Today was my last day in Thailand and I wanted to take the time to talk about the study abroad courses I took in Chiang Mai through USAC at Chiang Mai University this semester. So far on my personal blog, I’ve written mostly about the places I’ve traveled to or fun times I have had, but I also studied abroad to complete 12 units that count toward my degree back at CSU, Stanislaus.
Study Abroad Courses in Chiang Mai
This semester I took Social Entrepreneurship, Highland Ethnic People and Social Transformation in Thailand, Buddhism in Thailand, and World Economic Issues at Chiang Mai University.
All of my courses were three hours long and I went to school Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. All of the courses and the USAC office were in the Political Science building on campus which was a 20 minute walk from the dorms we lived in. The class sizes were small ranging from 8-25 students which made it easier to connect with the other students in my class and the professor.
Students in Buddhism in Thailand class
All of our classes were taught in English and we only had class with other USAC students. Some of the professors were Thai and some were originally from other countries like the United States or London, but moved to Thailand to settle down and start a family.
My favorite study abroad course in Chiang Mai was definitely Social Entrepreneurship where we created a social enterprise venture that we built on until our final presentation where we presented our enterprise as though investors were interested in it. It was a great experience and my professor, Mike, is a social entrepreneur who has real life experience that he shared with us which made the course very enjoyable.
Thankful for My Time Abroad
Overall, I made a lot of memories this semester and am grateful for the opportunities studying abroad has given me. I have now studied abroad twice and am still on track to graduate in four years so if anyone is concerned that studying abroad will set them back, it does not need to as long as you find a program that works with your courses like I have!
I have enjoyed both of my study abroad experiences with USAC and decided to study abroad AGAIN (I know super crazy) this Fall 2019 in Puntarenas, Costa Rica!
Stay tuned come fall for more study abroad posts!
Juliana Aguilar is a USAC Valencia and USAC Chiang Mai alumna. You can read more about her study abroad on her blog, http://julianastravels.edublogs.org/
