Study African Studies Abroad

I graduated from high school a semester early, and the only way I wanted to spend my semester was by being abroad. I've known about Semester at Sea for around 6 years and I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. I searched up the requirements to be accepted and luckily fit all the requirements most importantly being 18, so immediately I applied. I then got an email back the next morning saying I got accepted into the program and that email brought me to tears in the middle of one of my classes. I couldn't wait to board the MV World Odyssey and embark on this journey of a lifetime. On the ship, I gained so much knowledge about different cultures and I was able to be fully immersed in them, not just sticking to the touristy things offered. Semester at Sea does an amazing job keeping the students' safety in country as a priority with having mandatory “Pre-Port meetings” the night before arriving in a country, and offering field programs which are ship run excursions with ship faculty leading them. The community on the ship was nothing I have ever experienced before. We were so close knit and it felt like I was truly in a connected, caring, and welcoming environment. I met the people I never imagined I'd connect with, and they ended up becoming the best connections I've ever made with people. Semester at Sea also helped me get out of my comfort zone which led me to have experiences I would have never imagined I'd have, best example being running a half marathon in Vigo, Spain even though I'm not a runner and have never been a runner. Semester at Sea has given me the world and the opportunity to appreciate it to its fullest. I left the ship with my passport full, but my heart is even fuller with people, memories, and connections I will forever cherish. Semester at Sea was truly the best experience I have ever had and would recommend it to anyone as it was life changing.

Spending five months in Paris was one of the most influential experiences I've had---Paris being the first time I have ever lived in a big city really set the bar high. I lived with a host family in the 13th arrondissement where I felt incredibly at home (with the whole city accessible through just a few metro lines) and had the opportunity to fully immerse myself in different cultures. Being able to take courses at a French institution really opened my eyes to a different country's education system, and allowed me to learn a lot while also making local friendships. Middlebury's program itself is really amazing. Having to live, study, and form relationships in a foreign language is not necessarily easy, but Midd provided tools and support needed to ensure our success. The connections that I've built, both to people and to Paris, are immeasurable.

My experience studying abroad in Molise Italy was absolutely life-changing. I learned so much about culture, made lifetime, friendships, and endless memories. Getting to experience the culture and beauty of Molise was the absolute highlight of my summer.

Molise Italian Studies responded to this reviewJuly 21, 2026

Grazie, Breanna! Colli really is beautiful and it's such a great partnership!

One of the most underrated aspect of semester at sea is the ship campus itself. Being able to live so close to your friends and just walking a few flight of stairs to your classroom and being able to sit down with your professors for lunch is such an amazing experience. It's eternal sunsets, it's endless travel stories from your friends, it's lifetime of memories. Highly recommend. One of the best decisions I made. And still day dream about this experience, still talk and travel to meet my SAS friends 4 years later.

I have not experienced anything like semester at sea before, therefore giving me a whole lot of different lenses to look at the world with. I completely enjoyed my experience and understand the importance of understanding others concerns, communication, communities, and countries. A overall wonderful experience that has changed my views as well as the way I live and who I am as a person.

The Molise Italian Studies program was a wonderful way to be immersed in the Molise region, some of the Puglia region, and Rome. By visiting some of the smaller, lesser-known areas in these regions, I got to see firsthand how people live, work, and support their communities through the activities and social work experiences. I can say I grew as a person and have a new outlook on my everyday life at home. It was evident that Italians in these regions value community and connection. I appreciated the opportunities to participate in activities at some of the agencies, such as at LAI and in Capracotta, rather than simply observing the activity. Our tour leader, Andrea, was kind, patient, organized, and knowledgeable throughout the entire trip.

Molise Italian Studies responded to this reviewJuly 05, 2026

Grazie, Maggie! We are so glad to hear this trip made such an impact on you, and we can't wait to hear about your plans moving forward!

I had an absolutely amazing time; I made so many incredible memories that I truly won't ever forget. The friendships I made were so awesome, and the opportunities to experience true culture were life-changing. Both of my professors were absolutely wonderful, and our guide was incredible. Everyone was so amazing and truly tried their best to give us the most rewarding experience possible, and they exceeded my dreams.

Molise Italian Studies responded to this reviewJuly 05, 2026

Grazie, Alex!

I had an amazing time studying abroad with Middlebury in Paris. I decided to live with a host family, and my host mother was sweet, accomodating, and helped me improve my French a lot. I lived in Paris's 13th arrondisement, in Chinatown, and the experience of living in a part of the city I might have not thought to visit if I wasn't living there was super interesting. I loved finding hidden gems around my neighborhood and the city as a whole.Taking classes at Middlebury with the other American students was a helpful anchor to my experience as I navigated a lot of new experiences -- taking classes in my second language at a local university, traveling solo for the first time, and more.

