AIFS Abroad

I don't have enough good things to say about studying abroad with AIFS in Costa Rica. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and AIFS was hands down one of the best parts of the experience. Not only does AIFS have an office building near the university (and none of the other programs do!), but Karla (resident director), Jessenia and Pablo (assistant resident directors) go out of their way to make sure everyone feels safe and comfortable. AIFS was by far the most organized, professional, and kind program that I saw and would 1000% choose them again to study abroad. The classes weren't hard and there was a really good balance of academics while also being able to explore the country. If you're deciding which company to choose to study abroad: GO WITH AIFS. You won't regret it.

London is an absolutely amazing place to study abroad but DO NOT choose this program to do it. It is horribly ran and organized in every aspect from the social events to academics. For starters no information about or program including classes, housing, food, etc was shared until about 2 weeks before departure for London. Then our housing was changed on us last minute from a nice flat with a dining hall right next to the school to essentially a private room at a hostel about 40 minutes away by train. They give you almost no support for food/cooking/dining while you are abroad for three months so be prepared to spend a good amount on top of what you have already paid to keep yourself properly fed. Additionally the classes were pretty horrific as most professors were incredibly disorganized with no syllabi, clear assignments, or regular grading. Finally the support from the staff is an absolute joke, when I was sent to the hospital one night it took them forever to reach out to my friends who had been frantically calling the 24/7 emergency line asking for support and help with the healthcare system in a foreign country. Overall please choose to study abroad in London as you will make so many friends and have great experiences but choose any other program besides AIFS. If you do decide to choose them be sure to take LGBT+ communities with Dominic Janes or any class with Nicole Moody (they were the only two great and helpful adults on staff!)

This program was awesome! ECES at Charles University has a broad range of academic options and AIFS makes the administrative side of things, especially while preparing for the program, easy. AIFS also has fun side trips and social features that supplement the ECES program. Prague is a city with lots to do/a lively social scene, Prague is inexpensive, Prague has lots of history and the city didn't suffer much damage from World War II, and Prague's central location in Europe makes it fairly convenient to travel to other places in Europe. Ideally the program would start about a week earlier and end about a week later. The professors are generally great but make sure you clarify their academic expectations for assignments. Overall the work load is very manageable except during the universal workload waves during midterms and finals. If the program were to spread the work out a little more and not have quite a narrow work-jammed finals period right on the last couple of days.

A kind of fun fact about my study abroad experience is that I knew absolutely nobody because I had to petition to my university's study abroad center so I would be able to do my particular program. I chose my particular program because I wanted to be able to have an experience that revolved around Italian Renaissance art, but wanted to be able to spend a whole semester in Italy as opposed to a few weeks during the summer. My program was perfect for an immersive experience, but the school itself was a bit rigorous with very limited absences permitted and lots of schoolwork. While the grades and schoolwork were a lot at times, I did feel like my art skills weren't pushed because I was one of the few art majors so instead of increasing my skillset in painting or drawing, I was treated as an example and didn't really improve. If I did have questions, my professor would do it for me which wasn't very helpful nor was having limited studio hours. I did enjoy having the ability to do still life drawings and paintings outside of class in the beauty of Florence, which was a unique experience I treasure to this day. Pros of this program were that our meal plan was "tickets" that acted as vouchers for a list of restaurants so we could properly try Italian food without breaking the bank, a range of activities to sign up for (like going to a vineyard to pick grapes or having appretivo with Italians), access to notable Italian locations (museums, architecture), three optional group trips within Italy (Siena, Venice, Rome) which also allowed time to explore the city, and great housing options that allowed one to feel like they were really living in the hub of Florence. I would do it all again in a heartbeat, mainly for the food and wine of course haha.

Studying abroad with AIFS was life changing and exciting. I studies abroad the Spring semester of 2021 and for the first part of the semester I spent my time exploring not just the magical city of Prague, but the surrounding cities as well. AIFS does a great job of planning activities for the students that vary by interests so there is always something for someone to be doing. In addition, AIFS highlights the Czech culture very well during orientation and shows the students that the Czech Republic is more than just Prague. I was able to attend great classes taught by brilliant professors and really explore all of the secret hidden gems of Prague.

After the first half of my study abroad experience, the COVID-19 virus began to spread. As the virus swept through the continent, AIFS remained calm and was able to provide every student with the support they needed to return to their home country safely. During such stressful times, AIFS relieved many of my anxieties. Putting the students safety and health before anything else, AIFS generously worked with students throughout the pandemic to create a safe environment for studying abroad.