USAC Reviews

The program in Bangalore was a blast. Every day, something new and exciting would happen and I would be healthfully confused about what was going. If you are looking for a humbling experience, then this is definitely for you.

I stepped off the plane as an American but when I got back on I don't know what I was. The Costa Rican lifestyle had changed me within weeks, so much to make me extend from a semester to a year long program. Everyone is so happy and carefree and as you're stressing out about what homework you have to do they're there to tell you "tranquila" or "tranquilo" if you're a boy. There, the people have coffee time where you sit around with family drinking the best coffee you'll ever taste and spend time with eachother talking about your day, something that seems to be lost in U.S. Pura vida, or pure life, a common saying you'll learn in the first few days, is Costa Rica in a nutshell. And immersing yourself in a culture will be the very best thing you do for yourself. You will gain a new way of looking at or doing things, like for me I became a lot more green. In Costa Rica they hang their clothes in the sun for them to dry and open the curtsins instead of using the lights. You will want to travel and see more. You will learn how to make new foods, like Gallo pinto (which at first you may not like but don't worry, it'll grow on you). You will speak another language. You will feel like you have become one of them. Maybe you will stay a few years, like I did. And maybe just maybe when you're least expecting it you will fall in love with your host brother's best friend and marry him, like I did. Study abroad, you won't regret it.

Dahalma and Carlitos are the best program directors ever. My host family was great, but Dahalma and Carlitos were there for me whenever I needed. All classes were great! Especially cooking and dance! Naranjo's film class was a lot of fun--lots of great films. Gustavo was a great Track 4 and Novel professor. The program field trips were so much fun. Highly suggest the program trip to Nicaragua. Nicaragua was beautiful, there were so many activities included in the $600 cost, you get to hang out with Dahalma and Carlitos all week, and it was nice to travel without having to figure anything out (Dahalma and Carlitos did all of that). Highly suggest this program! I improved my Spanish and can call myself bilingual now :)

I can honestly say that the 5 months I spent in Puntarenas were some of the best months of my life. I made so many close friends so quickly, and it's great because everyone's in the same boat as you. Everyone is out of their comfort zone and everyone needs to make new friends ASAP. The social scene is great, and all the professors are very easy to work with and the school is informative.

Viterbo might be a small city with few clubs, but it is full of delicious restaurants, friendly locals, and great shops. It is close to Rome and therefore easy to travel to and from, so you can cost effectively see all of Europe. The USAC staff was very friendly and helpful, but let us have a huge amount of independence. I made the friends of a lifetime in Viterbo and I would go back in a heartbeat.

This was the best decision I've ever made. First and foremost, Viterbo itself is such a great place. We were close enough to the big cities that it was easy for us to travel, yet we were far enough away that we weren't surrounded by tourists and over-priced coffee. It's a traditional Italian town, with everything you'd expect...family owned cafes and pizza restaurants, little markets where you can buy local breads, cheeses, wines, and meats, piazzas with buzzing crowds, historic and beautiful scenery, and welcoming Italians. Viterbo is an absolutely wonderful place. And, as far as the program itself, it's FIVE stars easily. I can't imagine a better staff than the small and tight-knit team that worked with us. There were about 40 students in our program and we had 4 advisors on site that were so dedicated and worked hard to ensure that we had the best experience possible (not to mention all of our teachers that were there for us too). We became our own little family. Overall, I would DEFINITELY recommend Viterbo to anyone who is interested. I became so close with other students in my program, as well as with the locals around town. It was truly an authentic Italian experience that changed my life.

I can't even begin to explain how amazing this experience was. First and most importantly, the staff was absolutely amazing. They were helpful friendly and easy to talk to. I even had family issues and some depression for a short period and met regularly with Ibon the program director and he gave alot of great life coaching advice and helped me get through it mentally. I can not imagine a better staff.

The program offered great excursions and then also weekend activities that were completely optional but always phenomenal. And that included tradition Basque sporting event and jalai which we all got to try out after the events. The program is absolutely safe and I never heard of any problems while I was there. The city is safe, day and night. I loved riding in the metro (or subway). The people were all pleasent and had no problems.

There was a great program called TABC where US students got to teach english in local schools and get paid very well! I got around $15 per hour and I worked 5-6 hours a week. Nice little bonus that went towards traveling, and the teaching was easy. Basically they want someone to offer conversation to students. And traveling is extremely cheap once you reach europe.

