Program Reviews

After completing the Florence 2021 trip, I strongly urge those interested to attend. Whether experiencing the rich culture, amazing museums, or delicious foods, we got to experience life as a Florence native. Alongside classes and group activities, we had the opportunity to explore the city or relax during the generous amount of hours of free time. My favorite aspect of this trip has to be the various day trips visiting other cities. Although focused in Florence, we were able to familiarize ourselves with many other key Italian cities. Lastly, I want to thank Katherine, Derek, and all the teachers, for their commitment to keeping this program both fun and formative. I am so excited to attend another World Class Programs Trip!

From the moment I was accepted to the Florence/Italy program, I had a great feeling about my upcoming adventure. The memories and friendships I’ve made wall traveling are something I hold close to my heart! The staff are so incredibly kind, I dislike calling them staff because they more felt like friends during this trip than a authoritarian figure. I truly believe about this program changed my life especially after attending philosophy class with Derek. We took ideas, beliefs, ideologies, and what we believe or considered the good was in the world and compared it, to say the least the conversation never stops in that class!!!! Another life changing experience was attending churches and museums with the fine art and drawing teacher Katherine, we spent much of our time exploring the city to do live figure drawing and architectural landscape drawing. One of my favorite classes we did was at Santa Croce, it is famously known for the vibrant and decadent stain-glass windows; after a brief history lesson in a little studying of the stain-glass windows we successfully produced beautiful watercolor Stainglass window paintings! If you are interested in art and enjoy challenging your skills to improve them I recommend this class 100%. Safety was never in question, I never felt unsafe once in the city (Florence) because of the local guide/tuscan cuisine teacher Vieri. I can wholeheartedly say I have never met such a kind person in my life, going above and beyond every cooking class to make sure we enjoy and learn wall creating every single meal. Unfortunately I couldn’t take every single class offered by the world class team, so I was not able to take photography taught by Abby. From the moment I met her she has been so kind and fun every moment I spent with her, we mostly just screaming about all the cute dogs we saw well venturing through train station, city’s and in stores! It got to a point where if we saw a dog outside of the apartment we would send photos of it to each other!!!!! Honestly you would think 10 girls in a apartment by themselves would get in to drama or cat fights, there was never a single moment when we weren’t laughing uncontrollably about thing that crossed are way. There was never a moment I felt homesick or sad while traveling, because of the family I made here with the staff and new lifelong friends around me. In complete honesty sitting here writing my review I still can’t believe it’s been three weeks, and I did not just get of the plain yesterday. After having such a wonderful experience with World Class Program I hope to attend another one of their programs next summer!!!!

I originally signed up for the two-week program but halfway through I switched to the three-week program because I was having so much fun. I had so much fun getting to know the other people on the program, and the classes were a blast. My favorite class was art history because I learned so many random facts that I cant wait to flex on my family. My second favorite class was photography because it was a great way to see the city and get some great pictures, it was also the most fun class because I got to get to know my classmates, It didn't really feel like the class but I now know way more about my camera than I ever thought that class would teach me. My third favorite class was Tuscan Cusine, it was a very chaotic class but the payoff was worth it! we got to make some of the best food I've ever made. The weekend trips were so fun, riding bikes on the city walls of Luca truly fulfilled the sound of music dreams I didn't know I had. The staff is some of my favorite people ever, everyone made me feel safe, valued, and engaged. I would definitely recommend this program to all my friends because it was the best 3 weeks of my summer for so many reasons.

This program was great! The staff was amazing and answered any and every question I had. They had many connections which made the experience even greater. We got to see many of the tourist spots throughout Italy and more. The classes were very engaging. I took art history, and we got to go to many churches and museums. When we weren’t in classes we got to have free time in Florence to roam the city, as long as we stayed within our boundaries. Florence felt very safe and there was a lot to see. This program was excellent and was a great experience, I highly recommend it to everyone.

As the first time away from family World Class Programs made it amazing. I was able to learn so much and the teachers are great at what they do and are fun to be with. It felt like we were actually living in Itlay and not just tourists. We got to go, do and eat many different things from different places. It is super safe and you stay in small groups and learn you learn the city very well. It is the best for learning and growing as a person; it is so worth it and makes me want to go back to Italy.

From the moment I read about this program, I knew it was going to be something special. Right away, the staff/program organizers were incredibly welcoming, helpful and kind. The application process was a breeze and super low stress even until the day I left. The experience was so amazing, something way better than you would get on any family or solo trip. As a history buff it was incredible to learn about the thousand year history that Italy has to offer, and the program director and art history teacher Derek Tano teaches with such passion it makes the experience ten times better. Every staff member has an incredible love and passion for not only the country and the classes they teach but the students as well. You know that they are all in it for the experience and teaching rather than money. You truly hit every incredible spot there is to see! Overall, it is easily the best thing I have done in my high school life so far and I would truly recommend it to anyone.

One of the instructors told me to write in my review that this program made my dreams come true, and though he was joking, I would be remiss if I did not admit it to be true. This was my second year of doing an academic summer program abroad, and this by far surpassed the last program. There were only two other students on the program with me, which was unusual for them, but this made the experience all the more enjoyable. The more intimate group was completed by three instructors, two of whom were full-time and all of whom were more fun than any teachers I've had so far. They did an excellent job of walking the line of both friend and instructor so that I felt both supervised and at ease around them. Though only there for two weeks, I found that I grew a lot as a person and conquered a lot of my fears, particularly socially. My one friend on the program even commented that I was much more confident than I had been previously that week. I tend to overanticipate things and come up with far too lofty ideals and this is one of the rare occasions in which all of my expectations were actually realised. This trip was transformative for me—and yes it did make my dreams come true.

