Sol Education Abroad: Study in Oaxaca, Mexico

This trip kept the group connected to the culture and landscape with amazing and a perfect amount of excursions. They always kept me engaged with the trip and I learned so much. But there was an amazing balance of free time too. The class I took was so interesting and the perfect amount of challenge. The directors were very accommodating and nice. The price of the trip was very affordable as well.

I believe that the overall experience of Oaxaca was good. I understand that this was a school trip and that education and exposure to nursing in Oaxaca was important but I feel that going to the hospitals and doing the constant tours actually took away from my experience of the culture and over all life style of people who live in Oaxaca. I thought that Pricilla did an amazing job at exposing us to the culture and listening to our questions and giving us real life answers.My favorite part and where I think I learned the most was when volunteering at the shelter for families of those staying at the hospital. It really gave me since of what it was like to be sick or to have a sick family member in Oaxaca.

The whole experience was amazing! I learned so much on this trip and it really opened up my eyes. It has helped me appreciate everything in life. The program is really flexible which was really beneficial with our group. I think some things weren’t really organized and I felt like it got annoying at times because our group was basically the first group to do a week long trip. Positive note, the city of Oaxaca was just amazing. The people and the culture is amazing there.

I had a really great experience with Sol in Oaxaca. Learning the history of the state alongside our lectures on healthcare was very complementary, and the way they married traditional lectures with interactive experiences was very impressive, and I appreciate the ability to see many facets of both the public and private systems. The staff (Ena and Priscila) were absolutely FANTASTIC. While the program I was on was short, I would do it ago without hesitation.

Studying abroad with Sol in Oaxaca was such an amazing experience! It is a full immersion program so even over the course of 4 weeks my Spanish-speaking abilities developed immensely. All of the excursions were so fun, unique, and informative. The directors were so sweet and available all the time. They truly wanted to know who we were, not just make sure we did what we were supposed to. I had a better experience with the teachers at UABJO than I even had at my home university! If you are looking for a unique and awesome study abroad experience I highly recommend going to Oaxaca, Mexico with Sol Education!

I lived in the Center of Oaxaca so I was able to see almost all museums, coffee shops, and galleries. Met the best people in Oaxaca, I was able to be part of the community clubs as well. I loved the Oaxaca food. I liked my home and school! I enjoyed all activities and used all of my time to explore the city. I loved hanging out with the other students that were also studying abroad. I bought so many souvenirs but it must be lived! You will never regret it!

I only went for one month but learned a lot, the education provided at the university is great and very immersive and all the group excursions really do teach you about the culture of Oaxaca. You're given a lot of free time to explore the city and hang out with the other students. The high school director, Yeyo, is a good leader and really laid back, by the end of the trip everyone almost felt like family. If you have the opportunity I would defiantly recommend going.

I have studied abroad seven times during my undergraduate studies and this was the most well-organized and supportive trip in which I have ever taken part. I have so much gratitude for our incredible directors and professors. All of our excursions helped to enrich the experience here and the host families acted as both a resource and support system to facilitate the creation of a home way from home. If you want to truly gain linguistic and cultural proficiency through studying abroad, choose SOL!

I arrived in Oaxaca exausted after 2 weeks in a dirty uncomforable hostel in Puerta Vallarta. Any nervousness I had was immidately assuaged when I met Yeyo (my program director) and was driven in a van with someone else in my program to my homestay. I was flooded with excitement when I saw my homestay and met my host mom. She was so sweet and kind and showed me to a big room with a balcony that would be mine for the program. From then on I didnt have a single bad experiance in Oaxaca. Its a beautiful and facinating city and there was always plenty to do between numerous markets and rooftop bars and churches and museums. Sol took us on excursions to incredible ruins and giant markets and our director even helped us organize excursions outside of our planned ones for additional things we wanted to do. And my host mom took my roommate (who is now one of my closest friends) and I to even more amazing places on her freetime and helped us with Taxis and busses. Sol in Oaxaca was absolutely one of the most amazing trips of my life and I plan to do Sol Costa Rica, Spain, and Oaxaca again in the future.

This was my first trip out of the country, and I honestly couldn't have dreamed of a better adventure this winter. From landing in Oaxaca to taking off again, everything was fantastic. Our program director Sergio was so great, he made me feel so at home and so welcome not only in our program but in the city of Oaxaca. The food was better than I could've imagined, the class I got to take (which was one on one, by the way) was maybe the best/most fun class I've taken in my Spanish career, and the city was beautiful. I made so many great friends that will be with me for the rest of my life, and I cannot wait to return to Oaxaca someday soon and for my next adventure with Sol!

