SIT Study Abroad: Iceland: Climate Change and the Arctic

Iceland is amazing! I recommend this program to anyone who is looking for a unique study abroad experience full of adventure and lots of moving around (pack light!). We got to hike to waterfalls, visit volcanoes, and tour Europe's largest glacier! We also get a range of living experiences, from living with host families to hostel hopping. There is also a great opportunity to conduct independent research on the topic of your choice, which provided me not only with meaningful research experience, but a greater understanding of and appreciation for Iceland's fight against climate change.

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I learned so much about myself, about the landscape, and about how to be by myself in a new space. I loved every second of my semester, not exaggerating. Even in the seconds that I was homesick, I was also eternally grateful for the chance to be homesick at all. I miss the pastries in the city, walking through the forest in the pouring rain, the colors of the houses, the fog, the snow, the twinkle lights. I felt so supported and seen by my professors, who really want you to grow as an individual and explore new things. I miss my peers most of all. The program attracts a very independent, curious, and impressive group of kids. I felt really comfortable with all of them, and I wish nothing but the best for them now. I'm still in touch with the close friends I made there. I loved the Icelandic people, the open and honest conversations, and traveling around the country at breakneck speed, hostel-hopping, and getting to know the landscape. It feels like you're not really a tourist and not really a local, but somewhere in between. I can't wait to go back.

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I really enjoyed my time in Iceland with SIT! It's a great way to explore the country since you go everywhere, as well as integrate into the local community as you do a homestay, and the program has very good connections with Icelanders all over the country. I found the academics to be very easy, but you get to do an independent study project for the final 1/3 of the program, where you can really push yourself and do a lot of cool research anywhere in the country you'd like. Outside of class, a lot of people on the program, including myself, really enjoyed hiking and exploring wherever we were in the country, and I think the program would be best suited for people with similar interests. You are given a lot of freedom, and if you put it to good use by exploring, asking questions, and interacting with the local people, you can have a ton of fun and a transformative experience. The program also has a really good stipend that saved me a lot of money and was a big draw for me when choosing a program to study abroad with.

There are plenty of opportunities to engage with the material and tailor the rigor to what you're looking for. The program directors are wonderful, and care very much about their students. Everyone speaks very good English, but speaking Icelandic helps you to engage with the culture and talk to the locals better. There are language lessons covering the basics with this program, and the homestay portion really helps to gain immersion if you're looking to learn more of the language, and engage with the people. I gained an understanding of climate change that I didn't have the same way before--actually being in a place that has experienced great warming and extreme weather of all sorts is very different from learning about it in classes. I also gained some really close friends, colleagues, and a sense of direction for my future. There are active outdoorsy adventures as part of the field work portion of this experience, be prepared for the weather and and these are great fun as well as a rich educational experience. Also beware of the darkness in winter, stay active, stay social, and give yourself grace.

This experience was nothing short of life-changing. The nature of a program like this is to learn as much about yourself as you do the environment & climate change. Why is this? The nature of a program like this attracts independent, curious, and ambitious students who don't want a typical abroad experience, and brings them to one of the most sparsely populated and barren countries on Earth. If an experience like this sounds up your alley, it will change your life. I was heading into this abroad semester hoping to get some direction on where I wanted to focus my broad education in environmental studies, and getting exposed to so many disciplines and professionals across niches really gave me some idea of where to go. The students I studied with were wonderful, all independent like me, which was nice because we were all there for our own personal reasons, but we enjoyed each other's company and had so much fun together. On the homestays: If you are hesitant about the idea of living with a host family, I challenge you to embrace it with open arms. The Icelandic culture is so warm and humorous, and my host family filled me with so much laughter (and candy). The program director and assistant director were some of the warmest and most thoughtful educators, and I really can't say enough pleasant things about them. Overall, I learned so much during my semester abroad in Iceland and would recommend this program to anyone who is not afraid to spend some time alone with their thoughts, excited to seek out knowledge (this program requires you to be high agency to extract the most value), and ready to immerse themselves in a new and different culture. Overall 10/10.

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I had an amazing experience during my study abroad in Iceland. I felt very supported by program staff, learned so so much, and felt so lucky to be able to learn and live in Iceland. The program enables its students to take charge of their own learning and build crucial life skills along with increasing our knowledge of and passion for the study of climate change. You see the whole breathtaking country of Iceland in your four months there. It was an incredible semester.

Over the course of this program I saw just about every part of Iceland that I was able to. The program began in Reykjavik (~2 weeks), then we went northwest to Ísafjörður where we stayed with a homestay family (~4 weeks), then went on a tour of the ring road (~2 weeks), and finished off the program by conducting independent research wherever I wanted to live in the country; I chose Akureyri and Siglufjörður (~6 weeks). Yes the environment is cold, but the culture is warm and welcoming. I highly recommend this program for anyone that loves the outdoors and environment.

This program was easily the most fun I have had during my college career. While nothing is perfect, every single experience throughout the program made me a happier, more confident, and very independent student. The academics on this program were definitely less rigorous than my typical semester, but by no means did that mean I didn't learn. Whilst traveling throughout the country, I learned so much about Icelandic culture from both the program's admins and the locals in each town we visited. Additionally, I learned an incredible amount from the other students on the program. I feel that the value of a program like this is less textbook learning and more experiential learning you would be unable to experience elsewhere, which is why I am very content with the less rigorous structure of the program. My cohort was integral to my experience. I was surrounded by the most incredible group of people who were all so committed to learning and exploring Iceland as a community. We grew extremely close and I never felt there was a clique-y environment. I know the group of people is variable from program to program, but I think the nature of the program generally attracts grounded people with similar goals for their study abroad experience. Every aspect of Iceland itself was incredible. Throughout the program you really get to see the entire country (with the exception of the highlands which leaves room for a fun reason to go back and adventure more!). The local people were incredibly welcoming in every town, especially in Isafjordur. The views are unlike anything you have ever seen and the hikes are unique and challenging. It is particularly special to see the country during the winter months as outside of tourist season the country is both less crowded and more beautiful. Overall I would 100% recommend this program and if I could go back I would choose it all again.

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This program was not very rigorous but it made learning fun again. We saw so many sights in Iceland and Greenland that I had never heard of but that I would love to return to. The independent study project made me more confident in my research, presentation, and communication skills.