The Study Abroad Pod
For the plot cast
Will you meet new people to call friends, learn new skills to spice up your resume, and see the world through different eyes if you study abroad? Yes! Let's talk about it!
Subscribe to THE Study Abroad Pod to learn all the tips for having one of the greatest life-changing and cross-cultural adventures of your life. University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) is a nonprofit that hopes to make an international education accessible to all students. Listen for advice from our U.S. and international staff about choosing the right program, classes, and excursions for you!
Lost my luggage and found my future in Uruguay
Allison B., a University of Iowa student, shares how a stressful start in Montevideo turned into a defining experience. Hosted by Kiana Raiford, USAC’s Institutional Relations project coordinator, this episode explores host family life, gaining confidence in Spanish, and how study abroad helped Allison find her voice. Studying abroad shaped her path toward advocacy work in immigration, human rights, and Latin America.
More episodes
From French family dinners to Moroccan adventures
Liam D., a junior at Seton Hall University, spent his fall semester living with a host family in Pau, France. He went from decoding French rap slang to learning the proper way to cut cheese at family dinners and quickly discovered why a portable charger is absolutely not optional. He celebrated his 21st in Paris, drank mint tea in Morocco, and can confirm the Sahara Desert is very real.
Out and abroad in London
What does it mean to be out and abroad? In this Pride Month special, Jeanine Martinez, a Northern Arizona University alumna, and Walker Dalton, a graduate of Appalachian State University, join Dr. Jeremy Doughty to talk queer identity, London life, and finding your people. From drag queen alter egos to dating tea, this episode is a celebration of growth, community, and showing up as your authentic self.
How to say "let's be friends" wherever you go
In this episode we’re sitting down with Zack Patton, a University of Houston student who turned one study abroad into three — learning Spanish, French, and German along the way. Joined by USAC Resident Directors David Gilland and Luis Fernández, Zack reflects on language learning, idiomatic hacks, culture shock, and why fluency isn’t the goal: it’s connection.
Finding your footing in Italy as a solo female traveler
Long-standing Resident Director of the Viterbo program, Francesca Del Giudice sits down with Grace from the University of Maine to share some of the adventures stepping out of her comfort zone as a woman traveling solo abroad. From hiking up a mountain with a trombone to tasting Baci chocolate, it's a story of little steps empowering women to explore the world.
Loving love in Lüneburg
In this episode, David Gilland, Resident Director for USAC Lüneburg, chats with Jorana and John, a couple studying abroad together in Germany. They share how they’ve grown together abroad navigating cultural differences, and David reflects on his own cross-cultural marriage to a German. Whether it’s discovering little quirks of German life or learning to balance different cultural values, this episode shares inspiring stories of the joys and challenges of life abroad with someone special.
Conociendo el mundo: Confesiones de una madre y su hija
En este episodio, escucharemos una conversación sincera entre una madre y su hija. Patricia Souza, egresada de la University of Nevada, Las Vegas, fue la primera de su familia en ir a la universidad — y en estudiar en el extranjero. Estudiando en USAC Lyon, Francia, hablan sobre cómo pasaron del miedo a lo desconocido a una confianza inquebrantable. Hablarán del choque cultural, la independencia y de cómo la distancia las acercó.
all episodes on Buzzsprout
All episodes on YouTube