Anthropology Study Abroad Programs in South America

I arrived expecting to learn about public health, but I left with a new understanding of myself, my future, and the world around me. Through SIT’s Public Health in Urban Environments program, I studied Argentina’s health system, epidemiology, and social determinants of health while experiencing firsthand how culture, community, and inequality shape health. My independent research on access to dental care in underserved communities was especially meaningful. As someone pursuing pediatric dentistry, speaking with dentists and families strengthened my desire to make oral healthcare more accessible and culturally responsive. But some of my most important lessons happened outside the classroom. Living with a host family, traveling throughout Argentina, building friendships, and navigating a new environment pushed me beyond what was comfortable and made me more independent and open-minded. Study abroad didn’t just give me memories or academic credits it changed how I see my education, my future career, and myself. As a mentor, I hope to help other students take that same leap and make their experience their own.

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.

This program was truly unforgettable. I learned more than I could ever imagine both inside and outside of the classroom. I made invaluable connections and lifelong friendships and I was supported by incredible administrative staff. I highly recommend this program for anyone who is adventurous, serious about academics, and wanting to learn more about themselves and the world.

Studying abroad in Buenos Aires was one of the best decisions I've made. I learned so much through my classes, internship, and day to day life in the city. Being able to see public health from a different perspective helped me grow both academically and personally. The program staff were incredibly supportive, my host family made me feel at home, and I made great friends along the way. Of course there were adjustments, like getting used to the late dinners and navigating a new city, but those experiences became part of what made the semester so memorable. I came home more confident, more independent, and even more excited about pursuing a career in public health. I would definitely choose this program again and recommend it to anyone looking for a meaningful study abroad experience.

This program provided me with an experience that was truly life-changing in every way I am incredibly thankful for. As cliché as it may sound, I can genuinely say that I view the world differently now. The program changed the way I interact with people, animals, nature, and the world around me. I learned so much academically, but what made the experience especially meaningful was how reciprocal and personal the teaching felt. The curriculum and teaching styles were adapted to what worked best for each individual student. You could tell that the people who managed the program put their hearts, souls, and so much of their lives into making it a meaningful experience for us. The Independent Study Project was also extremely fulfilling. We were given the tools to conduct field-based research and learned through both guidance and trial and error. That is a skill that will be useful for anything we decide to pursue in academia, whether that is future research, a senior thesis, or graduate school. Every community we visited was memorable, and every person we met left a piece of themselves with me. I still think about the conversations we had, the stories people shared, and the generosity with which they welcomed us into their communities. The homestay and cultural immersion aspects of the program were equally important for me as I learned so much about Argentine culture through the shared meals with my wonderful host family. By the end of the program, and even now as i write this, I truly feel like I found a third home in Argentina.

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.

No words can describe how incredible this program is with its passionate academic directors, incredibly planned excursions, and the welcoming host families with whom students live for the majority of the time in Ecuador. During this program, I was taught courses in Quito and took my learning every other week on a different excursion, where we did field-based work. We went on planned excursions to the Paramo Highlands, multiple parts of the Cloud Forest, the Amazon rainforest, and the Galapagos Islands. Overall, the cultural and educational experiences I had here cannot be compared to anything I had experienced in my life until coming to this incredible country with SIT.

I absolutely loved this program. I got to Argentina with pretty moderate Spanish skills, and I improved exponentially. Also, I loved living with a host family and traveling around Argentina as part of the program. Finally, the internship opportunity was incredible. I got to observe in a hospital and learned so much! The people of Argentina are so kind and welcoming and BA is a beautiful city!

I studied in Santiago with Middlebury in Chile, where I was fully immersed in urban Chilean culture while fostering lasting relationships within my program and having the freedom to explore interests, academic and professional alike. The curriculum was the best kind of challenging that pushed me to develop my personal agency, and my Spanish skills absolutely skyrocketed over the course of the semester. I absolutely loved the city of Santiago and its culture; the friendships I made with my cultural mentor, my host family, and the other Midd students were so special. Chile is truly such a welcoming and beautiful country, and I will be forever grateful for the way I was able to fully appreciate it and allow it to shape me and my worldview through immersion.

The program directors, host families, and every person we met made this experience incredible. I learned so much and felt very supported at every step. I feel like I have a leg up in life having done this program.

The experience of field-based learning and cultural immersion has left a remarkable impact on me that I will undoubtedly never forget. As a Black and queer student, I have developed so much as a person, as a student, a creative, a friend, a community member, etc. I have learned more about myself through exposure to things both familiar and unfamiliar. I am more confident sure of who I am because of this program. Additionally I've developed knowledge of human rights histories and current issues and fostered the skills to articulate effective action items accordingly.

