortable in a country I know nothing about. This wasn't the case. Our classroom only included the girls that chose this program. Hence, we were not placed with any Indian students. The classes are each 3 hours long and the teachers overlap in almost every topic lectured. Plus, the tests are ridiculously hard and expectations were not clearly laid out. Not only that, but as beautiful as Bangalore is, this city is not the best location for a study abroad. While it forces you outside of you comfort zone, the big city makes it hard to make real connections. This program did have great tours provided, but besides that, I wish I would have picked a different program in India. Don't get me wrong, this was a very life-changing experience, but I wish I had been warned before signing up.

I loved studying here! I was in Torino for a 5-week summer program. Everywhere I went I was seeing something that was amazing and beautiful. Everyone was so supportive: local residents, workers, teachers, other travelers, the students, and the USAC staff. I learned a great deal in my classes but probably more from learning about Italy and Italian culture norms and history from touring, visiting sites, attending events, and getting involved with others in the city. I was able to tour a great deal and never stopped being in awe. Torino is one of my favorite cities in Italy.

Time abroad speaks through me in soft ways, like I’ve awakened a secret power within, which I can never lay to rest.

I light up when people ask about my time abroad. I’m humbled and astonished that so many remember my social media stories from the summer.

My Chinese friends call and we talk. I see my content resurface some days. Peers from my USAC groups and I recount memories like they were yesterday. When I talk to other friends who studied abroad, we’ve all new insights after our lives across the world.

Back in America, I’ll sometimes absentmindedly read Chinese off menus and signs that I never before I realized had Chinese characters. Even while seeing things as simple as sidewalks, I flashback to the way paths were wider in China.

The trauma of losing my mother left me still trying to piece together who I was, who people admired me for before the accident. Shanghai was my cradle, I realize when I look back at my life abroad. The ‘me’ I was in that city seeded the ‘me’ I am today. Who I was before, I still search for.

At the University, I frequent the Newman Center to rest. Catholicism and traditional Chinese conveniently share beliefs about death. Some nights, waking on the floor where my bed lies, I feel saddened I’ll never be able to tell Mother in-person about all I learned in China, not just about our family but about her. I often consider Mom’s values in my decisions and find myself still coming to terms with her. By the end of 2017, I’m ready for life’s next step. But placing my final photos into this book on my last day compiling, I realized — it's all real.

Everything I saw, everyone I met, every word I said was real, and all of those experiences are part of me now.

Who I was abroad and who I am now are the same: changed. I aspire during December 2018 to conduct my Honors thesis research in China, focused on Catholic media. Between juggling projects this semester, I’ve begun contacting people about options to consider. I may return to the subject in graduate school, possibly abroad again. I sincerely hope all who have the opportunity to go abroad to see a country of ancestry will.

Ultimately, I want to help people through this story. I want people to share the things that move them, that help them reimagine their lives for the better. I hope this especially for the memoir I write of discovering my mother through family.

One of the most special changes in my life has been my ability to relate more deeply with Chinese people, new friends and old.

Exactly one month after I reached America from the Pacific, I saw the Atlantic. On a surprise trip to Yale University for a conference the fall after China, I saw two of my favorite classmates I hadn’t been with since high school graduation. Coincidentally, both women were Chinese. My mom would have felt elated, I’m sure. They showed me their campus and took me to eat and introduced me to people as their high school friend the way that students I met in China had called me their foreign friend. I felt moved in ways I could scarcely describe. Even trips across the United States prod in me the twinge of magic I felt across the world.

I no longer look at myself as simply “Asian-American” — I’m Chinese.

It's the people as much as the location that make the experience! I used USAC for two separate trips. Cuba was unique- with a political component that is significant in current events. The history incorporated into every day life is also unique. This program is incredibly affordable and a memorable experience. I recommend staying with a host family (although they can't technically call the accommodations such). If you're picky about food, this isn't for you. Otherwise, I enjoyed the inexpensive cuisine. Try the pizza!

The town of Pau is a quaint yet modern. The French streets and centre-ville are quintessentially French and this town turned out to be the perfect place to study abroad. It is easy to travel in the surrounding area to make for a weekend adventure but having Pau as a home base facilitates being in school throughout the week and being successful in class, including consistent attendance. My program through USAC as well as a course I was taking, accommodated dates and times as well as activities and guides for weekend visits to other towns and regions. Personally, my whole undergraduate career was leading up to my study abroad experience, and I was thinking ahead of time what it would be like once I returned home and how I could use the experience abroad to affect my life after I returned home, in work and school and my general outlook on life. Study abroad affected all of these aspects in a positive way.
Something important that I didn't anticipate was that my immune system would be affected and I would get sick while I was abroad. This happened twice where I had to go to a physician but I was able to use the University medical services and the people there were very helpful and understanding and the services as well as medicine were not nearly as expensive as they would have been back home. That was a pleasant surprise, but these services were also covered through the study abroad insurance. I also found that I needed to commute to school, while it is not easy to choose where a future host family lives, it might be useful to mention that proximity to campus is a key factor in your housing preferences. Getting lost is just something that happens and will happen often, if you are someone who has a great sense of direction I would offer your services or assert yourself amongst friends and classmates! International phone plan is also absolutely necessary, especially being able to use internet without wifi (which will happen often because there is not nearly as much free wifi in France as there is in the U.S.). If you have arranged for a host family, make this a priority, this is THE best way to improve your french outside of class, and only a couple hundred dollars more than the dorms (but includes more meals in a family setting, laundry and in most cases wifi at home, a kitchen, etc.). Also know that arrangements for housing aren't all clearly laid out ahead of time, each family is particular and will generally offer more than they are expected because I found that most French families are generous. The program will make every effort to match your specific and ideal requests with the right family and do not hesitate to ask for exactly what you would like in a home stay experience.

