Program Reviews

I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the API program. The directors were great and always available if you needed anything or just wanted to talk. There were, I believe, about 25 of us in the API Madrid program and the directors did a really good job at bringing us all together. I made some of my closest friends through this! Also, as far as program costs go I found this one to be a very good deal. In one semester they took us to Paris, Sevilla, Santander, and Toledo and paid for our transportation hotel and breakfast. They would also include a tour of some sort throughout these places.

As far as the different universities, I chose Antonio de Nebrija because they offered an intensive language program. It was great! I loved my teachers and I feel liked they pushed us a good amount. For example, we had to only speak spanish to them no matter what. Which I found to be pretty tough at first, but they help you along and everyone was in the same position as you. But in my one semester taking all spanish classes, I learned more spanish then in the 5 years of taking it in the US.

Overall, best program by far. I also spoke with some of my friends who did study abroad through other companies and they were either far more expensive or same price but didn't include a lot. Also, the directors were phenomenal and I have to say that that definitely helps when you are beginning a fresh start in a foreign country!

If I were to explain my experience in Buenos Aires without using clichés of what studying/living abroad is, this is how I would describe it. Keep in mind no analogy is perfect.

It is watching a really profound, enthralling movie. First, you sit down in your seat and you are really excited because there has been a lot of hype about the movie. The synopses you have heard and reviews you have read do not tell you much other than that you must see it yourself. The movie begins and you start soaking in visual and aural stimulation and you understand that you are watching a movie. You are a little detached because you do not fully understand what is going on or what it is all about.

After a while, you stop noticing the chair spring that has been poking you in the back and the fact that the floor is sticky because the action and dialogue start to truly captivate you. The movie’s reality steadily becomes your reality. You become so engrossed in the movie that you begin to feel like part of the movie. You see the characters develop and grow and change and the scenery and setting start to become familiar and home-like. You get lost in the movie. Have you ever watched someone watch a movie? You will not quite understand how engrossed you are watching a movie until you watch someone else’s face while he or she watches a movie.

Towards the denouement, you begin to understand that the movie is coming to an end. You can feel things winding down. You slowly gain objective perspective again of that in which you have just involved yourself. You might even feel a jerk in your heart because you want to see what happens to the characters after the movie is finished, as stories like that cannot and do not just come to an end. The storyline is wrapping up and you are wondering if you put enough quarters in the parking meter. Also, you really have to pee.

Then the movie ends and you leave the theater feeling you finally understand what the hype was about. You have gained a new perspective on just what a movie can be and how it can relate to real life. What you saw was visceral because there was a surfeit of content and aesthetic pleasure that will stick with you. In addition, time was irrelevant because you were so lost in the movie. In the hours it took to watch, you wonder how the little hand on your horologe made so many revolutions. You know you will see it again, but when you feel ready to absorb all that information anew is uncertain territory because it was so beautiful and gratifying that it would not do the movie justice to watch it twice in a row. You have other movies to watch, books to read and music to listen to. Also you spent your last $20 on the ticket and Milk Duds and popcorn to mix together so you get chocolate, carmel and salt all in one bite.

There are no leaks of this movie. You cannot pirate it. You must see it on the big screen with strangers in the theater who will share this movie with you even though you may never see them ever again in your life.

You will return to that theater some day when another movie is worth seeing because as much as you would like to, you cannot spend all your money and time going to the movies. You will bring a friend next time so that you can share the experience together because telling someone about a movie he or she has not seen, no matter how great it is, is about as interesting to the listener as handwriting class in grade school.

I had a great experience with API. The API staff in Paris were extremely helpful in helping the students get used to the Parisian lifestyle. They helped us sign up for classes. This was a direct enrollment program, so we were assisted throughout most of the enrollment process.
The classes ranged from easy to challenging. It's good to take a couple easier classes along with a couple harder ones. The most difficult part, in my opinion, was learning how to write a French paper. The program RD helped us understand how to write one, but without her help I wouldn't have known how different it was from a paper I would have written in the States.
It's great to just be able to live in Paris and experience going to boulangeries and fromageries. The food is delicious and it's definitely worth spending a little more money and going to a nice restaurant for dinner once in a while.
There are also so many museums to visit, and most of them are free or have a discounted entrance price since we have our student IDs.
I definitely got a lot out of living in Paris for a couple months. I learned my way around a new city, made new friends and had experiences I wouldn't have been able to have back home.

I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is looking to study abroad off the beaten path. API provides a good mix of immersing you in the culture, while providing plenty to make you feel supported. I became good friends with Hungarians and other study abroad students from all over the world alike. The overall experience was fantastic, and its a great location to travel from.

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.

So much fun- really felt immersed in Spanish culture and daily life. Everyone that works for Aspire is amazingly helpful and personable- especially Marc! Would recommend this program to anyone!!

After coming back from Salamanca, Spain with the Aspire by API I wished it didn't have to end. Our group leader was fantastic and tried to integrate fun activities with learning. The weekend trips were amazing, one weekend we took surf lessons, which was SO much fun. Throughout the month I was there the I did so many things I never thought I would ever do, they made sure we soaked in the differnt cultural differences. Our other leader who lived in Spain, was very helpful in helping us understand what the locals were saying, as well as just the different day to day differences. The housing Aspire by API provided us with was amazing, my host family was absolutley wonderful, and I didn't want to leave. Never once when I was there did I once question my safety. If I had the opportunity, I would definetly travel with Aspire by API again, no questions asked.

I loved this program and I know you will too! The staff is very fun and chill. The people in the city are nice and welcoming. The host families are great (especially the food). Night life is full of events. I have meet people that I will stay in touch with forever. I really recommend this program and this destination. You will get so much out of it!! Good luck.

Most of the activities we did after school were excellent, like kayaking in a river and taking a bike tour of Salamanca. However, there were some activities that could have been better planned. For example, we did an interchange with a few high school students from the area and it was slightly awkward... we weren't sure what to talk to them about, and the students didn't seem all too interested in talking to us as much as they wanted to talk to each other. We also took a trip on the weekend to Santander, which included a visit to the Alta Mira Caves museum. The real caves were closed and the real trip was on the whole a disappointment.Many of the students would have preferred to have spent another day learning to surf (which we did the day before)rather than visit the museum. Besides that, spending time walking around cities with our group leader was excellent, and if you were willing to explore, there was always something to do in Salamanca. The only limit to this was the curfew, which was far too early in a country that tends to just be eating dinner at 10:00 PM!

This was a great program and I really had a great time. Being in a new country, meeting new people, being immersed in a new culture, and speaking a different language were all things that I will remember for a lifetime and have helped me even after the trip. Even the walk to school makes you feel like you are in a place completely new and interesting, and it has to be one of the best experiences that I will ever have, and I will never forget my time in Salamanca with the people I met.

And the food is amazing!