The Florence trip with World Class Programs was one of the best experiences of my life. I learned so many interesting facts and saw so many things in Florence that I never would have learned if I had not gone on this program. I think one of the best parts of the program is that we weren't just tourists in Florence- we actaully lived there for two weeks. I knew my way around and knew so many little tidbits about the city that it started to feel like a home. The staff on the program were also absoulty amazing. This had been the first time that I had traveled alone so my mom and I were a little nervous, but the staff was extremely supportive and lovely. They were so kind and approachable and always there to help. We could joke around with them and they always valued our thoughts and opinions. I really really enjoyed all of the classes, excursions and activities that we did. Each helped show me aspects of Italian Culture and futher my education on Italian art and history, and even a bit of language. I made amazing friends who I grew so close to in such a sort amount of time and I can't wait to keep seeing them even after the program ends. Even though this is very cliche, this program was eveything that I hoped for and more. I would absolutly recommend this program to any teenager who is interested in learning and having a great time. World Class Programs made all my dreams come true :)

As a 16 year old girl, this trip was my first time traveling out of the country alone. Not only did I make some great friends while abroad, but I cannot stress enough how incredible the staff was at ensuring I was having an enjoyable time. All the staff loved kids and were relatively young themselves, making it easy to develop a personal relationship with all of them. The activities were worked around what we (the students) wanted to do, which I personally loved. Having taken the fine art and drawing course, I can say I greatly improved in all aspects of my artistic abilities while also having a relaxing, pleasant time doing so. The teacher was the best and made the classes so much fun. 10/10 program, would definitely recommend this experience to anyone looking into it :)

In short, world class programs was probably the greatest decision I ever made. I learned, I had so much fun, and experienced a country as a student the way I felt was most fitting. This trip was amazing, I reccomend it to everyone.

In a longer format, if you are having second thoughts, please keep reading.

As a high schooler who wouldn't normally just ship themselves off to a country to learn and experience the world, with parents who were concerned about my safety and overall happiness and experience, and with the abundance of choice when trying to find a program that covered all my wants and needs while staying in a reasonable price range I could afford, I felt lost and just overwhelmed by what I was filtering through to find the perfect summer trip.

World Class Programs was everything I wanted, and more. The program staff were professional and genuinely cared for our wellbeing, our safety, and our experience. Not only did they make sure we had everything we needed, they also went out of their ways to make sure that we were able to do activities we were interested in or experience or learn things we were interested in. Through the trip their effort and dedication was obvious and helped to reassure us that if we needed anything (even a trip to the McDonald's to cure homesickness) they were ready and willing to do their best to get us what we were after. Even before the trip had even begun, they were attentive and were willing to talk with us face to face over video call, and chat back and forth, about any and every concern or question we had. The WCP staff truly created a safe and welcoming environment for its students. Parents - if you are unsure, trust me when I say that your children are safe in World Class Programs's hands, and they will have the time of their lives.

Our living arrangements were excellent. We had a nice comfortable and simple set up that took the stress off. The space was clean and orderly and our air conditioner was a blessed piece of machinery.

The classes were well organized and well executed. I learned so much about Japanese history and language from the staff. Not only were they well informed in our classes they were ready for any questions we had. The best part for me was that our classroom was not just a room, it was Japan. As a group we visited castles, both reconstructed and original, and explored the streets of what some would only read in a textbook. We explored and learned with very hands on techniques that helped reinforce what we were learning. When we learned Japanese language, it was never boring. We were out on the town using our language skills and learned phrases with real locals who were extraordinarily kind and helpful, in shops, and restaurants, and even just around the city. We even learned a few dialect differences between cities that were interesting and just information I would have not learned otherwise.

While the trip was academic, it did a great job of feeling like it was all fun and games. The academic to entertainment ratio was perfect. The detail and effort put into our weekend activities and trips was plain as day. We visited so many cities and even a few not listed on the webpage. As a group we shopped in the buzz of Osaka's dountonburi, experienced authentic and delicious Japanese cuisine, traveled like a local using the trains, participated in Hiroshima's emotional and beautiful peace festival to commemorate the atomic bomb drop, enjoyed the quiet and serenity of traditional Japanese gardens, we visited Nara and shared the streets with deer, saw Himeji's feudal castle and explored the grounds, visited and participated at shrines all around Japan, stayed in ryokan in the beautiful Kyoto, experienced a tea ceremony while wearing traditional Kimono, and of course spent time exploring Tokyo's streets.

I truly cannot say enough about this program. In the full three weeks I spent abroad I can honestly say that I wish that I could have stayed longer, I love japan even more now that I've experienced it through this program. The staff were amazing, and my roommates were sweet and I will miss them. By the end of the trip all of us, staff included, were one big family, without them it would not have been the same. My experience was truly, and I cannot say it enough, the best I have ever had. Literally the only bad thing about this trip, was that it eventually had to be over.

You won't regret World Class Programs. Take it from an alumni.