Study Abroad in Meknes, Morocco with WorldStrides

as a student of Arabic and International Relations, I was admittedly skeptical of the quality of the program before I went abroad, having experienced a less-than-ideal study abroad the prior summer, but this program has permanently changed my life for the better. From the distinguished and loving faculty to the hard-working staff, I felt like I was not only accomplishing my goals of learning IR, Arabic, and about Morocco, but I was being taken care of. I would highly recommend doing this specific study abroad, but really any ISA program as they've gained both my love and respect.

In my month program abroad for the summer, I enjoyed every day. Although a single class is 3 hours, there is still flexibility as in having a 4 day school week. Nothing bad could be said about the program, and comfort/safety was not a concern. I really enjoyed the excursions every weekend, and how all the students would be together on the bus chatting or taking pictures of the beautiful scenery all around Morocco. There is way more to say about the program, but I can happily say I've had no regrets as I had my own freedom along with going out with other students.

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This program was incredible. The teachers were fantastic as was my host family and all of my fellow travelers. It felt like we explored every corner of Morocco, the cities, the forests, the beaches, the desert. It was so beautiful there, and the program director in Meknes was so kind and helpful. My only warning for those hoping for Arabic language immersion is that most of the people in Meknes don’t actually speak Arabic, they speak French and a local dialect.

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My time in Morocco was simply invaluable in every single way. Not only is the pre-departure process with ISA thoroughly, informative, and truly user-friendly and sufficient, but upon getting to Morocco, I soon learned why study abroad is such an important aspect of one's college experience. The program was excellent, as I took amazing classes with some of the best Moroccan professors from the local university who had first-hand knowledge of the material we studied, and I excelled in my Arabic classes, gaining a year's worth of Modern Standard Arabic in only three month's time! The excursions were eye-opening and were a blast, and the Meknes on-site team were truly like family - I miss Younes, Iman, and Oussama even now (best program guides EVER!) Cultural activities were nothing less than a blast and nothing less than educational. I'm currently looking for ways to go back! Hands-down, the most important experience in my life - my heart is in Morocco! (FYI - Best sunsets in the world!)

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My experience studying abroad in Morocco has not only allowed me to meet others with similar passions as my own, but has also enabled me to immerse myself in an unknown culture and speak with locals about issues that affect them on a daily basis. Improving my French and Arabic allowed me to make closer connections with my host family and friends, and taking religion, gender, and politics classes helped me in completing graduation requirements at my home institution.

This past summer I lived in Meknes, Morocco for 2.5 months. This city is not one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country and that made for some wonderful cultural immersion. I spent 6 weeks volunteering at an orphanage and then 6 weeks taking classes at a study center. I lived in an apartment with 5 other girls in the program and we became lifelong friends. I was also there during the World Cup and Ramadan. We lived in the more modern part of the city and would spend our evenings at the cafes watching soccer, drinking tea, and practicing our language skills with locals. Support staff showed us safe locations for nightlife and we never had an issue. Being a woman was sometimes difficult due to cat calling but if you are in a large group or walk with a male friend it almost completely disappears. We went on weekend trips almost every weekends and the support staff would help us to arrange anything that was not an included excursion.

This program was incredible. The staff at ISA was AMAZING and totally committed to making the students' experience as great as possible. Morocco is so different from anywhere in the US, which just made the experiences I had there all the more valuable. I came away with such a better idea of the "developing world," Islam, monarchy, and all of these concepts that we often understand from an American viewpoint without question. You will not regret Morocco.