This was my first time studying abroad and I couldn't have chosen a better program, than the program USAC offerd for La Habana, Cuba. The Director and everyone, including professors, touring guides, locals, couldn't have been sweeter. This experience was life changing. Even though we didn't have all the resources available to us so easily, it became such a humbling experience and made you appreciate everything you have back at home. The professors were super knowledgeable and tried to make the educational portion very interesting and fun. There is simply so much to see and to learn. The optional week offered is a MUST. You see so many cool places and learn about all the different regions and history. I dream every day to go back. #CubaLibre

I had the time of my life on this trip. Havana is beautiful, and there's a lot of fun things to do and see. USAC does a great job organizing fun and educational experiences, and they find relatively great housing for students. They also offer a week-long tour of the island, which is incredible and critical to the experience considering most of the country is not like Havana. There's a lot to learn about the history and culture of Cuba, and the trip will dispel many misconceptions Americans have about US-Cuban relations. The classes are really what you make of them: my experience was that the Cuban professors USAC partners with are very kind and knowledgeable, but there's a lot they won't talk about unless you ask. Havana is very safe, but because of the economic situation there be prepared to be bothered for money. Also be prepared to go without some privileges: water pressure, air conditioning, free toilet paper, use of your debit/credit card, etc. Overall an unbelievable, unique, and eye-opening experience, especially because these may be historic times for US-Cuban relations. Just about everyone on my trip wanted to go back soon.

Last year, I packed my bags in the middle of July and headed across the globe for five months to explore continental Europe and improve my French. I can whole-heartedly say that living in Pau was one of my favorite, most cherished times of my life, and here's why:

1. I lived with a French family who welcomed me into their home and city with unparalleled hospitality. I had two host sisters who would invite me to go get dinner or coffee, watch movies, or take walks around the neighborhood, and my host parents would teach me to cook traditional French recipes and help me with my language homework. Dinners with my host family were accompanied by hours and hours of French conversation. I learned so much about French culture through these dialogues (not to mention vocabulary!).

2. My French professors were incredibly helpful. Spending hours in a classroom reading, writing, and speaking French can get tiresome, but my professors were passionate about helping us improve. We often discussed French culture versus our home countries, and since my classmates were from all over the world (Angola, Columbia, South Korea, China, etc.), I learned so much about so many different cultures. I made amazing friendships with both French and international students, and it was helpful to practice my French with peers while learning about them and their home countries in the process.

3. Pau is a city unlike any other. Nestled near the Pyrénées mountain along the western coast of France, it takes less than two hours to reach either the mountains or the beach. Pau has a small-town vibe, but if you look for a night-life, you can find it. The centre-ville is quaint and filled with rich history, but it is also a technologically-advanced city, not to mention absolutely beautiful. There are always events taking place, plus tons of restaurants and shops. Anything you're looking for, you can find it in Pau!

I always knew I wanted to study in France, but was unsure how to choose the city. What I wanted most was an authentic French experience with an opportunity to speak French 24/7. Pau went above and beyond my expectations. By the end of the semester, I was able to have complete conversations with total strangers in French; my playlists were filled with French music that I had picked up from the radio, my host sisters, and other friends; I could walk all around the city without a map and know exactly where I was. Pau is the perfect town for a study abroad experience, and USAC's connections with host families and the university were second to none.

As for myself, Pau truly became a home away from home and I cannot wait to visit again.

Coming from Australia, the first thing I noticed about Shanghai (or China, in general) was the sheer amount of people. To give people a sense of scale, there are 23 million people in Australia. There are 24 million in Shanghai alone.

I live out in state park, surrounded by green trees and the constant threat of wildfires or kangaroos blocking the road. I go out into Melbourne city on the weekends but not even that prepared me for the sheer enormity of buildings and the scale of population. I did spend my first couple of weeks adjusting by making frequent trips to parks and finding as much as a green as I could. Eventually I adjusted to the concrete jungle that was Shanghai and fell in love with the city.

In terms of the university, Shanghai University Yanchang campus is located on the most popular train line, right outside of an international plaza and just next to one of the best dumpling shops I've ever been to (more on that later). The classes run by USAC were fun, exciting and always a great time to practice Chinese. I was involved in the Intermediate Language, Tai Chi, and Chinese Politics class, all of which were led by great teachers. The dorms were American style (well according to the Americans) and really well furnished.

Bringing it back to food, nothing amazed me more than how cheap food was and how great it was. In the mornings, I would get up, take a short walk down the street to a food vendor and by a Jianbing (Chinese Pancake), which would cost me a dollar and fill me up for the morning. I did this every morning after I discovered this place. For lunch, I had the opportunity to get cheap food from the local cafeteria, or just down the straight at various food places around the university. For dinner, I would often journey into the CBD (downtown) with some of the other USAC students, and we would journey to hot pot, xiao long bao, yum cha, all types of restaurants. If we were feeling a little homesick, there were western style restaurants (including an amazing New York-style pizza joint) as well as starbucks and mcdonalds everywhere.

But food wasn't the only reason I travelled around. On some weekends I made trips around Shanghai or even to another province (Hangzhou was amazing!). USAC also provided many other travel opportunities, allowing me to go to Xi'an, Xitang and Yangzhou with USAC. China has two main holiday weeks, Spring Festival and Autumn Festival. Me and one other USACer spent our Autumn festival in the province of Chengdu, famous for pandas and spicy food. Travelling around China is a worthwhile experience and there is so much more when you are outside of Shangai!

All in all, the experience was amazing. Even those who didn't speak any Chinese when they first go to China were really good when they left and as someone who knew a bit the trip really helped me improve my language and my cultural understanding. I would recommend this journey to anyone and everyone, especially anyone interested in learning Chinese.