USAC Program
When I chose to study abroad, I knew I wanted to go to Spain. The USAC Valencia program was the only one where I could take my core classes (like calc II and physics) in English while also being on a Spanish track. I was nervous to go through a third party because I was worried it wouldn't be hands on or focused on the students but my study abroad adviser convinced me that they were a trusted third party and had done a great job in the past.
Let me tell ya, I am so happy I chose to go with USAC. They were absolutely amazing in every way from the time I started my application to right now, as I am sitting in the airport getting ready to go back to the states. During the application process, if I had any questions they gave me a list of people I could contact under certain departments. When I got accepted into the process they offered me an even more extensive list. They gave me opportunities to apply for scholarships as well which was an important factor for me. When it came to getting a Visa to live abroad, I didn't live near any states that did them for Spain but they allowed me to do a group submission process through them and saved me a bunch of money and much of my sanity. Skip to months later when I am abroad, my mom had a question about one of the charges on my account and was able to get in contact with the adviser in the US to figure it out, no problem.
Upon arriving to Valencia, there was a team of three women who worked at the school and managed only the USAC sector. These women did an outstanding job at helping everyone get settled and surviving the semester. Every week they wold send out a list of local things to do in VLC which really helped me get comfortable in my new home. They allowed me to rent textbooks from them FOR FREE and offered me volunteering positions, informed me of internships, etc. They gave us their numbers and emails so we could reach them anytime of the day if there was ever an emergency. I swear I visited their office weekly just to say hello or ask questions about anything really. They had already arranged for us to have our student ID's and bus cards for the semester and knew the best way to get around the city. During the semester, they planned field trips around Spain where we could experience a different part of the culture and learn more about it. When I visited the office, I could practice my Spanish with them and got comfortable speaking it. Thank you Sarah, Sylvia, and Adhara for being a huge support and amazing team for everyone in USAC. I truly believe my experience was so great because I had their help in making it through a semester abroad. They became my mentors while abroad and went above and beyond to be there for the students. Obviously I don't know what other USAC advisers are in other cities but I can't help but hope they would be outstanding as well. I really cannot express in words just how much their help and advice has meant to me during my time here but I hope they know they were amazing in every way.
In the end I am so glad I decided to do a USAC program and I would highly recommend them. It's affordable and extremely student oriented which is something that you don't come by often.
Let me tell ya, I am so happy I chose to go with USAC. They were absolutely amazing in every way from the time I started my application to right now, as I am sitting in the airport getting ready to go back to the states. During the application process, if I had any questions they gave me a list of people I could contact under certain departments. When I got accepted into the process they offered me an even more extensive list. They gave me opportunities to apply for scholarships as well which was an important factor for me. When it came to getting a Visa to live abroad, I didn't live near any states that did them for Spain but they allowed me to do a group submission process through them and saved me a bunch of money and much of my sanity. Skip to months later when I am abroad, my mom had a question about one of the charges on my account and was able to get in contact with the adviser in the US to figure it out, no problem.
Upon arriving to Valencia, there was a team of three women who worked at the school and managed only the USAC sector. These women did an outstanding job at helping everyone get settled and surviving the semester. Every week they wold send out a list of local things to do in VLC which really helped me get comfortable in my new home. They allowed me to rent textbooks from them FOR FREE and offered me volunteering positions, informed me of internships, etc. They gave us their numbers and emails so we could reach them anytime of the day if there was ever an emergency. I swear I visited their office weekly just to say hello or ask questions about anything really. They had already arranged for us to have our student ID's and bus cards for the semester and knew the best way to get around the city. During the semester, they planned field trips around Spain where we could experience a different part of the culture and learn more about it. When I visited the office, I could practice my Spanish with them and got comfortable speaking it. Thank you Sarah, Sylvia, and Adhara for being a huge support and amazing team for everyone in USAC. I truly believe my experience was so great because I had their help in making it through a semester abroad. They became my mentors while abroad and went above and beyond to be there for the students. Obviously I don't know what other USAC advisers are in other cities but I can't help but hope they would be outstanding as well. I really cannot express in words just how much their help and advice has meant to me during my time here but I hope they know they were amazing in every way.
In the end I am so glad I decided to do a USAC program and I would highly recommend them. It's affordable and extremely student oriented which is something that you don't come by often.
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