USAC Reviews

Studying abroad in Viterbo was the best decision I could have ever made. If you are someone who is looking for the traditional Italian experience, this is the place for you. Everything about it is so authentically Italian that, at times you think it's cheesy, but then you realize that you are actually in Italy and not some American resort desperately trying to be Italian. Everything about this place like the cobble stone streets, the flower boxes on every window, the fact that hardly anyone speaks English, the outdoor market, the medieval cathedrals around every corner, the incredibly generous and welcoming locals, the USAC staff, the beautiful fountains, the always entertaining nightlife, the wine guy, the food, the hot springs and the bright red poppies that grow like weeds make it the most magical place you could ever dream of calling home for a semester. Yes, Rome and Florence are wonderful, but don't sell yourself short- if you want to live in an authentic Italian city that is relatively untouched by westernization- choose Viterbo.

Indeed, Florianoppolis is the Magic Island, I have been to many places in my life, and have never fallen in love with a country the way I did with Brazil. Waking up every morning I would feel perpetually energized to try something new and explore the island and country.

USAC did a great job of helping students in getting acclimated to the new culture in many aspects, including food, transportation, weather, habitual rituals and other small cultural differences. The group activities offered, such as the hikes, rafting, island tour and other events were also great! Not to mention additional optional classes such as surfing and Brazilian cuisine.

One complaint which seemed to come up more than a few times was housing. Many students felt unwelcome in certain homes with homestay families, they felt as though some families were only bringing them in as a source of extra income. Others not in homestays, including myself and my roommates, felt as we were paying far more than we should have been. In US dollars, the deal was good, but once students got to know the place and started to get a feel for the local real estate we quickly came to understand and feel that we were being taken advantage of in terms of the extra income we might have as American students studying abroad. Though we could still afford the inflated prices did not mean we should be paying for them. A few students even broke their leases early and found their own 'nicer' places in better locations for cheaper prices.

All-in-all USAC did a fine job with all other aspects of the study abroad experience. The professors at UFSC (the host university) were all wonderful and more than happy to teach us.

Mostly, I'm am immeasurably thankful for USAC and UFSC's introduction of the Junior Enterprise business model, something barely existent in the United States, though highly prominent in Brazil and Europe. Since my stay in Florianopolis I have been diligently working to start US' second Junior Enterprise at the College of Charleston. This all inspiring mission of mine would not have been possible if it hadn't had been for my time overseas, specifically at UFSC.

I hope this review finds itself well. If chosen to receive the travel money award initial funds will be used to fly myself up to Chicago this January where I have been invited to attend the US' first Junior Enterprise summit, looking to spread awareness of the Junior Enterprise vision and young entrepreneurship as a whole to students and others of the community. I would not be finding myself in the place I am now, both professionally and mentally if it hadn't been for my Floianopolis experience at UFSC.

I felt like I learned an immense amount while I was in the program both from daily living and interaction within the community and academically. The instructors were excellent and accommodating, always willing to work with students individually to make sure that everyone was learning. We had tests an quizzes frequently and the academics were rigorous, but not unreasonable. The community in Luneburg is amazing and I honestly had a hard time leaving.

USAC is a great program that provides step by step instructions throughout the entire process. They sent constant emails for follow up with detailed instructions. The application process was straight forward and easy to navigate. Now, on to the actual study abroad! I went to Bangalore, India to study business and government relations. The class was taught by an American professor 3-4 times a week. Class was a seminar style. The only drawback was its inconsistent timing so it was hard to make plans, but being in India itself made up for it. I learned a lot more outside the classroom than in it. I can't begin to describe what it was like so try it out yourself!

Loved waking up every morning and going to class with a teacher that is funny, caring, and most importantly patient.

After school I would ride my bike home and pick up groceries from small, inexpensive markets.

People were extremely nice and helpful and I never once encountered a bad person.

Felt very safe walking around at nights or walking around alone in general.

Great bike paths used to get around everywhere in the city.

Beautiful location with many coastal hikes and ruins to discover.

I never thought I'd learned so much from going to Pau for my study abroad program. It was interesting at first knowing that not many people there spoke English; thus, I had to really use my French to get around.

The good: The city is beautiful, and I have missed it everyday ever since I left. The people are friendly, the foods are to die for. La Maison Macaron and Georgio's became the top visited places for me and my friends. It's a small city, so getting lost wasn't really a concern. I usually stayed on Marechal Joffre and around to check out the stores. The buses will be your best friends if you don't want to walk the miles.

You have to speak French! And if you don't, you'll end up confused. I love the field trips and the activities we did outside class. My first term I had Marie-Helene as my teacher, and she had been the best teacher I'd ever had my entire life. If I go to Pau again, I'll make sure to find her.

The second term of the program we got international students coming in, and it was a blast. I ended up placed in the class with bunch of Europeans who had spoken French fluently, and I thought I was about to lose my head. But it turned out wonderful and I had learned so much.

