Study abroad is an increasingly popular option for college students both at NC State and at universities across the nation. It brings benefits such as the ability to see the world, experience a different culture, break the monotony of life on campus and earn academic credit often for a cost comparable to tuition and living expenses in Raleigh for a semester.

For students not wishing to take an entire semester abroad for academic, personal or financial reasons, summer programs offer a suitable alternative. Lasting for a shorter duration in the summer break between semesters, these programs offer a condensed — though no less meaningful — experience abroad.

Options for summer trips abroad abound at NC State, yet the campus community may be overlooking one of NC State’s best-kept summer study abroad secrets: Cuba: History, Environment, and Culture in Havana. Running from May 19 through June 19 and bringing in six credit hours, this little-publicized program is one of the best ways to start your summer. The application deadline is February 15.

The chance to earn six credit hours in three weeks is a good deal by any college student’s standards. The two classes, Cuba Today and Environmental History of Cuba are both relatively interesting ways to knock out your GEPs.

“Going to Havana is a unique opportunity for students to intensely experience a totally different culture and develop their critical thinking abilities,” said Nicholas Robins, NC State teaching associate professor in history and program director of the Summer in Cuba program.

Though most program directors would say that about almost any study abroad program, the unique situation in Cuba makes Havana a particularly tantalizing option.

Harcourt Settle, a 2017 program participant and fourth-year student studying international studies said, “Studying abroad in Havana is an amazingly one-of-a-kind opportunity… in my opinion, it was the most rewarding program I could have chosen because of the history in Cuba.”

The reasonable, world-aware student might object strongly at this point; Cuba is currently under a State Department travel warning declaring US citizens should not travel there citing suspicious attacks potentially involving a covert “sonic weapon” against personnel at the US Embassy in Havana in recent months.  

These attacks are certainly to be condemned in the strongest possible terms, and it is well known that the US and Cuban governments have disagreements. 

That said, as a student in the country for all of three weeks you would have to go out of your way to get caught up in the geopolitical struggles between Cuba and DC. Cuba is not North Korea or Iran, unless you go out hunting trouble no one will be grabbing you off the streets at night to make a political point, no one cares that much about you.

“I would encourage anyone interested to rethink any ideas they might have about Cuba; mine changed a lot while I was there,” Settle said.

In the entire history of NC State’s program in the country, we’ve yet to have a major issue with the Cuban authorities and tens of thousands of Western European and Canadian tourists flock to Cuba every year (travel to Cuba for pure tourism by US citizens is in violation of tourism ban provisions of the trade embargo) without incident.

“Cuba is an opening and energetic society where you never know who you will meet on a sunset stroll on the Malécon. The Cuban people are truly welcoming, it’s the friendliest country I’ve ever been to,” Settle said.

NC State’s Summer in Cuba is a fascinating program that any student interested in summer study abroad would be well served to consider.