USAC Thailand: Chiang Mai-Southeast Asian Economic Studies

My semester in Chiang Mai Thailand was one of the best chapters of my life. I met so many incredible friends in the program, many of whom I still keep in touch with now. The city was perfect for living in, exploring, and travelling around. The staff from the Thai buddies to Jum, the program coordinator made it their job to make us feel at home and comfortable while also encouraging us to branch out and try new things. Between the food, friendly people, and amazing memories, this is a program I'd recommend to everyone wanting to go abroad!

USAC in Thailand gave me numerous opportunities to go out of my comfort zone, travel, learn, and make memories. I made life-long friends in the program, many of whom I continue to stay in contact with. Now that I am back in the United States, I miss the friendliness of the Thai people and the DELICIOUS cheap food. I, along with many other program participants are already trying to plan a trip back to South East Asia.

I absolutely loved my time studying abroad with USAC in Chiang Mai, Thailand! The city is wonderful (as somebody who is not a city person), very walk-able, and near to a lot of other great places to visit. The CMU USAC staff are phenomenal and planned a ton of great events to help us get to know the area and were great resources for everything. The Thai buddies program that USAC sets up is a really great way to meet Thai students and get to know the area better. The courses were not very difficult (compared to my usual STEM courses) but they were very engaging. Chiang Mai is very affordable and I always felt safe. The food is phenomenal, I miss it every day! I got my degree in geology and didn't take any major related courses while abroad, but I still had a lot of opportunities to engage with my field outside of classes. I truly cannot recommend this program enough! (I also have pics and a website if you want those! I couldn't get the form on the website to go through but I uploaded an image there)