ISA Study Abroad in Lima, Peru

For me the best part about ISA abroad was the inclusive trips that allowed me to explore my host country without worry. However, the personal relationship with staff and inclusion programs that set up interactions with Peruvians, especially at the beginning of the program, were a close second. The university I studied at was incredibly helpful and provided exactly the academic rigor I wanted. Professors were willing to go above and beyond to help me as an exchange student.

I am from out in the country in the USA so living in the city was quite different and it was hard to get used to the transportation, first and foremost. But after about 2 weeks of taking taxi´s and the busses, I figured my way around the city quite easily.

Being in classes that were completely in Spanish was definitely difficult. I actually didn't pass one of my classes because I was too proud to get a tutor even though I needed one. But this class was a literature class that was one of the tougher classes anyways.

In regards to support from the company, the on-site staff was amazing!! I would visit the staff's office literally everyday to do homework or ask for some help understanding something, or to get help with some directions with somewhere I wanted to go. They were extremely helpful!!

The social scene was great, too. Right away, ISA introduced the whole group to some local peruvians our age in order to help us get a little bit more integrated into the community. They knew people that worked at the big clubs of the city so we were always put on the lists of people to get in and didn't have to pay a cover....that was awesome!

The program definitely changed my life. Within a week and a half of starting the program, I met my wife. We spent a lot of time together during the program and were able to continue our relationship after I came back to the U.S.A. Now she is living here with me and we have a 1 year old daughter! :D

My experience with ISA was wonderful. The support staff they have in Lima are really caring, fun and extremely helpful to the students. All of our excursions were well planned and they did a great job giving us on-site support at our universities and with personal emergencies that arose during the program. My host family really helped me get acquainted with living in Lima and gave me a real home there. All the challenges that I had while being in Peru came from USIL (Universidad de San Ignacio de Loyola) which is no longer associated with ISA or just from the difficulties of living in a large city in South America. I would highly recommend this program to anybody looking to study in Peru.

Everything I did in Peru I would have never done on my own. I'm so glad I went with a program that took me places I never even knew existed and challenged me to embrace a whole new culture. The people in Peru are amazing, and I'm so glad I had the chance to live and experience it.

As a graduation requirement for my major I needed to study abroad in a Spanish-Speaking country for at least one semester. ISA, International Study Abroad was heavily recommended to me by several members of the faculty at my college. I chose to study in Lima, Peru, at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP). I chose to study for two separate semesters fall, and spring, although a year long program was offered, but I would have needed to wait until spring, as it is a spring-fall program. I could have directly enrolled in the University the second semester, and my found my own lodging, but I was so impressed with ISA I decided to stay within their program

I lived with a different family set up by ISA each semester. Both families were very friendly, and accommodating. ISA took great strides to organize orientation activities, and help the participants to learn about Lima, as well as the country. ISA offers several trips, both included with the program, and available for a reasonable fee. Included trips include Cuzco and Machu Pichu, as well as going to Iquitos.

Overall the majority of my time was spent in Lima, going to classes during the week. I made a variety of friends, went on some trips of my own, explored the city, and enjoyed Lima's nightlife as well as excellent culinary traditions. By my second semester I spent the vast majority of my time only with Peruvians, any I left being fluent in Spanish. ISA offers tutoring for your courses, and has an office at each of the Universities offered through their program. The main ISA office is always open to students who need some guidance or help.

I wish that I had spent more time with the tutors offered, as taking classes in Spanish was difficult for me, and ultimately I did fail several courses. While Lima is a cheap place to live, I should have saved up more spending money for the first semester, as my second semester I was better off and was able to more enjoy the city and explore the country. I would also caution perspective students who will study in a country such as Peru, where the USD is very powerful, to be cautious with their money. I and several other students spent far too much money at first, and everything seemed so cheap; ultimately this adds up.

If you want to go to a country and really be immersed, ISA is the program to go through! I obviously wanted to learn spanish and from the host families to in the ISA offices strictly speaking spanish was encouraged and I can say I easily came away with a better spanish speaking ability than many of my friends who studied abroad through other programs in other countries. ISA prepares you for everything they can before you arrive, once you get there, and for anything else that comes up they are there to help you out 100%, 24/7. I have never met a more caring group of people than those that work for ISA-Peru. They expose you to so many different cultural aspects through amazing excursions and plenty of activities within Lima as well. I could never say enough good things about this program or my time there, I still love telling others about my experience and encouraging everyone to study abroad, of course I always put a little plug in to recommend ISA becuase if all the ISA programs are as amazing the one in Lima, then there's nothing to lose!

I recommend studying abroad to anyone who is thinking about it. You learn much more than a classroom can ever teach you and you make friends that will last your entire lifetime. Don't be afraid to take a risk and try something new, you never know what will happen!