AIFS Abroad Reviews

AIFS has left me with hands down the best experience of my entire life that I will never forget. Studying Abroad is always a great experience but going through AIFS has changed my life in the most positive way possible. The classes that were offered were all interesting and fairly simple to complete as long as some effort was put in. The teachers all spoke English (some broken English but not difficult to understand) The hours for the classes were great and all teachers were helpful and understanding. The staff at AIFS were always willing to assist me with an issues I was facing from homesickness, to health issues, to a reccommendation to a good restaurant. These people gave me a family away from home and were available 24 hours a day. A major positive that AIFS has compared to other programs (A friend of mine went through a different program and was jealous of this aspect) was that we had a 2 week orientation in a different part of the country where we took the language for 2 weeks prior to starting our semester. While there, I was able to meet and become friends with all of the students in my program. Other programs throw you into school right away and those people have seemed to find a difficult time adjusting and making friends. AIFS also includes a few weekend trips to see the country in which you are staying in and include great tour guides. These trips include transportation and stay. If I have one thing to say to anyone reading this, it is to GO ABROAD WITH AIFS. They have single handedly impacted my life forever.

My semester at UL was one of the best experiences of my life. Not only did I learn a lot about the culture, but I also learned a lot about myself. I stepped out of my comfort zone and experienced so many new things I never dreamed of.

While there I also made several friends whom to this day I still skype and keep in touch with most of them.

AIFS made my time in Limerick amazing and I've already started saving up to go back.

One thing I would recommend though, is have a lot of back up classes that will transfer back. I had issues with classes not being offered when I arrived. But the staff was helpful and we worked it all out.

I loved studying abroad, especially in a place that my school didn't offer because I was forced to make new friends and get out of my comfort box, which is what studying abroad should be all about. I loved being in Europe as well because there are a million places you can get to so quickly.

Studying at Stellenbosch through AIFS was an unparalleled experience. It was an opportunity that you really should not pass up. Although Stellenbosch is located just outside of Cape Town and on the outskirts of the Cape Flats it truly is something else. The AIFS staff is amazing. Hestea de Wet, or as the website calls her Mama, becomes a surrogate mother during your experience. Albeit a very hands off one, letting the student learn from their new environment. The trips that you go on this trip are unreal- be sure to take every advantage that you get. Although not directly through AIFS I had the opportunity to go Shark Cage diving, bungee jumping, and kloofing through the pristine wildlife that you'll visit on the Garden Route. All the while partaking in a full course load in intellectually challenging courses. (HIV & AIDS in South Africa, South African History, Public Theology in Post Apartheid South Africa, China and India on the African Continent, and Negotiating Transitions) Although these courses aren't offered every semester there are plenty of other challenging and interesting courses that Stellenbosch and the International Office has available.) I strongly encourage traveling to South Africa to anyone. It is a town that is going through an identity crisis and if you're looking to gain a better understanding South Africa and the societal impacts of apartheid it is readily apparent in the structure of Stellenbosch's community.

It is an experience that you will not regret!!

My trip to Istanbul, and the classes I took at Bogazici University, were absolutely the best thing I could have used my summer vacation for. Bogazici is an excellent school with all classes taught in English. The neighborhood the school and dorms are located in is a stunningly gorgeous part of Istanbul, and I never felt unsafe in or around campus. The restaurants around campus are delicious (I especially recommend Mutfak, right off Rumeli Hisar). The classes were academically rigorous, and the faculty was extremely knowledgeable in their fields. The community is extremely welcoming, but locals speak very little English, so a Turkish phrasebook can be helpful. Other things you need to remember to bring are power adapters for the outlets, standard European 2-prong. Overall: Amazing city, wonderful people, and a great school make this a program I would recommend to anyone interested in travelling abroad.

This program is fully focused on the student. The staff and faculty are excellent and do their very best to provide the students with an unforgettable experience with all aspects of living and studying abroad.

This has been hands down, the greatest experience of my life so far. I would do it again in a heartbeat! The entire staff, in the US, London and Granada were so helpful and interested in your life and interests. Every day I would love getting up and seeing what the day would bring. Adjusting to the different meal times took some getting used to as well as the language barrier, though most people in Granada were helpful and patient. The Universidad de Granada was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. The classes were also very interesting. I loved walking to class (about 25 minutes from my residencia) and going to class. The one thing I did not like in Granada, and I got used to it really fast, was the heat! Be sure you're ready to sweat a lot if you go in the summer! As soon as I returned to the United States (and I was not ready to leave at all!) I started recommending this group to all of my friends.

Getting the chance to experience life in Fiji and Australia is unforgettable. Meeting new people from different races and cultures gives me a whole new meaning of diversity, coming from an Historically Black college and University where the majority of the school population was black.

Getting used to the change in traffic direction, to experiencing church life, to even bein able to drink at the age of 18 was just a few things I experienced and wouldn't change for anything.

I would highly recommend this trip to anyone; that's how great of a time it was for me.

My semester in Hyderabad, India was an absolutely life-changine experience. As cliche as that sounds, the 5 months I spent in Hyderabad expanded my view of the world to a level that I didn't know was possible.

The school - University of Hyderabad is a really beautiful campus. It had a lot to offer that I wasn't used to coming from a small private school in the U.S. My classes were interesting and I loved being in classes alongside Indian students. It was fascinating to study various subjects from such a different perspective.

The culture - Indian culture is colorful, exciting, warm, musical, loud. India is immediately a sensory-overload experience. And I loved every second of that. The food was amazing - when else do I get to have Indian food every meal of every day for 5 months??

The program - AIFS was superb at helping me through every step of the process. They helped as I planned and prepared back at home. Then they provided so much support when I was in Hyderabad. Sumana, the Resident Director, became our Indian mother, always there to listen, give advice, plan activities, help us find things to do, etc. I felt supported and comfortable the entire time.

My biggest piece of advice for going on this program would be to remain very open-minded. Your experience in Hyderabad, and India in general, will be very different from life at home. At first it might seem overwhelming, but patience is key. I came to love living such a different lifestyle for a period of time. I made life-long friends and learned so much about India, the world, and most importantly, myself. I cannot emphasize enough how much I would recommend this program to anyone ready for the adventure of a lifetime.

I think the class schedule was great and allowed all of the students to travel on the weekends and get the most out of their time overseas. The way that the classes were structured gave us more of a voice and it was a discussion as opposed to a full lecture. The attitude of the Irish people is very laid back and refreshing compared to how rushed we are in the states. I would go again in a second so if you are considering it just go for it and prepare to have the time of your life.