So I took a 3 week trip That started in Bilbao, flew to Rome and stayed there 6 nights, then to Athens for 5 nights, and finally London for 3 nights. I traveled by myself, which offered alot of freedom. And I stayed in hostels. HOSTELS ARE NOT DANGEROUS! Look at reviews and you can avoid any sketch places. Understand its cheap travel and it won't be a pent house suite, but you meet alot of travels both from Europe, US and even South America. Wonderful people and interesting stories to be found. Rome was by far my favorite location, I did the various tours by Rome(ing) tour group. And I stayed at the Yellow hostel. Both I extremely recommend. The architecture and history is rich in Rome and I loved visiting the Vatican. Athens was an interesting experience but there isn't much to mention. London was my second favorite, but it was such a blessing. On my flight to London from Athens, I was seated next to an elderly couple. They were very kind and it was long flight by European standards. (4 hours) And so I talked with this kind gentleman about my travels and experiences. And he told me about his life and why he was visiting the area for vacation. And as we were reaching the London airport, he asked me how I planned on getting to London. I told him that I was hoping to take some type of shuttle or bus. That is when he offered to take me to London personally with his wife. I was stunned and couldn't help saying, "Are you sure?" He said of course, he could even give me a tour of London in the process. So I agreed and we drove towards London. I turned out to be an hour drive, very glad I got a ride to my hostel. So as we reach London he speaks proudly of the rich mixture of cultures and the variety of food places from Thai to Indian to Arabic. As we enter downtown, he points out various points of interest and with the cute argumentive wife, he explains the history of each location. We pass a point that to this day Im sure they don't agree on where exactly the fire of London started. Whether it was this corner or the street over hahaha, amazing. And We saw the Eye of London (giant ferris wheel) and West Minster Abbey and Tower of London and tons of famous locations. I was amazed, I knew I only had 3 days in London and I had already saw most of the touristy spots. After about 2 hours of touring, they began to apologize, they felt bad for keeping me so long and that I must want to get home. I told them that I was truly grateful and that they had no need to apologize. They proceeded to take me to my Hostel, Pride of Paddington. Also recommend this location.

This is a long review, so I will try to cover other topics briefly. I had many more adventures in London and the entire 3 week trip I spent $800 which included $300 for flights. This was during semana santa also. Thus the 3 weeks without school.

I'd also like to mention going to Barcelona for 5 days during the carnival period. I got to watch a Barcelona futbol match! AMAZING! Had second row seats, 35 euros and Lionel Messi was practically 15 feet away at one point in the game. It was amazing because the seats are so close to the pitch (field). Loved that weekend, spent a couple nights at Opium, which is a nightclub that has a seating area that is right along the beach. BEAUTIFUL!

Interesting and typical week, siesta does exist here. Many stores close around 2-4 for naps or whatever they do. Also supermarkets and stores close at 9 or 10 pm. No such thing as 24 hour supermarkets. A few exceptions but no where close. Also sundays is sabbath and everything is closed. So buy food for sunday on saturday or be hungry lol. Also there are no dryers for clothes, people hang up clothes in a patio room. Everyone lives in apartments, very few exceptions to this. Beaches are close, 5 minute walk from my apartment and short metro ride to get to others. Maybe 10-20 minutes from any beach.

Erasmus is European study abroad program and they have alot of students who have parties all the time. Also they have hangouts that are fun. Plenty of things to do in Bilbao/getxo.

If you made it this far, I hope this has helped. You have no idea how much I loved Spain. I made this review after studying abroad for a second time, but in Costa Rica. Spain program blows Costa Rica out of the water. But Costa Rica is a different culture and the natural beauty there is undescribable. Sorry for so many mispelled words.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

As new as I was to the culture of Costa Rica, I was lucky enough to have gone into the program knowing a good amount of Spanish. Communication is key in social situations, and I was extremely grateful to have had sufficient background in the language. This unique aspect completely altered my experience, specifically in regards to living with a local family, completely. I was able to communicate with my host family fairly fluidly, and with that we were able to build a strong connection. However, the USAC Program did a great job of helping students who had come to Costa Rica with no more Spanish knowledge beyond "hola". Their respective host families were understanding of their communication boundaries, and helped them learn along the way.
Although language didn't prove as much of a difficulty for me, it was challenging for me to adjust to Costa Rica's leisurely culture.With the extremely hot and humid climate of Puntarenas combined with the heaping plates of hot, greasy food in the afternoons and the three hour breaks the whole town took for almuerzo and a siesta every day, I wasn't used to relaxing so much and not being constantly busy. Naturally, I am a very active person which didn't coalesce with the tranquila vibes of Puntarenas, Costa Rica. However, I slowly adjusted to my new environment abroad and eased into my daily life as a tica which proved to be just the break that I needed.

Spending the past year in Puntareñas, Costa Rica was the most challenging and rewarding decision I have ever made. The language, the culture and most of all the people are what make this location a destination that I can not wait to get back to. The memories that came along with the exciting classes, amazing surf and unbelievable family all while doing these things with my best friends made it a dream come true. I love Costa Rica.

Puntarenas day to day was awesome! Something I loved was that we all lived near each other so we could meet up at local cafes. It was also really cool because the people in charge of local shops were really nice and helpful and I got to know them.