International & Domestic Programs Student Stories

When I was applying to colleges, I was confident that I wanted a small college experience. I didn't even consider colleges with more than a few thousand students, and I ended up at a school (that I love) of 1,600 students.

Once I decided to go to Madrid through Middlebury Schools in Spain, the next big, looming question was where on earth in Spain's beautiful capital I should live. 

I often receive the question ‘why did you choose to go to South Africa to study abroad?’ I’ve known I was going abroad in Cape Town on the Globalization, Environment, and Society program since early on in my freshman spring of college.

“In a few important ways, Morocco did not feel especially foreign to me. It is a Muslim country, and I am a Muslim. It is largely an Arabic-speaking country, and I speak enough Arabic to navigate comfortably.”

“When conversing with my small group, I was given the opportunity to take a deeper dive into what authentic Hong Kong life is like.”

“We innovate to adapt: make changes in response to change.”

"Coming to Amman, I knew that gender dynamics would be more pronounced in a Muslim country, but was surprised by the extent of the divide."

“¿Oceanía es un continente?  I thought, feeling the puzzlement show on my face."

"In any foreign country, speaking to locals in their native language will instantly win you some favor; however, this is especially true in Hungary."