Aspire by API
Programs and Reviews
Aspire by API offers a variety of opportunities in six different countries for students still in high school (ages 14-18). Students participating in study abroad programs prior to college gain a greater understanding of the world at a crucial point in their lives. The experience tends to give a new meaning to life and a worldwide perspective that few adults even have. Come away with great personal growth, life and skill development, and a stronger preparation for the years to come.
Programs Abroad
Reviews
100%Overall
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100%Overall
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I participated in Aspire by API's University of Salamanca summer program in 2011, and the summer before that I joined Aspire by API in Paris.
Salamanca is an amazing city, especially for young students studying abroad. It is small and safe, and Aspire by API gives the right amount of supervision to allow for independence while also ensuring security. Nearly every afternoon, API has great cultural activities planned daily to allow for students to get acquainted with the city before they explore on their own. API took us out to tapas restaurants, salsa classes, museums, cafes, and even to see the Spanish release of the seventh Harry Potter movie.
API offers the option to live in either a residencia or host family. I loved living in the residencia because it gave me the opportunity to become great friends with students in other programs and have a ready-made group of friends to explore the city with. However, the students in the host families also had great experiences and enjoyed having their very own Spanish mother. Many of them lived in the same building or on the same block so they were also able to travel the city together.
The University of Salamanca has an incredible summer language program. On the first day of class you test into one of a wide range of levels. The teachers are amazing, the classes are small, and you really get a good handle on grammar, writing, and comprehension. One month after never having taken Spanish before and I tested into the 3rd semester of Spanish at Notre Dame. Additionally, API staff were there every step of the way, ensuring that we were placed into the right classes and had a handle of the Spanish University system.
Finally, weekend excursions were amazing: we stayed at nice hotels, ate out at nice restaurants, took surfing lessons, etc. We traveled to Spanish beaches, specifically Santander. We made it over to Oporto, Portugal and took a wine tour. Then, we explored Madrid and Toledo. Nearby our hometown, Salamanca, we went kayaking and then took a long hike which ended in the adorable ciudad Rodriguez. I have several friends that studied or traveled abroad through similar programs to API and have come to conclude that API is a great deal and a great program. I have traveled with API twice now, and will be studying abroad with them again this summer. I think that this in itself speaks to how much I enjoyed the program.
90%Overall
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I spent 9 months living in Salamanca, Spain. My time there was one of the most amazing and rewarding times of my life. I was taking spanish classes at the University of Salamanca and living with a host mother. I also had an American roommate, and the three of us became very close. My week days were set up so that I had 4 hours of class in the mornings and then I would go home for lunch with my family at 2. Then the rest of the day I was free to do as I pleased. Most of my afternoons were filled with meeting up with friends from all over the world. I was able to volunteer one day a week and teach English to a Spanish girl. The people from Salamanca speak really clear Spanish, and hardly anyone speaks English, so you can be sure that you will learn Spanish quickly and properly. Also it is very easy to meet people from all over the world, and from all over Spain. My closest friends while I was there were from Spain. My weekends were spent either traveling with API or with my friends. Traveling around Europe and Spain was very easy, and fairly cheap. The API staff were also very helpful. They were like second parents to me while I was there, and I felt that I could go to them for anything. On top of all that, when I started school in the fall after being in Spain, my college let me transfer all of my credits from my year abroad. I totally recommend a Gap Year and/or a year abroad with API.
70%Overall
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Overall, the semester of my gap year spent in Paris with Aspire by API was above average - but not phenomenal. The program is well organized and the school is excellent, however I didn't feel that API did enough for its gap year students specifically. There were very few of us, and we did everything that the college students did - no more, no less. I wish that there had been some separate get-togethers planned for the gap year students, as we definitely had some different concerns than did the college students.
As for living arrangements, I chose to live in the dormitory, and honestly I don't think this was a great choice. The dorm is alright, but not ideal. API does a great job finding host families from what I could tell by visiting friends staying with local families. I also think that much more would be gained (in terms of language, culture, assimilation, etc.) by having opted to live in a home than in a dorm. The the main dorm used by API is intended for American students, so there is not very much intercultural interaction.
While my experience with Aspire by API did not quite measure up to the standard set by my first gap year semester program, this was not at all entirely API's fault. Most of my discontent - and again, it's not that I had an awful time, overall I gained a lot from the semester - came from issues with other students. I do wish that the program coordinators in Paris had been a little more welcoming so I would have felt more open to talking to them, but they mostly did what they could for so many students. When I lost my wallet at 1am, I was able to call one of the coordinators and she was very helpful despite the fact that I had woken her up.
Paris is an incredible city, and I think that any chance to live there should absolutely be taken. Aspire by API has room to grow, but the program absolutely provides for its students and should be considered when planning a gap year.
