Students are often the best source of information for their peers about the daily environment abroad, what was positive – and not so positive - , and how the experience abroad impacted their life. The ‘Contact SAO Alum' page gives specific student contact information, but the quotes below will provide some indication of the benefits UIC students have gained by studying abroad.

• “I have been back from New Zealand for three months and I can still close my eyes and see all the moments of my life in Auckland. The friends I made and the pictures I took have really stayed with me, and I find them becoming a part of my everyday conversation. The study abroad experience was an overwhelmingly positive one for me, and one that I can't recommend highly enough. My only regret is that I wasn't able to spend an entire year abroad.”
  --Studied in New Zealand, Fall 2008

• “Overall, with the good and the bad, this has been the best experience of my life so far and it has inspired me to travel more and learn about other cultures. I have grown as a person and would not want to change anything about this experience. I experienced a culture that is completely different than my own. This helped me to understand aspects of life that i have not been able to appreciate in my own culture.”
  --Studied in Fiji, Fall 2008

• “Everybody experiences things differently, so your experience could be very different from other people on your trip. So focus more on your personal experience and try not to let their opinions sway how you interpret your surroundings. Go study abroad, I had the best experience of my life!! I think about at least one thing I did while I was there every day! I wish it wasn't over, I really miss being there.”
  --Studied in Namibia and South Africa, Fall 2008

• “Everything about going abroad was positive for me - being around a different culture, learning a new language. But I think the coolest thing about it was that at the end of the trip I really felt like it was my home.”
  --Studied in Italy, Summer 2008

• “It was great when during the last week people started stopping me on the street to ask for directions! I really felt like I had absorbed the culture at that point enough to look like a local.”
  --Studied in Spain, Summer 2008

• “I just wanted to thank you for everything that the office has provided me. I am entering my 3rd and final year at UIC, and I have already had the pleasure of studying abroad twice.
  
  A couple of weeks ago, I was thrilled to find out that I won a scholarship I had applied for over the summer. As a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar, I will be provided with about $25,000 for graduate studies at an international university of my choice…..mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, where I will pursue Masters work in public health, serve as an ambassador, and do service work over the course of the 2009-2010 academic year.”
  
  I know for a fact that I would not have received this scholarship and honor had it not been for my unique experiences abroad.”
  --Studied in Egypt in Summer 2007 and then in Denmark during Summer 2008.

• “If you think that you cannot afford studying abroad, you are mistaken. There are tons of scholarships available; it takes time to fill them out and write all of the essays that they ask you for, however, it will pay back. The Gilman Scholarship is a very good one.”
  --Studied in Dominican Republic, Spring 2008.

• “I loved studying abroad so much that I plan to do it again in the near future….It's a real eye opener and has changed my life. I want everyone to have the same type of experience!”
  --Studied in Spain, Fall 2007

• “People constantly stare at you, want to help you, ask your name, what country you are from, if they can take a picture with you, how you like their country, etc...don't go to this country if you are going to be constantly annoyed by these questions, yell at them, and/or curse at them. View it as a great thing that they are interested in learning more about you and serving you because they are honored that you have chosen to study in their country.”
  --Studied in India, Fall 2007

• I made friendships that will last a lifetime. I loved sitting at dinner having long conversations with ‘mi madre' about politics, art, religion, history, etc in broken Spanish!
  --Studied in Spain, Fall 2007

• “IT WAS
  INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  --Studied in France, Summer 2007

• “My host family was great, we got very attached to each other, and I am planning to go back to visit them. When I was leaving they were crying! So was I, of course.”
  --Studied in Mexico, Summer 2007

• “There were a lot of ‘first times' for me. I got to live a whole different lifestyle and experience something new and exciting every day.”
  --Studied in Italy, Summer 2007

• “Being in the most interactive educational setting ever. I have never learned so much in any class.”
  --Studied in England, Summer 2007

• “After coming back from India and processing the many wonderful experiences I had there, I realized I am truly grateful to such institutions like UIC, and especially the SAO, who gave me an opportunity to be a traveler and student abroad. My dream of a well rounded undergrad education has been fulfilled thanks to the cultural exchanges and immersion that I experienced abroad.”
  --Studied abroad in India, Spring 2007

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