Frequently Asked Questions

Click on any of the questions below to expand it, revealing the answer.  You can only view one answer at a time, so that the page never gets too big to scroll through.

Note that each country in the Destinations category has its own FAQs section as well–the questions below address broader, ISL-related issues.

Traveling

• What will my travel team experience be like?
  • ISL programs are not like typical study abroad programs that offer only an academic experience in a foreign setting.  ISL programs are also not your typical “do gooder” or missions programs, offering a “sleep on a church floor and paint some walls” experience.  We offer a professionally planned and led, life-changing experiences, combining both international service AND learning.  Also unlike other programs, ISL provides project experiences at a fast moving pace. You will be traveling a great deal, moving to different locations every few days, and traveling by a variety of modes–such as by bus, boat, 4X4, horseback, or on foot.  We believe that this will give you optimal exposure to service and learning  in the country or countries of your choice.  Because of this, ISL programs are not for the faint of heart. You will be expected to travel hard, work hard, and play hard. You can rest when you get home! Your housing will vary from hotels, to guest houses, to home stays, to orphanages with spare classrooms converted to sleeping areas.  You will always have safe food, bottled water, a shower (maybe not always a HOT shower), and a bed (except in special cases where you are informed ahead of time or are on a Hike for Humanity project).  Because your safety is our responsibility, you will also be required to follow a set of rules regarding behavior.  In the past we’ve been held legally responsible for situations involving unwanted boys in girls’ rooms, so there will be no boys in girls’ sleeping areas or vice versa—NO exceptions.  Drinking alcoholic beverages is only permitted when allowed by your ISL team leader (we’ve got some nasty stories about drinking problems as well).  So as not to endanger the team, participants who can’t follow the rules are sent home.   See the participation agreement on page three of the application for more details.  On the other hand, there’s a reason why ISL programs have grown to include over 60 universities, involving over 600 students learning and serving in 8 countries every year. You will have a life changing and unique experience with ISL.  How much you bring home with you in terms of experience depends to a large extent on how much you put into your program with ISL.  If you can be flexible and positive, you will join the ranks of the thousands of students who recommend our programs as a “MUST DO” experience.  Welcome to changing the world–one adventure at a time!   Are you ready?
• What kind of experience do I need before I join a team?   Do I need to be a medical student to be on a medical team?
  • Any undergrad or graduate is eligible to join an ISL team. We also have team members who are not students. You do not need medical experience to be on a med team. Spanish is not required, but is always helpful in Central and South America. If you are planning on an extended stay program in a Spanish speaking country, you will need to be knowledgeable in Spanish.
• Will I be safe?
  • Although there can be no guarantee of safety when traveling anywhere, including the U.S., risks can be managed and minimized. ISL has a reputation for safety for the following reasons:
    1. We don’t travel in any politically dangerous situations.
    2. We only work in areas where our full-time staff and families live and work.
    3. Our staff to student ratio is one of the highest in the country.
    4. We travel with medical teams to make medical services available to our students as well as to those we serve.
    5. Unlike other programs, there are no strangers in our program.  Drivers, cooks, and guides are all part of our ISL network.
• What kind of housing do we stay in?
  • Housing varies from hotels to field stations to home stays (a student favorite) to retreat centers (similar to YMCA or church camp facilities in the U.S.). You will always have a bed and a shower, and we don’t camp out on the ground or on the floors of church buildings, as some programs do.  Bear in mind, however, that this is not a tourist trip–housing is basic, the travel schedule is intense, and many of our destinations are “off-the-beaten-trail”.  Because of this, high maintenance travelers need not apply!
• What kind of shots, vaccines, and inoculations will I need?
  • Check the Center for Disease Control website for up-to-date recommendations for the particular country to which you are traveling.  Central and South America, Dominican Republic and Africa require malaria medication – you will need to begin treatment two weeks prior to departure. All travelers should have an up-to-date tetanus shot.  Health team members may need hepatitis A and B shots.  Students serving in our health programs and clinics should download the Getting Ready to Go guides located on the ISL home page.  Note that there are more inoculations required for Africa.
• What happens if my trip or flight is canceled for any reason?
  • Contact your trip cancellation insurance company for a refund.  Like other student travel programs, ISL is not an insurance company and we can’t insure trips or flights.  It’s very important, regardless of where you travel, to purchase the appropriate insurance.  See the Getting Ready to Go guide or click on Useful Resources on the ISL home page for insurance options.
• Will I be able to contact family and friends while traveling with ISL?
  • Normally, we are able to purchase phone cards and get students to a phone within the first few days of our trips.  We are also often able to offer periodic e-mail access while in the cities.  Other contact is unpredictable, but we always have access to emergency communications, if needed.
• Will we receive a detailed itinerary?
  • Since this is not a tourist program, you will not receive the usual “canned”, predictable itinerary, but rather a team travel schedule which changes as the needs of those we serve change.  Other logistical events (such as weather) also dictate adjustments.  No two ISL programs are exactly alike, as we are continually reassessing the needs of our field clinics, projects and program partners.  Team members receive a tentative itinerary prior to departure and a detailed itinerary upon arrival in their destination country.

