USAC India: Bengaluru- Culture, Society, Global Perspectives

Going to Bengaluru was an amazing time. I truly enjoyed the classes, the campus, and all of the inclusive cultural immersion that was included in my program. My program director was a great help at all times, and I truly consider him a great friend now. I wish I could have done an entire semester instead of just the summer program. It was a wonderful trip but it really felt too short!

North India is much more well-known than its southern counterpart, but I truly believe every student should experience living in Bengaluru and the beautiful South India. This is not necessarily a beginner-friendly nation to travel or live abroad in, but if you have travelled alone before or if you are looking for adventure and challenge, this is the place. India has many religions, cultures, languages, and medicinal systems sharing space and co-existing peacefully. It's colorful, full of flavor, and easy to find vegetarian or even vegan options (that actually taste amazing!). Money-wise this is the most affordable program you will find. The most expensive part will be the plane ticket over, but after that most meals are maybe 2 US dollars, and you can get any souvenirs or clothing for very very inexpensive prices if you practice bargaining like a local! Don't miss out on this chance because India seems overwhelming or intense. Instead, embrace the unknown and learn something new about yourself and India. The locals are always excited when people are in South India to genuinely experience and ask questions about the culture, so you will have so much support!

This program was packed full of classes and lots of travel to see amazing things. When it came to the living situation on campus I will say it could be improved but I’m not mad as I didn’t have to share and I got to have free time. I do wish there was more known around the campus as there were several places I wasn’t able to go much later in the trip since I didn’t know abt it. The people were one of the best parts of the trip and I felt like I was able to be myself fully.

I had a fantastic semester with USAC in Bengaluru. The program is well organized and the staff are absolutely amazing and more than willing to help you with anything. I enjoyed the classes and learned valuable and applicable information from excellent professors. The apartment accommodation was so nice and in a great area. My time in India was incredible and helped me grow as a person. India is a beautifully complex society and navigating through it challenged me to look at my life and how I want to spend it. It helped open my eyes to what I find most important. Learning about the many facets of Indian culture and society helped broaden my perspective and understanding of this world. Another plus of the program is that there is ample time to travel around India and the resident director will always give great advice. I was able to trek in the Himalayas, visit the Taj Mahal, explore ancient temples in Hampi, and chill on the beautiful beaches of Goa. India is extremely diverse and anyone can find a great adventure. Living in India you learn how to be flexible and adaptable. The culture is extremely different from the West, which makes it the perfect environment to grow personally and become aware of your cultural biases. India definitely is not the easiest place to live, but if you come with an open heart and a willingness to grow you will have the time of your life.

Living in India can be very challenging and the way you work through and perceive the challenges is what will determine what type of experience you have. If you are an applicant searching for something deeper, something that will test your problem-solving skills and independence, this is the perfect program to choose. India is incomparable to any other country or culture. It has one of the most preserved cultures in the world which helped me understand the importance of respecting the differences between humans and it challenged the judgmental and ignorant parts of me. Living in India for four months lent me the perspective of what it felt like to have all eyes on me at all times which is a feeling I'll never forget. I would highly recommend studying abroad through USAC. Their services are professional and their communication is excellent. I felt fully prepared to move. The most challenging part of my preparation was applying for my visa. It is an extremely tedious process and making one mistake can set you back. I would recommend gathering your materials far in advance for a stress-free experience. In India, you can choose from living in an apartment or living on campus. I chose the apartment and it was clean and safe, however, it was a 30 minute uber/rickshaw from campus and a 40-minute walk. My classes were excellent, challenging and helped me understand what I was seeing every day in India as well as the history and culture. Smriti and Ms. Seema are incredible advisors and they became more like family to me. Overall, I would definitely recommend studying abroad in India through USAC and even more, I would recommend staying for a full semester.

Two words. Life Changing. It had always been my dream to visit India and instead I got to live and study in this beautiful and colorful country. The program itself is amazing not only because they have the greatest Resident Director (Smriti) but also the beautiful host university, the many cultural traditions, volunteer opportunities, and temple visits. All of these things you get to do while in this program and you will be fascinated by the different smells, colors, and hundreds of cows walking on the street. India is chaotic and noisy but in the most beautiful way. I already miss it and can't wait to be back. If you are looking for a program that will excite you and bring you out of your comfort zone in the best possible way, this is the program for you. This program offers many social science and health science opportunities and teaches you the differences between Indian and American culture. Thanks to the USAC Bengaluru program and all that it offered, I am now 110% sure of my passion in life that is to work abroad (hopefully in India) with my Public Health Degree.

