USAC Reviews

My time in Bilbao was preceded by a semester in Alicante so I already kind of knew what to expect and had some expectations. The program blew away the expectations and met them all and exceeded them by a lot. Amazing city with tons of culture as it's in the Basque country, great food, fun people, and a great nightlife. Housing was located close to the beach and the metro stops for easy transportation. The USAC office and on site staff were a huge help. On site staff helped us with any questions we had and helped us get an internship if we had a high enough language level. I would definitely do this again.

There's absolutely no genuine integration through this program. They require you to volunteer but don't help you find a place to volunteer. They have a list of recommendations but their help stops there. The places they recommend often don't really need your help and you end up just feeling in the way.. or you can become one of those who indulges in "feeling useful" for a week and taking your Instagram photos for "likes". I first lived in the apartments, which are only full of international students and is right across the street of a canal full of open sewage, but two months later I requested to be moved into the college dorms. I had to put up a fight with USAC to move me into the dorms, but it was worth it. There was a curfew in the all women dorms at 9 o'clock but I didn't find that troublesome since most Indian women didn't venture out in the dark. I hated that the classes were separate from all the other university students. You are placed up in another room with only international students where the professors give you a ridiculous amount of essays... and then don't grade them. I was there for 2 semesters and in one semester I ended up writing 60 pages total for various classes. The professors also don't seem qualified or aren't really sure what to give you to do.. so the work supersedes the class. I would honestly recommend another place as well.. Bangalore is okay but there are way better places to study in India. USAC is not the program for India.. you will be overcharged for everything. I told my Indian friends how much I was being charged for the apartment and they asked if I had a full staffed kitchen, completely furnished apartment, and a private rooftop. Don't pay the prices. Travel on your own. Ultimately, DO NOT go with USAC.

I hope that my trip abroad to study in San Sebastian won't be the highlight of my life, for obvious reasons, however I honestly won't be surprised if it was. Before I left, I was actually extremely nervous because of how obnoxiously introverted I used to be. But, I decided to just go for it anyway and that was absolutely the best decision I have made so far in my life. I had such an amazing time and was able to learn tremendous amounts about myself and discovered how much more capable I am than I originally thought.

We took a weekend into Berlin for a couple days. We stayed in a really nice hostel and were close the public transportation. This weekend was so much fun. Everyday felt like we were in a new city. Berlin was so awesome and beautiful and much to offer to everyone. I loved how USAC gave us a range of things to see an experience while we there for such a short period of time. It was definitely one of my top weekends. We even went to a beautiful concert inside the Berlin Dome! An experience I will never ever forget.

After my first week in Alicante, it truly felt like home. Everything about the city was perfect. It was easy to navigate, all the restaurants were good, the people were friendly, and it was by the beach! I made some of my beach friends studying abroad that I couldn't imagine life without them. A huge part of why my experience was so positive was due to USAC. Everyone agreed that our program had the best housing locations, teachers, and advisors! They were always there with advice and for help.

My time spent in Alicante, Spain with the USAC program provider was the greatest 6 months of my life. I had no problems with safety or the apartment that I was living in. The staff were amazing at making you feel comfortable in this unknown place. They were willing to help with anything you needed (from wanting to get more involved in the Spanish culture to needing to go to the doctor). I highly recommend this amazingly beautiful beach town and USAC as your program provider.

Alicante is an excellent city to experience what Spain has to offer: warm and friendly people, great cafes and tapas bars, the Mediterranean Sea, a vibrant nightlife, a beautiful language, and many more aspects about the Spanish culture. USAC is a great platform to get more involved in the community. Luis and his staff provide great support and constantly emailing students, inviting them to different events/asking them if they want to do certain things in the community. The instruction from Lourdes was very informative and engaging. She came with fun exercises to do every day. The public transportation was great as well. The bus and the tram connected the city to everywhere you could possibly need to go. The only negative aspect about the city , was the limited flight options because of the small airport.

I studied abroad at USAC Puntarenas in 2011 and came back to the states a different person (and fluent in Spanish!). It is now 5 years later, I've graduated college, traveled the continental U.S. for a year in a converted school bus RV, and I'm now a mother to an almost 2 year old boy. I STILL think about my time in Costa Rica on a weekly or even daily basis. It was one of the most beautiful experiences and adventures I have had to date. I'm hoping to return in the next few years.
The country is beautiful, the people are welcoming and amiable, and the staff at USAC honestly could not be better. They are so supportive and the perfect security blanket for someone who may be traveling outside the U.S. for the first time and/or leaving home for an extended period of time for the first time (like I was!). If you are considering studying here, do not hesitate. You won't regret it. This was the greatest investment of time and money I put into myself in my early 20's.

I was having a difficult time because I was told most people in Torino spoke English and that really was not the case. However, I thought I could get through it until I was followed by a man who kept exposing himself to me. He attacked me on a bridge right outside school and I had to spend time with the Italian police who are very disorganized. I did everything I could after that to get away from Torino.

Ok this review is going to be very blunt and honest. I'm not going to try and sound a certain way in order to fit in and to stroke my ego like in most other reviews. First I'll talk a little about the program, then the city, and finally the people. All names in the review are fictional.

