Program Reviews

Overall, my experience in the Public Health in Colombia program was great. As a Venezuelan-United Statian, I was particularly interested in experiencing my "hermano pais" of Colombia in-person. I learned a lot in the classroom and loved being able to visit locations and professionals in Bogota designated to conduct public health work for the city and nation. Red Tree Study organized wonderful afternoon activities and weekend cultural excursions, which I enjoyed very much because it allowed me to engage with the surrounding Colombian communities outside of the classroom context.

I had an excellent time studying in Bogotá with Red Tree Study. I'm Colombian myself, so I was familiar with the culture before arriving in the country, but I still had such a unique experience being able to really immerse myself in the Colombian way of life. The classes taught me a lot, providing a very broad and useful foundation for my future studies in public health. I really enjoyed the way the course was set up, because I had a good amount of free time to explore the area we stayed in (La Candelaria) in addition to the social/cultural excursions we went on. Future participants should know that it's okay to not be experienced in public health before taking part in the course! As an undergraduate student, I'm just now discovering where my passions lie in the field and the program really helped with identifying that. Overall, studying in Colombia has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience that's led to some great times with some truly amazing people!

I have travelled all over but this was the first time in Colombia. I am from Republic of Georgia in Eastern Europe and this was the closest I ever felt at home. Not only was the academic content really refreshing but so was extra activities we participated in. It was definitely a new experience that I am really glad I experienced. I would recommend that future students not only participate in already planned activities but also in recommended planned extracurricular activities.

After this program, I definitely know more about Colombia’s healthcare system than either of the two countries where I have lived (US and UK). The fact that health in Colombia is a constitutional right is very interesting to me. There are certainly challenges in guaranteeing this right, especially in isolated, rural communities.
One of my favorite aspects of this course was meeting other public health students from the US and UK. I was unsure whether mixing undergraduates and postgraduates together would work, but I think having different perspectives and range of experiences added to the course content and made it more interdisciplinary. Living and learning alongside one another for four weeks allowed us to really bond – I feel like I have known my roommates for years and we are planning to keep in touch!

I would recommend this trip to anyone, it was a unique and insightful experience. The academic content was provided by professioners at the University of Los Andes who have been very closely involved with the peace processes in Colombia. This gave the course a really personal perspective. The range of academic content covered was enormous, which made the site visits in the afternoon perfect to balance the workload and provide content to the issues we were investigating during the lectures.
The cultural trips organised were brilliant, I found the guided graffiti tour of Bogota really helped bring some of the issues we were learning about come to live. There was also a langauage exchange evening that was a great opportunity to improve my Spanish. These events really helped to get to know other people on the trip and immerse myself in Colombian culture.
The coordinators were great! Daniel and Mathias were extremely friendly and always willingly to help. Their personal experiences of Colombia also added a extra really interesting dynamic to the trip.
I really can’t say enough good things, an amazing opportunity that should not be missed!

Looking back on my time during the Peacebuilding in Colombia course evokes a great sense of accomplishment and appreciation for what I have learnt about the complexities of building peace. As the program is structured with morning lectures which provide a historical and theoretical background and afternoon field visits to governance agencies and NGOs, it was able to provide a fantastic introduction to the dynamics and challenges that Colombia will face to create a sustaining peace. The quality of teaching was top-notch and carried out by very knowledgeable academics and practitioners so it felt identical to being in a university setting but far more fun!

Personally, I was particularly impressed with how the course engages with all the major parties to the conflict including former guerrillas members from the FARC, ELN and EPN and ex-combatants from the paramilitary group AUC. I found this very interesting as I was able to learn about the different experiences of armed actors which gave me an insight into the social-psychological impact of the conflict and how it affects the day-to-day lives of people.

More generally, studying abroad has given me the opportunity to develop a new language and learn about a different culture and the many fruits it brings. One key takeaway that will stick with me is how happy, friendly and resilient Colombian people are despite the hardship many have been through. This was a truly immersive experience which I throughly recommend to anyone interesting in peacebuilding, politics and history. However, it was taught In such a way that anyone, regardless of their background, would be absolutely fine even without prior knowledge of the subject area.

My experience in Bogotá has been outstanding. The course has enabled me to understand in a much better way the Colombian conflict and the current sociopolitical situation in the country. What I like the most of this course is its balance between lectures and field visits, which gave us the opportunity to engage deeper with the topic of study of the day. We had the chance to visit places such as the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, the UN Office of Migration and the office of the UN in Colombia, moreover, we could speak to excombatants and even to members of the FARC party, so we were able to study the conflict from every point of view.

Moreover, not just the academic part of the course was great, also the social activities were so fun and enjoyable. I have been able to meet a lot of fantastic people during my stay in Colombia, and the team of Red Tree Study was always there for us if we needed anything. This is an experience that I would recommend to anyone interested in studying abroad and getting to know other countries, especially if you are interested in politics, I can assure that you won’t regret it.

This course is absolutely amazing! It covers a wide range of topics from the role of women in the conflict to the economic aspect, all taught by experts in their fields. While the lectures are intensive they are all fascinating and vital for understanding the different elements of the conflict.

The lectures were combined with site visits in the afternoons. We went to places such as the Victims Unit and JEP offices. These visits helped to shape a more rounded knowledge of the conflict as we could talk to the people directly involved in the day to day running of the peace process.

Of course, there was also the cultural aspect of the trip which included activities such as learning to play Tejo or walking around the city during the graffiti tour. They helped to balance the rigorous academic aspect and added a more social element.

Everyone at Red Tree Study was incredibly friendly and helped to make the experience ten times better. In the course, there was a wide mix of different people from all around the world, all with different academic backgrounds. This helped to make class discussions lively and engaging as everyone brought something distinctive to the table.

Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Colombia and the Peacebuilding course. I would definitely recommend the course to anyone interested. It really is a life-changing experience!

This program combines unique lectures by world-renowned professors and field excursions with special cultural and social activities. The academics allow you to learn about the history of the conflict in Colombia and the process of obtaining peace in the country. The program is extremely interdisciplinary, allowing you to learn about economics, education, women's studies, all in relation to the Colombian armed conflict. This program has undoubtedly reassured my passion for Foreign Policy and Security and Latin American studies. I recommend this program to anyone who is interested in pursuing Conflict Studies, International Relations, or Political Science.

The three week armed conflict, peace process and challenges to peacebuilding in Colombia program was intense yet gratifying. The course was split over the three weeks, based on 3 themes; the origins and transformation of the Colombian armed conflict, peace negotiation in Colombia (grasping Colombian history in the making) and challenges for peacebuilding in Colombia. The academic excursions and course content complimented each other well and provided extra support in understanding and contextualising the content in a practical environment. The program itself was taught well and advanced our theoretical, practical and social knowledge on the armed conflict as well as give us the chance to develop ourselves on a personal level, by way of introducing us to different perspectives and allowing us to converse and discuss topics with people from various different backgrounds. Moreover, studying abroad can advance our ability to diverse scenarios whilst being able to problem solve. Most importantly being able to study abroad broadens future career in addition to life opportunities.