Life-changing academic experience in four diverse settings

IHP is not an average study abroad program. When trying to describe my average day with IHP health and community, I realized it's nearly impossible because there was no average day. One day may have been a site visit to a traditional medicine hospital while another may have been a lecture about environmental health on a nature reserve. This is even more complicated by the fact that we spent the semester in 4 different continents! I was on track 2 so we launched from Washington D.C. and went to Vietnam, South Africa, and Argentina.

Everyday brought new challenges, surprises, and learning experiences. I chose this study abroad program because I wanted something that was academically challenging, focused on global health, which is a topic I am passionate about, and allowed me to have many new, unique experiences. This program met all of those needs. The experiential learning aspect allowed us to see global health framed in a very local context and from unique perspectives.

Despite this, there were also challenges. Throughout the semester, you are traveling with the same 25-30 people--being in this insular group can become tiring and draining. Class time is also significantly longer than at your university. "Class" time lasted from 9-5 monday-friday. Although this takes some adjusting, it is part of the reason the program is so academically-rich. Lastly, you will never feel ready to leave a country and move on to the next. One month in each place barely gives you enough time to see everything you want, much less immerse yourself in the location. If you are looking to do that, this program probably isn't for you.

Despite these challenges, I cannot recommend the program enough. My perspectives have shifted so much, and I feel much more knowledgeable about global health and medical anthropology.