Program Reviews

Never having been anywhere across the Atlantic before -let alone outside the U.S- it would only make sense that I was nervous, uncertain, and hesitant to study abroad in a foreign country (Cape Town, South Africa). However, writing this now, two months after I have returned from an eight week awe-inspiring journey, I can say that not only am I more confident and eager to travel outside the confines of 'home', but my perception of myself and my relation to this world has all become much more clear to me. I can not thank iXperience and the entire team enough. The truly are pushing and working toward revolutionizing what it means to get a meaningful and effective education.
So, what does iXperience mean to me? The summer program provides not only a unique and engaging social and educational experience, but it allows the chance for one to step out of their comfort zone and partake in life-changing, riveting moments that they will take with them for many years. I took the Product Management (PM) course at iXperience despite not having much prior experience (I researched PM prior and really wanted to learn more about it and where it can fit in with society today). At the beginning of the eight weeks, the only thing I knew about PM was that it is the 'job of managing a product'. Quite the research I did, yes? Well now, I can easily and without hesitation elaborate on what PM really, truly means. It is a very dynamic area of entrepreneurship that really entails a belief in a product and the perseverance and tenacity to communicate and share that belief to the world (consumers, takers, businesses). With a product, one must roadmap, create it, bring it life, and confirm with a consumer population - that being a certain market- whether this product is desirable.
An aspect of iXperience that I loved was how during the week I would work on developing a highly intelligent and revolutionary driving safety app named Gilda, and come the weekend, I would be swimming with the world's most famous predator, the Great White Shark (FYI- those creatures are bigger than you think)!!! Every day you experience something new, something eye-opening. You gain a new perspective on the most detailed of things- things you would never have noticed before. For instance, there is you in the world. You have the opportunity to lead your life the way you want. To get where you want, you need to connect with people. Make yourself known, for your mouth is the door to your future, and your words are the keys to unlock it!
iXperience is more than just an experience. It is a moment in time where you are able to stop and think to yourself as to how lucky you are to be somewhere so cool, so far away from home... but yet you find yourself at home... at peace.
I can not compliment nor share enough of my gratitude for iXperience. I have visited the beautiful mountaintops of Table Mountain (one of the few wonders of this world), and the humbling local townships where I got the opportunity to meet its people and partake in beautiful cultural dances. That said, I still can not believe how lucky I am to have come across a referral link last year to iXperience's website. Thanks to iXperience, not only am I more prepared and open-minded to where I want to go/be in my future, but I simply feel like a better more improved version of myself!

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to study and work in Berlin through iXperience. I arrived in Germany this past summer knowing no one and confused about how my love for design would fit into my career path. I left two months later with new friends and new perspectives. Coming from a small intense business school, I was constantly surrounded by competitive and like-minded individuals and was being encouraged to pursue a career in consulting. Through iXperience, I was pushed outside of my comfort zone to make friends and collaborate with people with different interests and backgrounds than me. I learned how my love for design could be combined with my passion for problem-solving in a field like product development. Academically and personally, iXperience has had a huge impact on my life. What I will cherish the most about my time in Berlin was the people- not only my classmates but also the staff. iXperience builds a vibrant community that is still active for months, and even years, after the program ends. Thanks to iXperience, I have made lifelong personal and professional relationships.

I had an absolute blast spending my summer in with IX in Cape Town! They offer a really interesting school/internship opportunity. You spend the first few weeks learning a new skill and then the next few weeks interning at a globally recognized company. I spent my free time hiking and surfing and recommend IX to anyone for an awesome summer opportunity.

My typical day could be hiking Lions Head in the morning and then going to class. After class I would check the wave report and maybe head out for a surf. Afterwards I’d grab food in the city and then back home to do it all over the next day. There is so much to do in Cape Town! Don’t be worried about it being a “South African Winter” it’s still 65 degrees and sunny everyday.

Also, I met some of my best friends on my summer abroad. We all came from different parts of the globe and different universities. It was great to meet and collaborate with so many students.

I worked for a medium sized company and really enjoyed my internship. Send me a message through social media for more details on my time abroad.

iXperience transformed my approach to learning. Never before have I been so motivated to wake up at 530 am for a sunrise hike only to continue to hours of learning followed by work and exploration. There is no program more conducive to expanding my mind and horizons.
In coding, we are taught not only syntax and operation but also how to translate that to real world application. With the help of iX, I refined my understanding of the many subtle channels of communication. I learned how to debug in every day life. Everyone is welcoming and warm. They are always optimistic and are willing to help out. Even if they don't always have the answers, they don't quit until they find a solution. The iX crew strives to promote community. The social events over the course of the summer were just as important as the classes. Additionally, Cape Town, where I completed the course, is exhilarating, exciting and legendary. It is where natural beauty meets industry. Not to mention its authentic cuisine is phenomenal. This past summer I didn't just learn, explore and grow; I lived.

iXperience was such an incredible adventure. The staff was so friendly and welcoming and really went out of their way to make everyone comfortable. I took the Data Science class and learned machine learning, neural networks, cluster algorithms and so much more all in Python. The first four weekends iX planned excursions for us. We went out to Sea Point, visited the Townships, discovered the vineyards, and took surfing lessons. In the second half of the program we created our own adventures. My favorite was going sand boarding in the dunes just outside of town. During my internship, I got to work for Travelstart, an online travel agent, using the skills that I learned from my Data Science course. Cape Town is a truly unreal place and really made my summer unforgettable.