Ryan and Pauline are the nicest, sweetest people I'd ever had as advisers. They're very helpful and they are so full of love.

The ugly: Unfortunately, the city wasn't as safe as I thought it'd be. The first week of school, someone snatched away my laptop while I was using it on campus. So the first week I ended up visiting the police station twice. They told me that they'd send me documents and information, which never came.

Internet was horrible in the dorms. I had to walk to McDo to skype and do some research. After the laptop incident on campus, I got too scared to stay on campus for too long to use the internet.

The weather was a nightmare when I got there. It rained all the time and it was difficult for us to get around without getting soaked. However, we got used to it and started enjoying it.

The bad: It was so hard to leave! I wanted to stay so badly that I made plans to just buy a house there and stay there forever with some friends. The month of sales was horrible too in a way that I couldn't help but visit the stores everyday to buy something.

What I'd have done differently:
Pack lightly. With the sales going on, I ended up throwing out some stuff to have space in my luggage.
Chain my laptop to my arm or something.
Get internet access for my dorm.
Bring more jackets and sweaters, and long pants. I know I had no problem with it, but a lot of my friends brought shorts and it was freezing at some points.
Extend my stay.

My time studying abroad was everything I had wished for, a good host family, great classes, amazing program directors, and good people. My best tip would be to live with a host family in your city and have an open mind - especially with meeting the locals.

Luneburg is a gorgeous city! For a person who is travelling out of the country for the first time or who is uneasy about being in a big city will adjust comfortably here. It is one of the few cities in Germany that remained untouched during WWII which makes this city very special. It has that cookie cutter village feel, and the people are very friendly. It is located very close to Hamburg, and with your transportation pass you can travel as often as you want as well as other Niedersachsen cities. This program offers you a German buddy to show you the ins and outs of the city/culture. I was extremely thankful to have my German buddy and to this day we still keep in touch. The time I spent in Germany has greatly improved my German because I got to practice it everyday. Twice out of the semester the program gave us long weekends, which allowed us to travel to different cities. My friends and I visited Amsterdam, Munich, Cologne and Dusseldorf. Included in the program fee is a week trip to Berlin! We had a tour guide and we got to see all the important historical sites. This had to have been one of the biggest highlights of the trip for me. There is so much to do and see in Berlin. One tip I would give to students would be to pack less, even though you think you will need a lot this is far from the truth. What you bring is what you haul. Having to haul your suitcases through the city which was paved with cobblestones was a nightmare! I wish I would have packed less. Overall this program is fantastic! The opportunity to not only see a different country but to experience the culture is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I have made friends and memories to last a lifetime. I am always reminiscing about the great times I experienced in Germany. I would highly recommend this program to any college student.

Floripa is an incredible place to study abroad. It is very safe and is populated by friendly people from all over the world. However, the best part is the location. The endless beautiful beaches, hikes, small fisher communities, soccer, surfing, extravagant clubs, low key bars, etc. The exploring lasted all semester. Everything you could ever want for an abroad experience is right there on the island. The few times I traveled to other cities, people would ask, "why are you traveling? I would kill to be in Floripa." I would only suggest going spring semester though because I got there in the summer and pretty much had a month vacation with Portuguese classes and got to settle in before school started. I also got to experience carnival. I learned a lot of things in my classes and many were hands on which allowed us sort of a VIP access to talk to locals and visit places we otherwise probably would of never known about or had access to. However, the classes were extremely long since they were cramming a whole semester into a short time and some classes only once a week. Also many professors had a strong language barrier which made things difficult. Another thing that was difficult is especially in the beginning, before I got the hang of things, people take advantage of you if you are American. For example, I would get charged more for almost anything I bought until I learned more Portuguese and learned how to bargain. It was good though because it kept me on my toes and made me more aware of my surroundings.

My experience in San Sebastian, Spain will forever hold a special place in my heart. When I arrived in mid-January, it rained for three weeks straight. With that being said, a rain coat, rain boots and an umbrella are essential to flourishing here. However, when the sun finally came out, I saw the city for everything it is - gorgeously antique buildings surrounded by picturesque beaches occupied by some of the most genuine people I have ever met. While abroad I took 14 credits of Spanish. 12 hours were with my class of 5 American students and our fantastic professor Mari Mar and the other 2 hours were from my cooking and surfing class. Because those 2 classes were taught in English and Spanish, I was able to earn credit for them at my home university. I strongly recommend taking the extra courses because they allow you to experience aspects of the Basque culture which are very important to the citizens of San Sebastian. The program director and staff were like a second family to me while I was abroad. When I lost my wallet, they helped me every step of the way to eventually recovering it from the local police station. When I had housing issues, they proactively rearranged and I ended up with an ever better housing situation. I cannot rave enough about my time spent in San Sebastian, but I can leave a quote that best describes my experience: "You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place."