Spring Study Abroad Programs in United States

Oaxaca clarified my ambitions for the future, made me reflect on my interpersonal relationships because of the depth of kindness that I found in complete strangers, introduced me to lifelong friends and some of the funniest and most dedicated people I've ever met, taught me about what community efforts can humbly accomplish, and brought back a piece of myself that was lost in a lot of rush and struggle that this new pace of life and focus on more pressing issues washed out. The SIT program coordinators and the excursions we took were highlights of the program.

One key blessing I received from the contemplative semester, beyond the tools and insights and practices, is a handful of spiritual friendships that showed me how supportive a relationship could be. Now, I feel the unconditional love from these people no matter how far apart we are, and it has organically strengthened my resolve to make decisions according to what truly feels right, wise, and compassionate, even when it doesn't feel like the safer path to follow.

My anxiety about where I am in life, the decisions I need to make, and where I should be has lessened as CS helped me spend more time in the present. I hope to continue developing this mindset I learned on CS moving forward and to remind myself that it's okay for things to be as they are right now.

This has been the best experience and place to learn more about myself than anywhere else. Anyone able to get this much direct exposure to meditation and this kind of community for this long is extremely fortunate

Sometimes when I feel that I want to take things slowly or do something my own way, I find myself fearing judgement of others. When this happens, I remember the other CS people, and it helps remind me that it is okay to live my own way. I met people on CS with whom I felt an incredible sense of warmth and belonging. We created deep bonds with each other built on trust, deep listening, kindness, and shared meditation practice. That is a very strong foundation for relationships, and creates the sense of belonging.

I have never seen so many people change so drastically in such a short amount of time. In three months being at CS, the shift to confident adn happy and outgoing was insnae to watch happen. And I've watched it happen in myself.

If you are even considering Oaxaca and it falls in your area of interests (or not specifically, but does grab your attention)I would highly recommend! One of the first things you are told is to be open with each other because you will build life long connections, which couldn't be more true. You will experience a great deal of culture and heavy topics that will bond you closer with each other as you all learn how to navigate being abroad, being immersed in immigration, local indigenous communities, and transnational communities in excursions. Outside of classes, you'll have amazing meals with your families and families of you friends, which adds so much to the experience as you meet their families and they let you into their culture. While the topic of immigration is very heavy and a difficult topic to prepare someone who has never witnessed the situations of the borders, the teachers and speakers do a great job of preparing us for what we are going to see and how we may feel. Most importantly, you are not alone in any of the experience while in Oaxaca.

Overall, I enjoyed the program. There were various opportunities to interact with locals and practice Spanish outside of a classroom setting. The various excursions are the best aspect of the program as they were well organized, in various locations, and offer insight into the topic of immigration, local indigenous communities, and transnational communities. The host program offered engaging classes and the staff were very kind and accessible. The host family living arrangements were safe and comfortable. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience that gave me the opportunity to learn more about a topic that interests me. I would recommend it!

My journey at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) was short but transformative. During my time at UCI, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated remote learning, providing me with the opportunity to meet students from around the world who couldn't attend the program in person due to travel restrictions. As a current resident of Irvine, I had many opportunities to visit the campus and meet many staff members and instructors in person. The academic environment at UCI is supportive. The instructors are not only experts in their fields but also approachable and willing to help students. As an MBA (marketing major), the Accelerated Certificate Program in Digital marketing and Communications and International Business and Operations Management helped me advance my knowledge in marketing. While my overall experience was positive, the curriculum was a combination of theory and practical experiences in the form of case studies. There are many clubs and student support groups on campus that you can be part of while residence. It was a well-rounded experience.

America and my country is a literally different country and each country has different culture and life style. I learned a lot of differentiation between America and Korea. In addition, I could feel my perspective of understanding differentiation is grown up. What a nice experience!

Great study environment and living area for those studying abroad or living alone for the first time. Instructors are friendly and share many of their experiences with us. Additionally, you gain different insights from both your instructors and classmates.

University of California, Irvine responded to this reviewMay 16, 2024

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience, Yi Hsuan. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your time with us and are always here to welcome you back!