A little about the program:
I studied abroad there in 2015. Overall it was a great experience, but it could've been a bad choice if I didn't do things my own way, fortunately I did. Studying abroad anywhere is a great investment, and you will learn a lot. When I was there, USAC Floripa was pretty new so there was still a lot of things that needed worked out in their system. They had some woman as their housing coordinator who wasn't very good and caused some problems (thankfully she doesn't work there anymore). The program does a decent job of accommodating you and making you feel comfortable, but in some ways this overextension of accommodation kind of makes you feel like a child, and creates an environment where americans only communicate with americans. It's human nature, but I found it amusing how much Jane Doe and Ashley thought they were being cultural, outgoing, and independent, but in reality did 90% of things in their little nucleus of american friends and were absolutely terrified of being truly independent and assimilating into the culture. If you go, think about how you want your experience to be and do what you want; don't feel pressured to fit into the USAC clique just to fit in, because once you leave you probably won't see 95% of these people ever again. Aside from a couple of good professors, the classes were a joke and really hands on. Expect a lot of presentations and busy work, expect classes to begin at the crack of dawn, and expect to walk to class everyday or take a bus, it could take you 15 to 35 minutes depending on where you live, so be prepared to walk a lot and plan ahead for your classes, because they are all super strict on attendance.

The city:
Florianopolis is a great city. It has to be the most versatile city in Brazil; it has the amenities of a big city with the safety and beauty of a smaller city. If you like beaches, hikes, and nature in general you will love it there. Also, if you like amazing parties and beautiful people you will love it there. If you're a straight male, you will fall in love with the city, and be in heaven. The local girls are sweethearts and on average gorgeous. You will see a massive difference between the local girls and the low maintenance american girls in your program. To all guys reading this: if I could give you advice please don't get sucked into the USAC games and try to put yourself out there and meet some local women (and make some Brazilian friends OUTSIDE of USAC). Go to the parties by yourself or with a couple of other like minded buddies and just have a blast, it will literally be the funnest times of your life. As far as getting girls goes there is more opportunity in Floripa than any city in the U.S by far. At the university you will be attending, they have these HUGE parties bi-weekly that have free alcohol and tons of girls. Generally when you go out there will be more girls than guys, and on average they are all gorgeous. But, that doesn't mean that it will be easy. Along with being super beautiful the local girls are also well educated, have a lot of respect for themselves, and have close tight-nit families; they don't need some random gringo guy that is only there for a couple of months and doesn't speak their language or understand anything about their culture. Do as best as you can to learn the language and a bit about the social culture before you go so you can fit in with the locals, it will go a looooong way, and you will regret it if you don't learn some of each. Expect to be aggressive and take the lead when you go out with girls, gender roles are more polarized in Brazil; men are men and women are women. I can't tell you how many american guys in the program were way to passive with the local women and literally didn't date around the entire time they were there, this is pathetic, don't be that guy. Brazilian girls there are used to and like it when a guy takes the lead, so don't be afraid.

The locals:
I have read in numerous articles how the locals of Florianopolis are the friendliest in Brazil, in my opinion and the opinions of several other americans, this is total garbage. The majority of locals are some of the most arrogant people that you will encounter in Brazil. They are the elite of Brazil, and generally view the rest of the Brazil as being a totally different country compared to 'their south'. The majority also hate Brazil and will look at you like you are crazy for visiting their country. In general, don't expect to be treated like royalty just because you are American, and in some cases expect to get treated rudely. People here see a lot of tourists and will not hold you to a higher regard just because you are foreign. Although all of this is true, there also exists a lot of really nice down to earth people that live there, so don't let this scare you. They are arrogant by Brazil standards, which means they are still cool. Once you meet some cariocas (people from Rio) you'll see what I am talking about. I found it super interesting how much the locals despise Brazil and talk about how it's a shit hole. The locals love everything about America and american music, movies, and entertainment, but once they actually meet an American exchange student the majority of them seem a bit distant and cold at times; they treat you like you are some sort of alien that they can't relate with so there is no point in trying. In general there are two kinds of people on the island: people who are open to meeting exchange students and being friends with them, and people who for whatever reason will not give you a chance just because you are foreign, don't take it personal and find the ones who are open. Think about it like this: at your home university in the U.S, do the coolest people hangout with the foreign exchange students that they can barely even communicate with? No they don't, in fact, they will probably feel like losers if they hangout with the exchange students; people will judge them. Same concept in Brazil. USAC provides local Brazilian language exchange partners from UFSC, but the majority of them are a bit dorky. My advice: learning the language as best as you can before you come completely changes this, and opens up a whole other demographic of locals to hangout with. Do yourself an immense favor and learn as much as you can before you come, put yourself out there as much as you can, and be as social as possible.

Final verdict:

If you want to live a versatile lifestyle where you hike amazing trails, visit deserted beaches, and party at some of the best venues in the world with the hottest girls, I'd say go. For the money, USAC does a pretty decent job, but check other programs such as ISA to see if they are a fit for you. Overall the city can get a bit bland and boring by Brazil's standards for a couple of months out of the year (May-September). Since it is a small city, it can get a little bit cliquey at times (a lot of people know each other), but it shouldn't be an issue for a temporary stay. Best time to go would be spring semester, but if you go in the fall you will also have a blast. Both Fall and Spring semester have their pros and cons: Spring semester is super oversaturated with tourists, but it is when the best events are, fall semester is laid back with only locals, but it can get a little quiet on some weekends. Overall the Spring semester will be their summertime and the weather will be the nicest. Don't be a pandering little yes man like most of the kids that attend the program; do your own thing and live your own experience. Don't let Carly the chubby, boisterous American girl suck you into her awkward drama. Do as best as you can to meet your own people and do your own thing outside of USAC.