Science Study Abroad Programs in Ecuador

The IES staff, my host mom, and my professor were all so lovely, caring, and attentive to me during time abroad. When I got sick one weekend, my program advisor replied to my messages immediately and was constantly asking what he could do to help. My host mom was also so caring during that time - it felt like being with my mom whenever I'm sick at home. I always felt that there was a lot of help + support if I had any issues. The IES staff was very welcoming and provided us with plenty of information and opportunities to feel immersed in the culture. Additionally, the opportunity to enroll directly at USFQ was great for both improving my Spanish and also being able to pursue courses in topics that were more unique to Ecuador, such as Ecuadorian Archaeology or Anthropology of the (Ecuadorian) Coast. Everybody was so nice and the food was delicious - I still miss hornados and bolones de verde. Studying abroad was a very formative experience for me and I'll always have an affection for Ecuador because of my time there. It's definitely something I'll remember for the rest of my life. The ability to live completely in Spanish was essential to improving my Spanish to basically fluent and giving me confidence in my language skills. The excursions also allowed me to see places I never would have otherwise thought much about visiting. For instance, in my Andean anthropology class, we had the opportunity to visit Oyacachi, a small indigenous village, where we saw a beautiful waterfall and thermal springs. We also got to learn about reciprocity as it works in the town, as all property in the town was communal. The Galapagos was also one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. My entire 4 and a half months would have been worth it only to have visited there. I would 100% recommend the program to other students.

While this study abroad was short, it was full of amazing opportunities and we were always doing fun things. I would recommend this study abroad to anyone looking for an opportunity outside of their university. Very organized and great people!

Studying Abroad in Ecuador and San Cristobal Island was a wonderful experience that I will never forget! This was the trip of a lifetime with amazing people, culture, and excursions. The AIFS staff did a great job organizing the program before we left and while we were there. I highly recommend this program to anyone looking for an experience that is rich in culture through living in a homestay and someone who loves to learn by exploring what is beyond the classroom.

I had a lovely time here, although it was not without flaws. The amenities were not great especially considering how much we paid to be here. The company guilt tripped and body shamed us. But I made innumerable new friends and had experiences that I will cherish forever.

Very nice experience, learned a lot. People I’ve met here are now friends I will still be in contact with. The internship was where I learned new skills and networked with people within the fashion industry and got inspired by being here abroad

The program provided field trips with everything included such as meals and equipment. We went snorkeling with sea turtles, sharks, sea lions, and other marine biodiversity. My host family was welcoming and they shared their stories of living in the Galapagos. They treated me like family. The meals were great. We ate a lot of rice and by the end of the program we loved rice. Our class was about the biodiversity, history, and current issues that the Galapagos islands is facing. Our professor and tourist guides were helpful and made the program fun and educational. My favorite memories were learning to snorkel, swimming with sharks, and watching the sunset at the end of class or a field trip since the beach is right in front of the campus. After we left the Galapagos islands, we went back to Quito and we had a last field trip to a market to buy souvenirs. We ended the program by having dinner at a 5 star restaurant in Quito. This experience was exciting and made me more independent and open-minded. I have learned to appreciate other cultures and become more comfortable traveling to other countries. If you are thinking on going to the Galapagos do it. It is worth it and you will never want to leave this place. It is unique in the entire world. The program will provide you with all the help necessary and they will always answers your questions and address your concerns.

Everyone needs to go abroad. It is awesome experiencing so many cultures. Professors while abroad are very helpful and care about their students. I really enjoyed getting to know my professors and learning not only class content but also from their real life experiences. Traveling on the weekends was obviously my favorite part of this experience. I was able to visit a bunch of different countries. Wish I could stay longer.

By getting outside of my comfort zone as much as possible, I was able to experience parts of the world while figuring out new things about myself! Staying in a home stay is completely worth it because you get to practice your Spanish and meet incredibly interesting locals!