Myself and my colleague brought a group of ten university students on a trip with Molise, and we could not be happier! Our guides were knowledgeable and kind. Every single person we encountered along the way as we traveled was welcoming and gracious. So many laughs were shared amongst our students and the Italian community, and we never once felt as if we were not in steady, capable hands with the company. Upon returning home from Italy, we immediately arranged our next trip with Scott and Megan, and plan to continue this trip regularly to allow students to continue to experience all the amazing things our first group did.

Molise Italian Studies responded to this reviewJuly 05, 2026

Thank you, Jen! Looking forward to working with Wilkes again in 2027!

As a student who dreamed of going abroad for years, I never considered a trip like this would be at my fingertips. Many know that traveling abroad is a big decision because it involves location costs return of investment and with being in school of the timeline of when it’s going to happen. I decided to make my minor Hotel restaurant management sophomore year of college, but wasn’t sure of how I was still going to make my broad dream come true. Fall semester of 2024 when I was in one of my HRM studies I wondered what options there could be to study the subject abroad. That’s when I discovered the Molise Italian Studies program NAU in Italy: Economics of Gastronomy. After promptly siding up, I was introduced to a fully guided program with pre-arrival meetings that fully explained the details and necessary precautions of going abroad. Which included an itinerary of the daily activities the lessons that would be focused on and places of accommodation. All details, which transferred extremely well into the actual trip. Each lesson was fully in depth and offered different opportunities. My favorite day was probably the day we visited Di Iorio Tartufi - Italian Truffle where we learned how truffles were safely found and made into a meal. I came home with at least 5 jars!! I highly enjoyed the environment, the greenery, and absolutely the delicious assortment of truffle products. At the end of the day, this program offered me a week of excitement and verity of locations across molise. I couldn’t have asked for a better program to introduce me to the world of traveling.

Molise Italian Studies responded to this reviewJuly 05, 2026

Grazie, Cialyn! So glad to be a part of your HRM journey (& we dream of truffles too)!

My study abroad in Cordoba helped me grow, pushed my boundaries, and highlighted the parts of my life that I deeply value. I was able to view the world through different perspectives and challenge my ideas of what normal was. Finding new ways in which I fit into communities that looked different from the ones I grew up around helped me find different parts of myself. The global variety of people I was able to meet, talk with, and form deep relationships with, helped me understand myself in brand new ways. Additionally, Spain has so many different places with their own distinct cultures, histories, and communities. Being able to explore the different parts of Spain enriched my study abroad beyond my experiences in Cordoba. Studying abroad completely transformed how I will approach new people and situations in the future and fueled my desire to learn more about the cultures, languages, and people that form the world.

I had a pretty great semester at UL. I thoroughly enjoyed the classes and the professors, but also learned a lot about myself and the Irish people. I joined the Christian Union pretty early on and was welcomed into fellowship with that group. I accompanied some friends of that group into smaller towns I may not have otherwise visited and helped lead churches playing piano. I was welcomed into homes and I really felt loved. I also got to see much of the countryside and felt it easy to travel around to sight see. My time in Ireland is a time where I grew in knowing myself but also my understanding of the world. I loved learning Irish traditions, culture, and history, and I know that I could never know nearly as much by staying home.

In my time here, I learned so much about what I am capable of and what the world has to offer. This is largely due to the support of the study abroad team and resources like the writing, counseling, and health centers. I am so proud of all I have accomplished, be it in academics and the things I learned, and in stepping out of my comfort zone and exploring more about Ireland, Irish culture, and how I immerse myself in it. Thank you so much to everyone who helped make this possible for me.

Living in Paris was an expansive experience. It challenged me in a lot of ways, and helped me grow because of it. Paris is such a beautiful city, with spectacles and beautiful architecture and people and a moving, dynamic current. There's always something to do, someone to see. It’s city to get lost in and find yourself again. It’s a city designed for people, for connection, for community. If I could, I'd do it all over again. The Middlebury Program is a great way to immerse yourself. With a host family, and a balance of local and program-led classes, and a lot of independence, you are sure to find yourself getting to know a great city. I found the language support really helpful, and I was able to meet a bunch of people, either local or through the program or through different study abroad schools. I’m really grateful for the opportunity it gave me.

