Participating in the Forum-Nexus Study Abroad program was a mixed experience. While it provided some great travel opportunities and decent academic options, there were significant issues that made it difficult to fully enjoy the program.
One of the most glaring problems was the lack of diversity amongst students. The overwhelming majority of participants were from the southern United States, making it feel very insular. Additionally, there was a noticeable absence of people of colour, LGBTQ+ individuals, and politically progressive students. The program had a heavy presence of conservative, highly religious individuals: some of whom expressed extreme views, including transphobia, misogyny, racism, and homophobia. The experience of being told that “the devil plants a seed in queer people” was beyond unsettling.
One program leader did make an effort to ask me how they could work on diversifying the program, which I appreciated. However, the lack of action and the continued alienation of non-conservative students made it feel like more of a token inquiry rather than a real commitment to change.
The leadership of the program was inconsistent at best. While one of the leaders was available to take walks with a student who was struggling with personal conflicts, this support felt somewhat inappropriate. Furthermore, professionalism was lacking amongst some of the leaders. Three out of the four brought their spouses along, and while one spouse contributed a useful lecture in their field of expertise, the others felt like they were enjoying a vacation on our dime. It was frustrating to see our already high program fees seemingly subsidizing their expenses.
One of the lecturers was knowledgeable and engaging, but his temperamental outburst in France, directed at students because he was frustrated with someone outside of the program, was completely unprofessional. Students deserve respect, and this kind of behaviour is unacceptable.
Additionally, while the program staff provided some assistance with logistics like sightseeing recommendations, there were moments when help felt inconsistent. For example, when a student’s laptop broke, while a program leader did attempt to fix it, no one offered to assist this student in finding a repair shop in a foreign city.
The costs associated with sightseeing were another frustration. Despite the already high program price, we had to cover all entrance fees for attractions, making the trip significantly more expensive than initially advertised.
The professional visits were hit or miss. Some were relevant and insightful, but others, like a jewelry store visit, felt completely disconnected from our studies.
Despite these frustrations, there were positives. The hotels were generally high quality, the course options were good, and the locations we visited were stunning. I managed to make a couple of close friends who became my lifeline amongst the stifling conservatism of our group. The recommendations provided for sightseeing and local attractions were also helpful.
Forum-Nexus has the potential to be a great study abroad program, but it is plagued by serious issues in leadership, professionalism, and inclusivity. If the program wants to be truly global and welcoming, it needs to diversify its student body, ensure a professional and respectful environment, and provide more transparency on costs. Until then, I would caution students, especially those who are not conservative, religious, and/or American, to think twice before enrolling.
Response from Forum-Nexus Study Abroad
Hello Yasmine. Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback about your Forum-Nexus experience. We value all perspectives as they help us continue improving our program.
We're glad you appreciated many aspects of our program, including our high-quality accommodations, academic offerings, and the beautiful destinations we visit. Your positive comments about our course options and professional recommendations are particularly meaningful to us.
Regarding student diversity, we appreciate your perspective while also wanting to share our broader experience: In our 35 years of running study abroad programs, we've proudly hosted students from more than 20 countries and every region of the United States, representing a wide spectrum of backgrounds, identities, and perspectives. This global representation remains central to our mission of fostering cross-cultural understanding, and we continue to actively welcome and celebrate students of all identities, beliefs, and origins.
We take your comments about professionalism very seriously. Our policy is that all staff interactions should enhance the educational experience. We continuously evaluate and refine our practices based on student feedback. The involvement of qualified spouse-educators has historically added value through their expertise, though we understand your perspective on this arrangement.
About program costs, we strive to be transparent about both included and optional expenses. We appreciate your feedback and are working to provide even clearer cost breakdowns in our pre-program materials.
We're constantly working to enhance our professional visits program. While we aim to expose students to various industries and perspectives, we welcome specific suggestions about the types of organizations students would find most valuable to visit.
Your experience has provided valuable insights that will help us further improve. We encourage prospective students to reach out to us directly with any questions about our program, as we're committed to ensuring every student can make an informed decision about their study abroad experience.
Thank you again for helping us grow and improve.