Living in Spain was such a great experience! From the food to culture and things to do, Spain has it all. I´m definitely going to miss my time here and all the great people I met. Studying abroad helped me grow so much as a person, and I won´t ever forget this experience.

This experience allowed me to reflect on the type of person I am, what I like and what I do not like, and really step out of my comfort zone. Studying abroad has allowed me to develop critical values that are important for everyday life. I have always believed that one of the best ways to erase ignorance is by traveling and my experience here has proved that.

No matter what academic background you may come from, whether it be Marine Science or Political Science, studying in Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands is a must! From the perspective of a biologist, I believe that the Galápagos Islands are the best place in the world to observe evidence of evolution by natural selection, a key part of numerous science disciplines and the basis of life in general. As a student in the Marine Ecology academic track, I participated in research conducted off the coast of mainland Ecuador, as well as in the waters of the Galápagos Marine Reserve and in the labs at the Galápagos Science Center on the island of San Cristóbal. After spending the first month of the program with my wonderful host mom in Cumbayá, San Cristóbal became my home for the next three months of my time abroad. I immediately felt at home with my host families and experienced a perfect balance of having them there for me as a support system but having the independence to explore on my own as well. I spent countless hours traveling around the island and enjoying all it has to offer; a typical day began with a hearty breakfast prepared by my host mom, followed by a beautiful walk to the university, which is located right across the street from a popular beach. After spending the morning in class, my friends and I would venture to the downtown “malecón” area for a bite to eat and then spend the rest of the day working on assignments at the university, spending time at the beach, or snorkeling at a beautiful nearby cove filled with several species of fish, numerous sea turtles, sea lions, marine iguanas and countless other marine organisms. My friends and I befriended many locals, and between sharing meals with them in addition to those spent with my host family, my conversational Spanish improved immensely and I now feel very confident in using my language skill back home. The culture of the island is incredibly rich for its size; there were events sponsored by the national park service and by the local government almost every week. These provided excellent opportunities to experience true “island life” and become a part of the environment and culture in Ecuador. It was incredibly hard for me to leave my new home as the semester came to a close, but I hope more than anything that I will be able to return in the future!

I truly can't recommend this program enough. As a double major in Latin American Studies and Environmental Policy, a chance to study environmental science while immersed in the vibrant, diverse culture of Ecuador was pretty much the perfect study abroad experience for me. Not only was I able to take interesting classes with knowledgeable professors from a wide range of backgrounds, I got to visit the largest Indigenous market in South America (Otavalo), spend a weekend in Cotopaxi National Park and hike to an altitude of 16,000 fasl, study and explore at the remote Tiputini Biodiversity Research Station in the Amazon rain forest, and spend three weeks in the Galapagos Islands. Not to mention the dear friends I got to study with, the host families who took care of me and treated me as a part of the family, and all of the day to day adventures that are par for the course when you spend an extended amount of time abroad. I am incredibly grateful for this program, and it has been one of the highlights of my life thus far. I can't recommend this program enough, or any of the other IES Abroad programs all over the world.

Going to Quito, Ecuador was a complete cultural immersion. Through IES, I took classes at the program center and at the local university, USFQ. All the while, I lived with an incredible host family whom I learned a lot from. Never did I ever think that my Spanish would improve so much after spending 4.5 months in Ecuador, but it sure did. I also traveled almost every weekend throughout Ecuador. One weekend my friends and I would be hiking an active volcano in the pouring hail and the next we were sunbathing on the coast. We had the amazing opportunities of visiting the Galapagos Islands and Amazon Rainforest, two of the most amazing places I have been to date. If you're seeking adventure, a cultural and linguistic immersion, and a step outside a comfort zone; Ecuador is the place for you.

I had a great time with AIFS. I was able to travel all over Europe and meet many new friends. I would not really change anything other than I wish it could be longer. I liked how easy it was to get in contact with the AIFS office to solve any problems I might have had. Classes here were not as hard as back home but I found myself learning more and enjoying the work I was doing.

