Program Reviews

My son attended World Programs - Japan his junior year of high school and had such an incredible experience that attending the Italy trip was not a hard choice. He enjoyed the opportunity to have a more authentic experience than visiting for a vacation. Spending weeks in the community, local shops, and adventures with the instructors were a highlight. He is determined to move aboard and a lot of this has come from his experience with this incredible team of professionals. Life changing experiences!

I had a great time in Japan! I learned a lot about the history of the country, saw many amazing sites, made awesome memories, and tried new things. I made some really good friends on this trip and always felt safe so I would recommend it for teenagers who are looking for life experience. The housing situation is great in Osaka and Tokyo and most of the time we were well fed. Meals could run late at times, but they always made sure to feed us. I recommend the history major because in that one you will take the most advantage of the country your in, sometimes even getting to see more sites than the other majors.

I highly recommend this program. The staff was amazing, and the groups were not too large. They truly cared about the students, and it was organized and planned perfectly on every detail. Not an easy feat! The main thing was that they were in a very safe environment the whole time. They truly did an amazing job of mixing learning with enjoying the culture and having fun.

It was also high quality from start to finish. The accommodations, food, and excursions were all of really good quality. The staff cared more about the students than making money from the program, for sure!

This study abroad was genuinely one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. The staff really take time to connect with the students as well as teaching them in fun and effective ways. The program was so well planned and I really feel like I made the most of my three weeks in Japan. There was such a great balance of education and fun activities. The other students on the trip were incredible, and I made friendships I’ll never forget. I loved this study abroad so much and will cherish the time I spent in Japan with World Class Programs.

This was a delightful expedition to the great and beautiful land of Japan. I was ecstatic to greet my professors and fellow peers on this adventure of a life time. In my time here I expanded my horizons greatly due to the guidance and intellect of my highly experienced and knowledgeable professional staff. I have obtained numerous memories during my travels and made many new palls along the way. It is a great tragity that this journey is at it's end, I hope to make my return in the near future. I give my complete and full appreciation to Derek and his elite samurai and master of the blade.

It was a fun trip all the people and staff on it were kind and very sociable we got to see a lot of Japan we saw three cities and my favorite was Tokyo because of all the cool building and traditional Japanese experience. In Osaka we had a lot of free time Wich was very helpful to get to see more of Japan and buy items for ourselves and friends and family. The major and minor classes where also good and they where very flexible my major was Japanese and I learned the basic kanji of the language and some of the basic words and my minor was culinary and we got to learn how to make a lot of different foods.

Singlehandedly one of the best trips I’ve ever been on. I had been anticipating this for 8 months, and safe to say it did not disappoint at all. I am insanely grateful to have experienced everything that I did on this trip. I hope to do this again next year, as it was definitely unforgettable and I miss it everyday. I’ve learned a lot from it; it has inspired me to continue studying Japanese alongside how to effectively and properly operate a camera. Very friendly group and staff, and would 100% recommend to others!!

World class programs is one of the best programs there is and I highly recommend it. Going to Japan with them is my favorite thing I have ever done! On this program I got to see some incredible places and eat really yummy food! One of my favorite places I went wile on this trip was Nara! The deer were really cute and fun. If you are considering going on this trip you should! The staff are some of the most amazing people you will ever meet. They make sure everyone has an amazing time and you will see the most amazing places!

As an adventurous and curious teenager who loves everything to do with the Renaissance, Florence Italy with World Class Programs was a dream. Florence itself feels like you're going back to the time of the Renaissance. There are masterpieces everywhere, and it's such a small and welcoming city that you can get familiar with easily. For me, it felt like home. The program itself, first of all, is not a boring and formulaic program that will remind you of school. I know I was worried about papers and homework, because honestly after a long school year, everyone needs a break from that. Yet, without being assigned a single paper through the entire program, or a single homework assignment, I learned more than an entire years' worth of a school course. The program is extremely immersive, and when learning, it's very likely you'll be standing right in front of whatever your topic is. Whether it be looking up at the David, or admiring a Medici's palace, you're learning simply by seeing and experiencing the culture of Italy, not counting the staff's instruction as well. I've also learned so much about the Italian culture, cuisine, and lifestyle, simply because I was given a taste of it for 3 weeks. And you're constantly around local Italians as well, it's not all just tourists. Almost every Italian speaks English by the way, so don't worry about that. This experience is so new if you haven't been out of the country, and so enlightening. After it, I feel everyone needs to go to Italy at least once in their lifetime. It doesn't matter if you're not interested in history or the old masters of Italian art, or even in their delicious coffee and pasta, you'll still be blown away. There's something for everyone there. World Class Programs is also extremely lenient, and balances the schedule for students to have time to explore Florence with at least one other student/staff. (And trust me, you'll make friends if you want to. I made friends with groups of people who were a lot different than me, and I'm so glad to have met every single one of them) Exploring Florence without the direction of a staff member allows for a freedom that separates this program from others. You can be independent, shop, eat gelato, or sift through souvenir shops. You'll never run out of things to do in Florence, and I barely crossed off half the things on my list. As for the staff members, they were all so sweet, and work for you to have an amazing time 24/7. All in all, this program was easily the highlight of not only my summer, but the past years as well. It is definitely adventurous, and entails a lot of walking and exploring, but at least you have a home base in Florence, and the food makes it all worth it.

I really enjoyed this program and learned a lot it is very fun with a good amount of structure from the classes the students take throughout it. I would say this is a good fit if you enjoy traveling and doing activities just be aware this takes a lot of walking and a certain amount of maturity as you will be without your parents and living in apartment style conditions for a significantly part of it. I was able to do a lot of things I would not otherwise be able to do and meat people I deeply connected with on this program.