I spent the Summer semester 2018 in Bangalore, India with the BEST resident director, Smriti Chabra and Ms. Seema! My time in India changed my worldview forever and taught me many life lessons. I am now a much more flexible, empathetic, and curious person overall. The rich culture and warm personalities will stay with me forever. If you are looking for a program that will excite and challenge you, this is the one!!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time studying at Christ University in Bangalore, USAC's South Indian partner institution. In particular, I appreciated the freedom for adventure outside of the classroom that the program afforded me. Each 3-unit class that I took was 3 hours long which was difficult at times but reduced the number of days during the week that I had class. Because of this, I was able to take 12 Religious Studies (my major) units in one semester, with all classes landing between Wednesday and Friday. With four-day weekends throughout the semester, I was able to embark on a number of journeys that otherwise I would not have been able to take part of. In addition, I found my professors to be open to me arriving a little bit late (as I was running to class from the bus stand) so long as all my work was done. I had about two or three assignments/tests for each class, which felt stressful at times. That being said, the small number of assignments allowed me to invest much of my time on the ground in India. Bangalore is a sprawling metropolis, with a population of 10 million at the time of my travel in Spring '17. The apartment complex that the school provided for us was located in Koramangala, which was a nice district just 10 minutes by bus from Indiranagar (the main nightlife district in Bangalore). This location was key and made weekends much easier, considering that trying to get anywhere else in Bangalore would take 30+ minutes because of traffic consisting of cars, auto rickshaws, motorbikes, pedestrians, and roaming cows. The city has a thriving EDM scene so if you like dancing, you're in the right place. There's also a rich South Indian culture in Bangalore which is fascinating as well.

I traveled to Bangalore when I was 19, after my freshman year of college for one of USAC's summer sessions. I had never expected to be so impacted by a mere six weeks, but I have forever been changed and now I am more driven than ever to see the world in all of its glory. India's culture is so unlike the United States' that it basically exists on the other end of the spectrum. There is no real traffic regulations, so bikes and rickshaws cluster the streets making it nearly impossible to cross the road, vehicles merge in and out of lanes and at times, riding in the back of a rickshaw, I was a bit scarred for my life. The city streets are decorated with a hybrid of urban development and rustic roots. The side walks are unstable; dogs and cows roam the streets freely; and trash pour out from behind buildings, it lines the streets, and is nearly inescapable. With all of that said, Bangalore is one of the most charming and down to earth places I have ever traveled, and I would go back in a heartbeat if I could. I saw people in the worst conditions more grateful than just about any person I had ever met. I saw humility, I saw strength, I saw ideals that I wanted and needed to embody. I completed a service learning project in addition to my coursework while studying abroad through USAC's Bangalore program, and that experience was where I saw the face of poverty with my own eyes. At first it didn't make sense how someone, who to me appeared to have so little, could be so strong and so okay, but it really made me step back from my cultural ties to materialism and my need for endless consumption. It made me reevaluate what matters in life and helped me tear down the fallacy of the 'American Dream'. I loved my time in Bangalore and my time traveling to other cities in India because I learned so much about a different culture (which also differed from one region to the next) and it shaped my understanding of the world that wasn't based in an American context. More than anything, my experiences left a lasting imprint that have affected and still affect me and my future today.

Bangalore was a lot of fun and had a lively and young crowd. I experienced everything from temples, clubs, bars, restaurants, and local markets. The campus is very beautiful with lots of nature and cultural events. You live with American students and go to class with American students, so you really need to put yourself out there in order to be immersed in Indian culture. The apartments are in a nice location near many restaurants and bars; there is always something to do if you just walk around the block! Traveling is fairly cheap and easy to do, but the school didn't provide many days off to travel.

Going to India was a life-changing experience. The summer I spent in Bangalore was the experience of a lifetime, and it changed me as a student, as a person, and as a leader. That said, the program itself was less than perfect. The academics were less rigorous or educational than I expected, which I suppose is alright for a summer program, but some classes were downright painful to sit through. The program's scheduled trips were enjoyable, but they were mostly relaxed visits to nearby locations where we could enjoy the scenery and some shopping, not places that would showcase the beauty of India. It was traveling on our own that really made the program spectacularly for me, but in that case be ready to spent a few hundred dollars in addition to the cost of the program. On our own, we went to Mumbai and Goa, in addition to Bangalore, but with just the program we never went more than a few hours away from the city. We did visit a rural village, which was very interesting. It was difficult for us as American students to get involved on the university campus, and meeting people was possible at meal times only, since our classes were separate from everyone else's. I had an amazing time, but if I study abroad again I will not pick a USAC program.

First off, let me say, if you don't feel called to go to India, DON'T. You have a 99% chance of hating it. If, however, for some reason, there are elements of the culture, the cities, and the country that excite you or intrigue you, let go of your inhibitions and jump right in. USAC's Bangalore offers the most affordable, high-value study abroad experience I know of. The folks working in the USAC India program are excellent, though of course experience the same limitations everyone in India experiences (consistent delays, inefficiencies, unhelpful/corrupt administration, etc.). The teachers are a strange mixture - a couple really excellent ones, and a few who teach in COMPLETELY different subjects most of the time and are incredibly inexperienced when it comes to the subjects they teach to the study abroad students. If you are majoring in a social science back home, you can expect every class with USAC Bangalore to be at a MUCH lower academically-nuanced level than you would be used to, with few exceptions. Bangalore is an incredible city, full of thousands of daily sights to see, and people to meet. There's a great feeling of neighborhood friendliness that comes from living in the USAC apartments that are a decent walk away from school. There's really nothing like building up that day-to-day familiarity with everyone from the banana-seller to guy who sells shoes at a stand on the corner. I would recommend this program without any reservations to folks who are willing to remain humble and expect to break through their stereotypical and pre-existing notions of "what India is".