Third Party Provider/Non-UD Programs: Study : Testimonials (Multiple)
The following program testimonial responses have been selected for publication by Global and Intercultural Affairs Center
Testimonial
Overall Experience
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The most important thing was learning to be independent. Living in a foreign country on my own was hard but it also allowed me to grow up and learn how to figure things out on my own.
— Haley Breden, Spring 2014 |
Overall Experience
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One of the most important things I took away from this program is that even though everyone comes from somewhere different, we are all brought together for the same reasons. We are lucky to speak English because most of Europe uses it to communicate with each other if they don't speak the same language. I also learned you will make friends in the most unlikely of places.
— Lucas McCanna, Spring 2014 |
Overall Experience
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As in any study abroad, the most important things to take away from this trip were a stronger sense of independence and a heightened sense of cultural awareness. The culture of Granada is somewhat different from the rest of Spain because it has a lot of Arabic influence, so that is something very unique to the vast majority of Spain as well as Europe in general. This was the best experience of my life, but it is important that students go and seek out the culture and intricacies of the city, as it is easy to get caught up in staying in one's comfort zone. Also the beautiful city and culture aside, free tapas make Granada worth its while.
— Stephanie Loney, Spring 2015 |
Overall Experience
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I learned how to be more independent on this program. I learned how to navigate foreign countries on my own and felt that I became more mature through this experience abroad.
— Ellen Kovaleski, Summer 2015 |
Overall Experience
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It's difficult to pin point one most important thing I took away, however, the first thing that comes to mind is I took away that I am stronger than I realised and smarter than I knew.
— Alexandria Graig-Tiso, Fall 2016 |
Overall Experience
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After a semester abroad in France, I learned three core things about myself. Most importantly, I grew stronger in my faith than I ever have before. I went to an English speaking service with my friends and every week we were touched. It was a protestant church, however my core group of friends who went every week all came from very different religious backgrounds. One friend was Jewish, two were evangelicals, I was raised Catholic along with another friend of mine, and our French friend was atheist. We witnessed the most beautiful God movement through him. He was an atheist, as are the majority of French people, and after we begged him to come to a service for days, he came and left crying by how moved he was by it all. By the end of the semester, he had bought a bible and was going to start living his life according to Christ. Each one of us grew deeply in faith during our time together and experiencing God's work firsthand. It was unlike anything I had seen or been apart of before and has changed my life. There are two other things I learned about myself. After my first hike up to St. Victoire, although I confirmed my fear of heights on top of the mountain, I fell in love with hiking simultaneously. I loved the physical exhaustion at the end and the rewards it brought me physically, mentally, and emotionally. Lastly, I found an amazing group of women to surround myself with. I met 4 outstanding women my age who taught me how I want to live. They hold themselves and the people they surround themselves with to a high standard and I can honestly say they are the most grounded, confident, faithful, and mature women I know. Their actions and attitude toward every challenge that faced them while abroad was incredible. With every obstacle they ran into, they solved confidently, calmly, and in a healthy way. It was eye opening in every sense and they aspire me daily to be a better person. — Shannon Egan, Spring 2017 |
Most memorable experience
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The traveling was great, but personally I enjoyed exploring the city and finding favorite spots to relax in the most. So, for me, while I loved seeing all of the sights in Rome, Paris, London, and many other cities, my most memerable experience was probably simply walking around Frederico García Lorca park almost every day.
— Stephanie Loney, Spring 2015 |
Most memorable experience
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My most memorable experience was my weekend trip to Paris. It was a memory of a lifetime that I was able to share with my best friend and It has always been a dream of mine ever since I was young.
— Ellen Kovaleski, Summer 2015 |
Program quality
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This program was incredible. The program directors, Carmen and Curra, were always available and willing to help with any problems that arose or simply to chat with students. For me, it was less expensive than UD tuition, and that included tuition, room and board, and excursions to Alpujarras, Cadiz, and Rome. Overall, it was a great program that let us have our freedom (there weren't pre-planned excursions half of the weekends such as with some other programs), but also guidance was always available.
— Stephanie Loney, Spring 2015 |
Program quality
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I thought API was a great program to go through because they planned a lot of the trips that I went on. They organized hotels, transportation, food, tours and activities for four out of the five weekends I spent abroad this summer. It was very convenient to have all of the travel details planned out.
— Ellen Kovaleski, Summer 2015 |
People
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Everyone I've met has been extremely nice and made me never want to leave. They are the kind of people that you will miss when you leave. Once people found out I came alone, they were all very willing to introduce me to people they know and invite me it. I couln't ask for better friends.
— Lucas McCanna, Spring 2014 |