Cost

• How do I pay for my trip?
  • You can use the financial sponsorship program available through Good Samaritan Missions. You can find out how the sponsorship program works by visiting Funding Your Trip which offers information on fundraising, then go to Sponsorship Program – How it Works.
• How does the sponsorship program (financial aid) work?
  • Americans today want to help the poor, but often don’t because they’re not sure just how much of their gift will actually get to where it’s supposed to go.  For this reason they will welcome the opportunity to sponsor you, someone they know, to “go and serve” on their behalf.  Good Samaritan Missions (one of our partner organizations), will provide you with an individualized sponsorship request letter and the necessary envelopes to mail to your church, friends, family, neighbors and community service organizations.  Donations can also be made online.  The funds generated will be applied to your costs. You’ll receive a list of those who sponsored you for proper accounting and a thank you list. For more financial aid information, check out Funding Your Trip.
• How do I get academic credit and pay tuition?
  • There’s usually no extra tuition costs if you register your course as an independent study for the NEXT regular term. You will need to arrange for approval of your seminar with a professor from your home school.  We can help by being in direct contact with your professor and providing resources, outlines, and more.
• How much does this program cost?
  • One of the key advantages to the ISL program is the availability of financial aid through our sponsorship program.  Student costs range from $985 – $1,970, depending on the program.  Check the calendar for specific trip costs by clicking on the trip you’re interested in.  Many students raise enough money through sponsorships that they only pay the $85 application fee and their airfare.
• What’s included in the cost?
  • Two meals per day, all lodging, land and water transport, guides, tips, museum and event fees, field academic program costs, border costs, security costs, project supplies.
• What is NOT included in the base cost?
  • Passport costs, personal recreational expenses during “free-time ” periods, an average of one meal per day, trip insurance, the application fee and round trip airfare to your destination are NOT included.  Check team schedules and costs on the ISL website.
• How is my program fee used?
  • ISL is pleased to be able to provide programs for 10-12% less than other university level programs of equal length and quality, due to ISL’s lower overhead costs.  About half of our program fees are used for in-the-field expenses such as food, lodging, transport, fees, guides, translators, team leader expenses, medical and project supplies, and border costs. The other half of our program fees are used for staff salaries, printing, mailing, insurance, office equipment and maintenance, internet and other communication expenses, rents, utilities, aid to student reps, travel to schools and conferences, professional organizational membership costs, and legal expenses.  Our staff salary costs are fair but not above average.  Last year ISL also contributed more than $100,000 in international aid. This aid included loans for housing improvement, direct aid to families in crisis, student grants and loans to deserving students in developing countries, the training of local health personnel; and contributions for the purchase of medicines, eye wear (over $30,000), medical equipment, and construction materials.  In summary, we are very proud of the fact that we are able to do all of the above, keep our costs to students below average, AND be active aid providers to the local people we serve. Thanks for making it all possible!