Doing Ixperience in Lisbon was truly the greatest four weeks of my life. You are surrounded by brilliant, career-driven students who constantly challenge one another in the classroom and then exploring Lisbon in summer together in between makes all the hard work worth it.

The course I took (management consulting) is intense and fast-paced but I was so surprised at the quality of work I produced when put under pressure to deliver daily deadlines. I found I kept up with the pace with help of my very skilled and enthusiastic teaching assistant, who constantly motivated the class. Now that I am back home, this course has instilled a new drive to kick-start my career upon graduation and I can't wait to apply my new skill-set in the workplace.

Most nights there was something epic planned by the IX team - whether it be a unique traditional Portuguese dinner, a sunset cruise, a classy rooftop bar event or even dancing lessons - this was motivation enough to complete my homework efficiently and join in on the fun. Not to mention - on weekends the team took us on excursions such as: Learning to surf, rock jumping and canoeing, castle tours and wine tasting and of course day trips to the magnificent Portuguese beaches.

Discovering and embracing Lisbon with Ixperience was incredible and the friends I made on the course are surely friends for life. My only regret is that I didn't stay for the four week internship because I really got attached to the place and all the people.

iXperience was an eye-opening summer program that had a real lasting impact on me. The program is structured such that for the first 4 weeks you have class for 3 hours a day with manageable daily homework assignments and lots of down time to enjoy and explore with friends. The second 4 weeks involve working as an intern at a company of your choice and is pretty much can be as legitimate as you want it to be. During my first 4 weeks I learned how to fully create, build, and deploy an app from scratch in class, whilst going on wild excursions over the weekends, and having unforgettable nights out with my friends. Learning a real world skill that I could apply to a work setting was an extremely satisfying experience that I rarely (if ever) experienced in a University setting. Aside from the learning we went surfing, climbed waterfalls and mountains, visited the most southern tip of Africa, saw penguins, ostriches, and baboons, and explored the coolest bars, clubs, and restaurants the beautiful city of Cape Town had to offer. There are endless opportunities here from paragliding to wine tours to repelling to going on safaris...etc. I could go on and on.

The second session of the program I interned for Invictus Capital, an up and coming blockchain investment company that was THE MOST funded startup in South African History. While there, I learned a completely new field of coding with cryptocurrencies. I applied these skills by creating BTC and ETH transaction simulations for testing the ICO investing process, built smart contracts for Ethereum for their Crypto Index fund and a lot more. All in all, I had the most amazing summer, developed real world skills that I can now take with me to into the real world (and put on my resume), made lifelong friends, and grew so much as an individual. I recommend this 100% to anyone, its a once in a lifetime opportunity for developing yourself as a professional and at the same time retains the fun, relaxed, and enjoyable time every student looks to have during their summer off-season.

iXperience is such an innovative program. You get to experience the best of all worlds - cutting-edge courses taught by industry leaders, interning at a start-up or a multinational company where you can make a significant difference, and immersing yourself in a culture that is so warm and welcoming. Moreover, you get to experience all of this in one of the most beautiful cities in the world: Cape Town.

I did this program in the summer of 2017 and it was one of the best decisions I made during my college career. I have grown so much as a person through this program as it challenged me to step out my comfort zone every day. I gained tangible real-world skills that I can apply to many industries, I was able to make global connections, I connected with the locals who gave me a new perspective on life, co-taught a Bhangra workshop to people who didn't know what Bhangra was, climbed the Lion's Head three times, Bunjee jumped off a bridge, learned how to surf and made some of the best friends from across the world.

I realized that if you travel and if you are challenged you are bound to grow because the real magic happens when you placed in your uncomfort zone.

Highly Recommend

I was part of the Data Science program at iX this summer in Cape Town. Here's how I'd describe the amount of new stuff I learnt over the course of 4 weeks: Imagine you're thirsty, you can take a glass of water but in an alternate situation you could prop open a fire hydrant and your thirst will be quenched, but do you really need so much water gushing at you? iX is like that, but along the lines of education. You take in so much through the course, you're a ninja at your internship afterwards and a master at concentrating.

My experience with iXperience has been great so far. The finance class was fascinating and Wesley, our instructor, was very knowledgeable and approachable. We not only learned how to model and value companies, but also crucial skills for interviews and our future careers in general.

Cape Town is a fantastic city, and it has it all! Its food is excellent; its hikes have magnificent views, and its nightlife is great as well. The program includes shark cage diving, wine tasting, surfing and an overnight safari, but apart from that you can go skydiving, paragliding, take a helicopter ride, and more!

If you think safety is an issue, you don't need to worry. Uber is widely used and extremely safe. You can get around Cape Town by yourself or with a couple of friends with no problem!

However, there are a couple of issues. First, the housing (Never@Home) is far from ideal. Rooms are small and fit up to 10 people for only one bathroom. Second, although the classes are great, if you're coming for the internship I'd say there is a 50-50 chance you'll be disappointed. My internship has been very instructive, and I have been able to apply what I learned in class, but I know that several of my classmates have been placed on internships that are either not related to what we learned or have little to no work at all.