Like Zach, I was initially signed up to go to Mongolia with Round River and only ended up going to the Sky Islands because of Covid. I won't lie, I was apprehensive at first about living in Arizona in the summer and a little disappointed to be studying "abroad" in the US instead of Mongolia. Luckily, it turned out to be one of the most special summers of my life and I'm so glad I chose to go! The image I had in my head of Arizona was a SpongeBobesque wasteland; instead, it was an incredibly beautiful and diverse patchwork of mountains, valleys, and streams. Each Sky Island mountain range that we worked in was covered in Ponderosa forest and the desert valleys in between were like nothing I'd ever seen before. We also got to see everything turn green over the course of the monsoon season from July to August. For academics, we had some readings and homework to do, but most of the work was field-based. We mostly worked with Round River's community partner Sky Island Alliance- the biggest projects were monitoring springs in the mountains, doing riverbank restoration in a canyon, and helping with the US-Mexico border wildlife survey. The border, and its implications for wildlife (and people), is a huge factor in conservation in the Southwest. We talk about socio-ecological systems in my classes at UVM all the time, but there is nothing like actually experiencing and working in that landscape to help you understand the problems faced in this field. It was really cool to get to work with Round River's community partners and know that the research you are doing is solicited by the people who live and work there. A nice part about the Sky Island program specifically is that you get to make connections with people in the conservation world in the US! (I was even able to go back to Arizona this summer to do research with one of the people I met through being on Round River a year before!).

Studying abroad was an experience full of uncertainties and firsts for me as someone who hadn't previously had the privilege of traveling internationally and intentionally. I could not have picked a better and more fitting program for me than the SIT IHP Health and Community program that ran course in India, South Africa, and Jordan during the Spring of 2022. The supports we had available to us students were well-thought out and ready for use. When issues came up, we were able to discuss them either with ourselves or our staff. Having homestays in India and Jordan allowed me to have deeper connections with the community and cultures that we were engaging with, which I still foster today. Our group culture was to strive for our best in our assignments, learning, discussions, and immersive experiences outside of the traditional classroom since the world is the true classroom. Every day of the program provided another lesson, another moment of growth, and another moment of connection with people who are gracious enough to provide us with their knowledge and care. My life has not been the same since study abroad and I am beyond grateful for the challenging and wonderful experience I had with people who are passionate about enhancing their worldview through meaningful action and community-building.

After getting accepted into the Round River program going to Mongolia, and having it get cancelled twice, I did not know what to think about heading down to Arizona. That being said, I went in knowing that I was going to enjoy it, and it definitely did not dissapoint. I absolutely loved everything about the program. The food that we made never dissapointed, every one of the students on the program quickly became some of the best friends that I have ever had, and we got to sleep out under thousands of stars every night. Even the weather down in Arizona was very nice. When I first decided to go on this program, weather was definitely one of my big concerns. Once we got down there, the weather was a lot better than I was expecting, and I got to experience monsoons for the first time, which was a very exciting experience. With everything considered, I cannot think of anything about the program that I would change, and the six weeks that I spent down in Arizona was without a doubt the best six weeks of my life.

Round River is a unique program because it focuses on real-world conservation work and place-based learning. I hadn't taken any biology before this program, and I learned SO much. Every day I knew more about the desert/mountain ecosystem around me and felt more connected to its complexity and beauty. We partnered with a local conservation organization which was amazing because we were doing relevant conservation work on the border. We also thought a lot about the current immigration humanitarian crisis in the region. This was important to me because it tied together human and environmental issues. My group of 6 student and 2 instructors had a blast backpacking to research springs, and car camping to do vegetation surveys. All around this was an incredible experience and couldn't recommend it more!

I became interested in urban studies my sophomore year, and wanted a change to explore the discipline in a transnational context, as my college didn't offer similar classes. I lived in Europe as a child and felt that it was likely I could visit some more traditional study abroad locations (England, France, Spain, Ireland, Australia) on my own.

This was an absolutlely rewarding academic and personal experience, because I learned more about myself and my place in the world than I could have in a classroom back home. I was constantly challenged by my professors and classmates to really look critically at our environments and cultural experiences. I was encouraged to find and pursue an independent project on a subject that truly interested me, and I found ample support from faculty and classmates alike. This program has better informed me of the kinds of professional experiences I want to engage in, and it certainly helps that doing IHP has now plugged me in to a huge network of professionals and opportunities. After doing IHP Cities, I'm excited for what's ahead!

I can say without a doubt that this program was the best experience of my life. It is so rare to come into contact with so many people from such diverse backgrounds who are not only intelligent, but curious, empathetic, and hyper-aware of the world around them. This program taught me how vast our world is, yet how incredibly small it is at the same time. I simply cannot describe the profound impact this program had on me; if you are thinking about applying, go for it! You will have the most unforgettable experience!