Other questions

• Is it okay for students to be involved with international health teams?
  • In a perfect world everyone in the world would have access to professional health care and medication. Unfortunately, hundreds of millions of people have either no health care or limited access to such care. It would be unethical, and even immoral, if we had a system for delivering responsible care to these people and withheld it. The delivery system ISL has devised is a legitimate partnership: our students receive field experience, and the poor, with their permission, receive health care. ISL maintains the following standards of care delivery: 1) We work under the direction of the local government health ministry—our students are only involved to the extent that these officials approve (and even request!). 2) Those receiving health care are made aware that a student will be assisting our health professionals. 3) No student is involved without the direct supervision of licensed health care providers. 4) We maintain contact with and, in most cases, re-visit work sites to insure follow-up.ISL provides healthcare that would otherwise be unavailable to tens of thousands of the underserved each year. We receive a constant flow of thanks from patients, local government health officials, and university advisors. We also hear regularly from students who were inspired to become health professionals and humanitarian workers through working on our health teams.
• I’m signed up for a team, but I’m getting more donations of children’s vitamins and meds than I can fit into my donation supply bag.  Now what?
  • First of all – well done!  Unfortunately, extra supplies cannot be sent by mail.  Import and shipping costs are prohibitive, and half of it would probably be stolen before it arrives anyway.  Here’s what you CAN do:  first, prioritize what you bring – 1. meds  2. children’s chewable vitamins.  Secondly, distribute the excess to fellow team members from your area (our office can provide you with contact information).  Thirdly, if you still have additional supplies, we encourage you to donate them to a local agency.  And lastly, encourage family and friends to send monetary contributions to Good Samaritan Missions, a non-profit organization, which will use the funds to buy needed meds on site.
• What is the difference between pre-med and med teams?
  • Most general med teams are pre-med teams geared towards pre-med or pre-health students. We do offer med teams as well which are geared more toward med students. Below is the basic difference between these two types of teams.Premed team
    - Seminars on general physical exam and vital signs.
    - During clinics, discussion of diagnosis according to students’ level.
    - In the clinics licensed doctor will share with students the diagnosis and explain how he arrived to that particular one.
    - Suture class: students will learn and practice simple stitches.

    Med team
    - Seminar on general exam in little more depth according to students’ level and vital signs.
    - During clinics, explanation of diagnosis in depth.
    - In the clinics licensed doctor will ask the students to give diagnosis and why they arrive to that conclusion from the beginning.
    - Suture class: students will learn and practice simple and advance stitches.

• How many people are typically on a team?
  • There’s are a maximum of 12-18 students per team (depending on the country).
• I graduated–may I still go on a team?
  • Yes! Any undergrad or graduate is eligible.  If you are a graduate, please let us know.
• May I bring a friend not from my school?
  • Absolutely, they can send in an application to join your team and travel with you.
• Do I have to take this course for academic credit?
  • No, you can just come and enjoy the experience!
• How do I get a letter of reference from ISL?  Is there any information I need to provide?
  • To get a letter of reference after you return from your trip you will need to submit a request to Pepper, at info@ISLonline.org.  All students requesting a letter of reference need to return a brief trip evaluation, which is sent to each ISL trip veteran immediately after their trip.
• Can I get a letter of reference from the doctors or my team leader?
  • ISL will be happy to give you a letter of reference based on the reviews of our staff and doctors, but not from them directly.  It’s simply a matter of logistics and time limitations.  Our local doctors write evaluations after each group departs, and these evaluations are included in the recommendation letter sent by the ISL home office.  You may also make a request for a team leader recommendation by contacting info@ISLonline.org.  If your organization requires a direct letter from a physician or dentist, you must submit an official document from that organization stating that requirement.  We will need 60 days to consider the request and will make every effort to comply.