As soon as I landed at the airport, I felt the city of Oaxaca embrace me with love! I immediately met my director and we were off. As my journey continued, I met some amazing students from across the country and professors just as diverse. The automatic mesh with the entire program affiliates made me forget I stood hundreds of miles away from home. I was able to experience the Earth's breathtaking natural formations such as Hierve el Agua and Arbol de Tule to the finding of secrets from ancient ruins and civilizations such as Mitla and Monte Alban. With the exploration comes the dining, the sabor of the traditional Oaxacan dishes has left me spoiled for eternity. I can only aspire to share the tradition into my own home to remind me of my warm loving host family back in Oaxaca. Cooking classes, submersion, academic learning, exploration, loving language, colorful culture, tasteful food, detailed textiles, perfect weather and compassion amongst my group is a sum of my experience in a nutshell and yet it still doesn't give justice the fact Oaxaca has a place in my heart forever. Thank you Sol Education for this unforgettable experience.

I have studied abroad in both the Costa Rica and Oaxaca programs. I absolutely loved it both times. The host families in both places were so nice and welcoming. Their top priority is making sure you feel comfortable and welcome in their home. The immersion experience is what every Spanish student needs in order to start talking comfortably in Spanish. The professors were nice and friendly and very qualified in their fields. The excursions made the study abroad experience more like a vacation. This program is so worth the money! The memories will last a lifetime!

Well my favorite thing about Oaxaca was the people and how they were also so kind and welcoming with me. One time I was shopping in the center where there are puestos (small pop out stores) , i had just bought Alebrijes from this vender when a student from my program saw me shopping. We talked and the student was asking about a place where bathrooms are for free in the center. Well in México people pay anywhere from 2-5 pesos to use the bathroom which is like 5¢ to 25¢. I asked the vender how my friend didn't want to spend money but was looking for a feee bathroom to use. The vender then took out 5 pesos and gave it to my fellow classmate without hesitation and told him to use the bathroom. He didn't have to do that for my cheap classmet who didn't want to spend 25¢ on a bathroom. Nor did the student buy a product from him either. It was the goodness of his heart to do something kind for my classmate. I love Oaxaca! It's a magically place you don't wanna miss out on this once in a life time experience! You won't regret it! :D

I went to Oaxaca City, Mexico through Sol Abroad for two months and had a great experience. My host family was absolutely amazing. Their home was clean and my host mom was so kind, and cooked the best meals. I had my own bedroom and bathroom in the house, and a very cheap (about $1 per load) and easy laundry service maybe 5 minutes from the house. I had one roommate from another program, a 25 year old college student from Canada. I think Sol should have mentioned before the program that you may be sharing the home with a student from another program. It wasn't a problem, and I got along great with my roommate, but it was a bit weird to hear two weeks in that someone new was coming to live with us without any mention of this beforehand.

As for the school, I had two classes with only me and one other girl. The small classes were great. The teacher in the first class was okay-- she was on her phone sometimes and occasionally made errors, which was frustrating. She wasn't the most engaging teacher but she was super friendly. The other teacher was incredible-- probably the best Spanish teacher I've had. I think that most people have great experiences with the teachers, so maybe I just got a little unlucky with the first teacher. Most people seemed really happy with their classes.

Oaxaca is an amazing city, and Mexico is an amazing country. Don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. The people are friendly, the food is incredible, the culture is so unique, the Spanish language is amazing-- seriously, I could go on forever. I have been all over the world but Mexico is one of my favorite places. As long as you use your street smarts (don't walk alone at night, don't wave around a flashy camera, avoid dangerous areas, etc), Oaxaca is perfectly safe. I walked around alone and rode the bus alone and didn't feel unsafe at all. I was lucky enough to be in Oaxaca during Day of the Dead, and it was one of the most unique, weird, and amazing experiences of my life. People literally dance and eat tacos and play mariachi music in cemeteries. It's so cool.

Sol Education Abroad is set up really nicely for college students. Sol's website, however, advertises "gap year" programs, which made me think that the program would be flexible for non-university students. I paid for two intensive months, which I was lead to believe included 8 weeks of Spanish classes. After 6 weeks, however, one of the classes ended, and I was informed that I had completed all of the "classroom credit hours" for what I had paid for, and I could no longer attend classes at the school. What??? I was allowed to sit in on a class, but it was just a random history class, not a Spanish class like I had wanted. Super weird. Paid for 8 weeks, but only got 6 real weeks of Spanish classes. Felt very frustrated. Sol's website also advertises help finding volunteer opportunities. When me and another student asked about this, the program leader seemed confused and did not really know how to help, despite the website boasting tons of volunteer connections throughout the city.

Other than that, my host family was great, the program director was friendly and helpful, and all the students in the program were really nice and welcoming. Sol Education Abroad is a great program I think for college students, and for other people as well-- just make sure you ask the right questions at the beginning. Oaxaca City is incredible, and I can't recommend living abroad enough-- whether you're a university student, a gap year person like me, or just an adult looking to learn a new language.

I was honestly a bit nervous for my first experience abroad, but Oaxaca, Mexico - the people, the mountains, the vibrant color, and magical festivals radically changed my life. I learned, over the course of 3 1/2 months to appreciate the people I was surrounded by, to ask more questions, to explore with more enthusiasm, to open my mind and my heart to a new culture and language, to be silly, make mistakes, and to experience the richness of the world in a new light. Of all of the memories that I have from my time in college, my study abroad experience in Oaxaca, with SOL, stands far above the rest!