Best 3 months of my life! July 04, 2024

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Overall, a very academically rigorous program, the workload and intensity of the courses varied highly depending on the instructor and the timeline.

On-site administration of your program

The SIT Panama staff is phenomenal, Aly, Yuri, and Yari all work tirelessly to ensure that students are thriving socially and academically during the program and are always willing to help if you have any questions or issues. Not to mention they are all wonderful, kind people.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was very satisfied with the living arrangements, both with the homestays and all the hotels and hostels we stayed at during our excursions. The heat in Panama takes some getting used to, especially if you're in a homestay without A/C, but it did not have a big impact on my experience.

The food on the program was great, I never felt underfed, and the program is very accommodating of vegetarians. All meals had entrees for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Be prepared for lots of rice, beans, lentils, and plantains.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The homestays were an excellent way to integrate with the local culture, as well as all the fun cultural immersion activities we did during our excursions. Ultimately, you are the one who gets to decide how culturally immersive the program is. If you want to spend the ISP living in a homestay and speaking almost entirely Spanish, you have that option.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

There are vaccine requirements for this program, which you can find on the website. If you have any health issues during the program, the SIT staff is very helpful in taking you to the doctor's and getting proper treatment. Local healthcare was similar to what I was used to at home.

Overall, I felt very safe throughout the program. The homestays are all in safe areas and SIT gives you a list of neighborhoods to avoid in Panama City. Just like in any big city, be mindful of where you are, travel in groups, and use common sense.

This program was one of the best experiences of my life. I learned so much from all the courses and people I interacted with, had so many amazing opportunities for cultural immersion, and saw so many beautiful landscapes and wildlife. Not to mention I made some amazing friends who I hope to keep in touch with for the rest of my life.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I would give the program a 4, I found myself spending around $20-50 a week depending on where we were and what we were doing. Ultimately, it's up to you on how much you decide to spend, but generally food and drinks tend to be cheaper, and besides ISP most of the times I spent money were on optional activities during free days.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

You are encouraged to speak only in Spanish during the Spanish course at the UTP, but outside of that it's up to you how much you use Spanish. I found I used the most Spanish during my homestays, as most of the families don't speak English. If you want a lot of practice, you can also ask Aly and the other SIT staff to speak to you in Spanish.

Select all that apply

• Host Family
• Apartment
• Hotel
• Hostel

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Americans

• The places we visited during excursions
• The homestays and opportunities for cultural immersion
• The people: whether it be UTP students, other SIT students, homestay families, or SIT staff

• Pacing of courses
• Preparation for ISP
• Packing list/info prior to arriving

The Academic or Linguist