I participated in the Madagascar Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management program in the spring of 2022. I cannot speak highly enough about the program. My cohort consisted of a small group of 5 students with biological and environmental backgrounds. The experience, from start to finish, was a life-altering one to say the least. The Malagasy advisors and program leads were some of the kindest, most caring, and inspiring people I have ever met in my life. They are not only top-level scientists but also incredibly passionate people who are able to manage the difficulties of supporting a cohort of students in a foreign country. The program strikes a wonderful balance of doing the appropriate amount of hand-holding that is necessary to traverse a foreign environment, while still safely pushing us to navigate on our own. When I entered the program it was the tail-end of Covid restrictions. I had very little outdoor experience, had never been so far away from home and was a lost undergrad student unsure of what to do with her life. The program leads supported and pushed me to pursue things I never would have dreamed were possible, and right into my current career. I fell in love with science and Madagascar, and now 4 years later I am still pursuing my passions in both. I cannot emphasize enough how important this program is. If you have any inkling that this program could be right for you, I heavily encourage you to apply. Madagascar is a spectacular country and through this program you will have the honor of discovering it through some of the most qualified and interesting people possible.

It was honestly the best experience it could have been - Great organization of the study abroad program, easy module selection, broad offer of modules, fun and regular campus activities, a bunch of reserved housing spaces for international students (be fast though) and a great study abroad team that helps with all your worries! I made so many good friends and enjoyed the spring semester immensely. 10/10 would recommend. the only negative part is that Ireland is a pretty expensive country as it is... UL offers a lot of cheaper food options though, that helped!

This program was amazing, and gave me the chance to see many facets of science and life in Madagascar. My host family was lovely, and they had a bunch of really interesting lecturers, from professors, to NGO heads, to government officials, who covered topics ranging from environmental law to terrestrial and marine biology. You get to travel with the program to the Eastern humid forest and down South to the coast to see really diverse landscapes and ecology. The Malagasy course and my host family got me speaking enough Malagasy to do an internship after the program. Everyone in the program was wonderful especially the Professors, Ando and Alida, and my fellow students. If you are interested, I can't recommend it enough!

Studying abroad was more than travel, it was learning how to exist between languages, cultures, and systems of power. Coming from a background shaped by migration, the experience felt deeply personal. Walking through new cities, I began to notice not only differences in culture, but in how societies are organized, who has access, and how opportunity is distributed. It made me reflect on policy beyond textbooks—how decisions made in offices translate into real lives, real barriers, and real possibilities. I saw how history, governance, and identity intersect in everyday spaces, from public institutions to conversations with people from different backgrounds. There were moments of uncertainty, of not fully belonging, but also moments of clarity where I understood that navigating these spaces is itself a form of political awareness. I didn’t just learn about the world, I learned how to read it, question it, and imagine how it could be better. This experience didn’t just expand my perspective it gave me a deeper sense of purpose. It reminded me why I chose to study political science, and why I want to be part of the conversations and decisions that shape our global future. https://www.instagram.com/huerta_mmx/

The program staff and directors made this experience truly wonderful, as well as the incredible beauty and welcomeness of Madagascar and its people. This program is best for students interested in getting outdoors, exploring nature, and unafraid of getting their boots muddy. French language skills are also very useful - even if just basic enough to navigate the market. Our Malagasy language classes were a highlight, as well as excursions to various national parks with Ando and Alida! The fresh fruit in the country is fantastic, but don’t try to order a burger (Malagasy food in Madagascar is good, but American food in Madagascar is not as good). Get to know Tana - there’s so many cool places you can walk within the city. And try to get out to Lake Itasy - where there’s beautiful beaches and villas that (with our USD) are reasonably priced. Finally, get to know your host family. They are such an incredible group of people, and I feel like I learned so much from my homestay experience. They were so interested in getting to know me, in helping me to know Madagascar, and in just hanging out or having tea anytime! If this program is right for your academic interests, I highly recommend going to SIT Madagascar! There’s really no opportunity like this to see and experience one of the most biodiverse and beautiful places on earth.

Studying Coastal Ecology and Natural Resource Management with SIT was the best decision I could have made when looking at abroad programs. This program cares about each and every one of its students and introduces you to the most exquisite places, people, and animals. Getting to stay with a homestay family was an amazing opportunity for language immersion and creating that close-knit family bond in your home away from home. This program has incredible staff, my cohort became our own little family by the end of the semester, and you'll never forget the beautiful places you visit while being here. I cannot recommend this program more; I would do it all again in a heartbeat. A piece of my heart will always be in Zanzibar!