My experience was life changing! I met some of the most amazing people I could have hoped to. My host parents were fantastic and made me feel comfortable in a very uncomfortable situation. The program was more than supportive of my queer identity and made me feel safe. I achieved functional fluency in my month-long program and made memories that will last a lifetime.

This program gave me all I could ever want in an abroad experience; my host family was so loving and welcoming, and my academic experience was unparalleled. We visited hospitals all around the country, and spoke with many types of professionals in the healthcare field. My favorite part of this program was the traveling. We took multiple week-long trips as a group, each with a different academic focus, and we also had the opportunity for solo travel. I made it to six Argentine provinces, as well as Chile and Uruguay! Our program leaders were intelligent, organized, and kind, and they worked so hard to make this an unforgettable experience.

I am so grateful that I was able to go on this study abroad because not only did it enable me to grow personally into a more confident and disciplined student but it also provided me an opportunity to conduct research and volunteer abroad. Thanks to the amazing on-site staff that set me up with the group choir, a volunteer English teaching program and research opportunities I was able to put all of those on my resume and now as a graduating senior I am a Fulbright semifinalist. Also with the research I began with Chile I was able to receive a research grant from my Univeristy to go back to Chile. I attribute all of these opportunities to the USAC program and structure. Studying abroad especially through USAC can set you up for your profession career while having an amazing time meeting new people while you're at it!

When I decided I wanted to go abroad, I was nervous about a lot of things. First off, I was scared that when I went abroad I would have to settle for a location I did not want to be in because I needed my credits to transfer over. Luckily AIFS had a program in a wonderful city with a bunch of classes that would transfer back to my home university super well. When I chose this program, I was overjoyed but nervous about living in a homestay. When I got there I was happily surprised to find that my host family was amazing and provided me with an experience I would not have been able to have if I had been in a dorm/apt. The people that I met in the program were some of the coolest people I have ever known and am happy to call them my friends to this day. If you are looking for a great program in Paris where you have the freedom to meet new people, travel, and find yourself in a new place, I would 100% recommend this to you!

SIT's Comparative Ecology program was a life changing experience that I will never forget! Due to the nature of the program, including living with host families and going on trips to different ecosystems so frequently, every second was an opportunity to learn, grow, and laugh. Each of our excursion destinations holds a very special place in my heart. From the biodiversity of hummingbirds in the Paramo to swimming with sea lions in the Galapagos, each day in Ecuador inspired me more. In addition to the time spent experiencing new cultures and biomes with a great group of new friends and our professors, I had the opportunity to complete an individual research project. With this I had the chance to live and work in the Amazon Rainforest, completing research that has implications on my current position post-grad and being lucky enough to experience life with a Quichuan family. If you're considering this program, my advice would to be to get lots of rest before you go and prepare to trust in the process of things, but to definitely do it! I love and adore this program and everything it taught me, and hope you do too!

Nous avons vécu une excellente expérience de stage grâce à l’association Mente Argentina. Ils nous ont accompagnés à chaque étape de notre projet : organisation du voyage, aide pour trouver un hôpital afin d’effectuer notre stage infirmier, et soutien tout au long de notre séjour. En plus de l’aspect professionnel, l’association a également organisé plusieurs repas dans différents restaurants de Buenos Aires, ce qui nous a permis de découvrir la culture locale et de rencontrer des habitants. Grâce à leur professionnalisme, leur disponibilité et leur bienveillance, notre expérience a été à la fois enrichissante sur le plan professionnel et humain. Nous recommandons vivement Mente Argentina à toute personne souhaitant réaliser un stage à l’étranger en toute sérénité.

I felt supported throughout the program, and it was a great way to experience Peruvian culture. The housing location and free water were extremely helpful. Key tips: bring a hat, rain jacket, and sunscreen. A constructive note: managing food allergies (like my gluten allergy due to soy sauce in some Peruvian dishes) would have been very difficult without the assistance of a Spanish-speaking, gluten-free student. Overall, a genuinely valuable travel experience.

The directors were incredibly kind and helpful, actively encouraging us to speak Spanish and immerse ourselves in the culture. They made a great effort to ensure we met Peruvian people. A key benefit was connecting with students in my major and learning about Peruvian life. I highly recommend this program for studying abroad. A tip: Go to the beach and Paracas if you get the chance! Overcoming the challenge of speaking Spanish was worth it.