This semester truly changed my life in a positive way. It changed the way I look at the world, other people and cultures, daily life, and even myself. I would highly recommend to everyone thinking about it!

I had an absolutely amazing experience during my semester abroad in Quito. It was such a wonderful opportunity to meet a diverse group of people from all walks of life, from Ecuador and as well as many other parts of the world. Through the IES Abroad field trips to the Amazon region and the Galapagos Islands, as well as weekend trips with my travel buddies to more local destinations like Baños and Quilatoa, I had the opportunity to see and do and live so many things I never would have been able to otherwise, like snorkeling face-to-face with sea lions in the Galapagos or climbing to the refugio on Cotopaxi, one of the tallest volcanoes in Ecuador (I actually thought that I might die on this trip, but I would still highly recommend the adventure, if just for the satisfaction of the accomplishment!). The community I became a part of was wonderfully supportive, from my host family to the IES staff, my professors, and the staff at my internship placement. The IES professors teach at the local university where you can take direct-enrollment classes, of which I would definitely recommend trying at least one, and they were all some of the best professors I've had. I already miss Quito and everyone I met so much, and I hope to go back and visit soon!

My semester with IES was a great experience. At the beginning there were a few field trips which helped in getting to know the area. After the first few weeks though there were only a few intermittent program activities and two optional trips. I really liked this, the program provided the necessary support, along with a lot of freedom to make the experience what I wanted to make it. The IES abroad advisors and directors were extremely helpful before leaving with setting up classes. I also liked that IES helped me find a volunteer opportunity.

This was an amazing experience. Opened my eyes to a lot. It was a beautiful place and great experience. I would do it all over again. Made me appreciate life more and the earth more. I loved being around all the animals and all of the excursions we got to do.

The premise of studying abroad anywhere is fulfilling your credits and making time to travel the world. Going to Ecuador and the Galapagos was a very memorable, fun, enjoyable, and amazing travel experience. Traveling the globe is all about learning the history, culture, and life of the countries you go to. I took a three credit course on Ecosystems and Biodiversity at USFQ Universidad San Francisco de Quito at the extension campus on San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos. During my time in the Galapagos, I went snorkeling, hiking, and swimming. When I was in Quito, I went to a pottery museum and a wildlife museum where I got to reach the equator of our planet. Travel experiences are the snapshots of life with good and bad moments. Now that I have been to 25 countries, I plan to travel as much as I can and surpass my dad's all time travel records.

Going into to my trip I really did not know what to expect. I tried to go in to it with a very open mind because I knew that I was going to be doing things that I have never experienced before. Once we got to the islands it really wasn't what I thought it was going to be. When I think of warm weather and islands I think of sky high hotels and little shops everywhere. When we were driving from the airport to the university it was very different than I thought. It was a lot of locally own shops and houses. The university was awesome with a beach right across the street. To food was very different it was a lot of chicken rice and then also fish and rice. You just have to be open when the food is put in front of you and not think about what you are eating. If you don't like something that you host family feeds you, make sure that you tell them because then they wont make it again. I really enjoyed all of the food that my host family made and didn't have any problems with it. The water CANNOT be drank on the island, the people who live on the island don't drink it either. Just make sure when you fill up your water that you don't use the sink. The homestays were fun but also very different. In my experience I was placed into a homestay that did not speak any English, I put on my sheet that I needed them to speak English because I took French and I do not know any Spanish, thank goodness that I was able to talk to sarah and get a new homestay who could speak English. So what I learned from this is that if you are not comfortable in your homestay and have something wrong with and then say something right away because it can be fixed. You are not going to want to live somewhere that is uncomfortable for the 9 days that you will be with them. Another thing that I learned from the homestays is that you should maybe learn a little Spanish before you leave because it will be very helpful. Also download a Spanish English app, it will help you with speaking with your family!