Structure

During the orientation, you’ll start adapting to your host country by spending a few days in the capital or another major city to become oriented to your new environment. These first few days give you — together with your Experiment group — the opportunity to begin to absorb the customs, speak the language, and, on many programs, begin exploring your program’s theme, before moving on to your homestay community.

Learn more about the group orientation.

Through the homestay, you get to share in the daily life of a local community as a member of a family, not as a tourist. Periodically during the homestay period, you take part in cultural activities with your host family and other members of your Experiment group. The homestay is the centerpiece of every Experiment program.

Learn more about the homestay experience.

Whether you decide to pursue your artistic interests, explore important historical and cultural settings, study a language, examine food systems and issues of sustainability, experience natural and ecological sites, or consider themes of peace, politics, and human rights, you’ll have the chance to experience immersion in a deeply enriching aspect of your host country. You will meet and engage with local experts who will enhance your understanding of the culture and your program’s theme.

View all program themes.

You’ll conclude your summer abroad with The Experiment by celebrating your experience and reflecting on all that you have learned and gained during the program. After returning home, you’re encouraged to share with your friends and family what you experienced and discovered and to consider how you can integrate what you learned about yourself and the world into your life moving forward.

Learn more about the reflection and reentry period.