90%Overall
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This program was really fun. I loved how it was a small group of students and we all got to know each other pretty well. The curfew was pretty early but I felt really immersed with the culture.
Alumni Interviews
Staff Interview
What position do you hold at API? What has been your career path so far?
Patrick: I am the Program Coordinator here at Aspire, which is the high school and gap year division at Academic Programs International (API). My role encompasses a number of different responsibilities, but for the most part it involves talking with high school students (and sometimes their parents) who are interested in studying abroad. When someone expresses interest in one of our gap year or summer programs, either online, over the phone, or at any one of the fairs we attend throughout the year, I'm their first point of contact. I tell them all about our different programs, and help them determine which would be best for them according to their interests. I also maintain Aspire's blog as well as our Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages, in order to keep our followers updated with the latest news.
I got involved in international education while I was still in college. After spending a semester studying in Grenoble, France with API, I had to tell everyone and anyone who wanted to learn French that Grenoble was the place to do it. I worked for my university's study abroad office throughout my remaining two semesters, making classroom presentations, attending study abroad fairs, and encouraging other students to go abroad any other way that I could. I began working for API right after college, and here I am today.
Did YOU study abroad?
Patrick: I studied abroad in Grenoble, France for a semester--it was one of the greatest experiences of my life!
My interest in French language and culture grew out of a general interest in my heritage: my mom's side of the family immigrated to Canada from Honfleur, France in the seventeenth century. I studied French all throughout high school and college in order to learn more about that part of my family history. When the time came to actually go overseas in college, I knew that I wanted an experience that would allow me to become completely immersed in the French language and culture. I thought that a smaller, more intimate setting would be the best way to get that, and I was right: with my amazing host family, friendly locals, and the beautiful French Alps in the distance, Grenoble proved to be the perfect place for me to develop my skills.
What does the future hold for Aspire - any exciting new programs to share?
Patrick: Yes! We are thrilled to announce two new summer programs this year in Dublin, Ireland, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. In both of these programs, students will be able to experience the music, dance, food, and other aspects of the local culture firsthand. We're also excited to be branching out into the world of community service this summer, with two programs in Costa Rica and China! The main focus of both of these programs will be service work, however students will also get to practice the local language and see the plenty of attractions during their time abroad. Finally, we'll be offering gap year and gap semester programs in a number of new locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, Paris, France, Seville, Spain, and Dublin, Ireland. I am so excited for the spring to begin--that's when we'll be traveling to schools around the country, spreading the word about all our programs to students and parents!
What about the future of the industry? How do you think study abroad and international education will change over the next 10 years?
Patrick: With the forces of globalization becoming more and more self-evident every day, I can only conclude that the international education industry is going to grow over the next 10 years. In today's world, students of all ages need to study abroad, so that they can become more culturally sensitive and gain a larger perspective on world events. And that's one of the reasons why I'm so excited to be working with Aspire. Through our gap year and summer programs, we're helping high schoolers get a real taste of the world around them while they're still young. Hopefully, their experience with us is just the first in a lifelong process of intercultural learning and global exploration.
I participated in Aspire by API's program in Salamanca last summer (2011) and had the time of my life. In Salamanca there were other high school groups but our's was by far the best. We had activities planned every afternoon, went on weekend excursion, and had the best directors.
The day started with a few hours of classes at the University of Salamanca. Ignoring the wonderful teachers, just the fact that it is the third oldest university in the world is so cool. Think 1215! The classes were small 15-20 and the teachers very enthusiastic. I loved going to classes because they were interesting and I got to hang out with people (mostly college students) from around the world. I'm still in touch with a girl from Korea.
I stayed with a home-stay and went home for lunch around 2pm. My host mom always made tons of delicious food. At first I felt bad because in Spain it is rude not to eat it all but I talked to her and explained that my stomach can't handle three big courses and a dessert. She understood and gave me smaller potion sizes.
After lunch (comida, for some reason they don't call it almuerzo) I would take a short siesta before going out into the town. We would shop or just hang out for a couple hours until 4-6 depending on what activity was planned that day. The activities were amazing we had cooking, salsa, and painting classes, visited museums, went on bike tours, ect.
Spaniards eat dinner late around 8-10 and it is a much lighter meal than lunch. I would usually go out after dinner but sometimes I would just stay and talk with my host mom or watch T.V. with her. She worried when we went out at night but understood the charms of the city.
Salamanca is an extremely safe city. I walked back to my apartment around 12-1 by myself a few times and felt completely safe. It is a perfect city for young people to be by themselves for the first time.
I could go on and on about how wonderful this program is but I hope you will take my word for it. I wish I could have done another program with Aspire by API this summer but I had to work:( I am planning on attending college in Spain because of this program. Thank you Marc and everyone else behind it.