AIFS Abroad Reviews

I think that the program was one of the best experiences that I have had! I loved walking all around Granada on my way to and from school. It was a long walk, but it's beautiful and fun to walk through the streets of such a lively place. I learned so much about culture and my language skills improved greatly! The AIFS staff was amazing and incredibly helpful. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone looking to get an experience in Granada.

Ciao!

If you to partake in a adventure with other students that will allow you explore 3,000 years of history to experience the life, culture, and all aspects of the Romanian society. Would I go again? I would go again in a heart beat and I even have talked about a reunion with the students from my program. Their is never a dual moment, the program has a different opportunity almost every night of the week. From the Ballet of Swan Lake, cooking classes, dinner night with Romanians, wine night, Happy Hour with the AIFS staff, tours, group dinners, the extensive meal ticket package, the weekend gateways (well worth it), many more events that would take to long to write, and of course, the amazing Director Rosanna Graziani.

The experience was so amazing even though I did lose my luggage in which Ms. Graziani helped me receive it back.

I highly recommend going to Victoria University of Wellington. The classes are interesting and while I learned a lot, I would not say it was harder than my home university. The city always has something going on to the beach, shopping, mountains. I made some of the best friends in my life through the study abroad experience. New Zealand truly is one of the most beautiful countries in the world especially Wellington. Wellington is easy enough to get around through the transportation and was always very safe. The housing that Victoria University offers is very different depending on if you want a house, apartment or dorm. There are various housing locations throughout the whole city. Victoria also has student activities and many clubs that students are able to join to make their experience the best imaginable.

I loved my experience with the AIFS Study Abroad Program at Richmond in Rome. They offered great support prior to departure and also while overseas. I never felt like they left us completely on our own, but they did treat us like adults making our own decisions and held us accountable which was a great learning experience. Housing was great, and I really loved all the apartments I saw while over there. The classes were different, but professors were understanding and good to work with. I also loved the extra stuff Richmond offered, and it really helped to immerse yourself in the culture. I also volunteered and that was a great experience. Overall, I could not have asked for a better program to study abroad with.

I was very pleased with my experience with AIFS. The staff over there was extremely supportive and helpful and they worked hard to coordinate great housing and activities. The academics could have been more rigorous with more courses that were actually in French and with French students. Also, there could have been more organized opportunities to interact with French students because almost all of our academic time was spent with American or other international students. The average day consisted of attending language courses that were tailored to the individual's level and these classes were shared with international students. In addition to the language classes, all participants had at least 2 additional classes that were spaced out during the week. I had two classes that met twice a week for 2 hours and one class that met once a week for 3 hours. Two of these courses were extremely informative and offered great opportunities to learn more about and explore Paris. After classes, students were free to visit the AIFS and hang out, explore the city, or go to lunch and dinner together. Though classes were important, the majority of the experience was available for exploration, fun, and a simple enjoyment of and experience with the city.

This was an awesome expiriance. The program was amazing and they allowed for the greatest time. School was fun and I learned a lot from the professors who really understood and appreciated the diversity among students. The location in Kennsington was unparalleled and made for easy access to the rest of London and to Hyde park. Worst part of the trip was leaving all your friends at the end. They will be friends for life!

I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested in visiting Ireland. There was a great balance of academics and traveling. I really feel like I experienced the full Irish culture.

I would always recommend AIFS because of the helpfulness of the staff and the planned excursions. AIFS took us there, showed us what we needed to see, kept us in nice hotel rooms, and kept us safe. This lovely group of people are great at what they do - they always have your back, AIFS is the program to choose.

I experienced the Intensive French program in Grenoble in the Spring 2009. This program changed my perspective on the world as well as enhancing my abilities in the French language. I know for a fact that I would not be as successful now in my field of study if I had not had the experience I had with this program.
I went into my program thinking I would understand everything immediately and become fluent by the time I left. I found out quickly how idealistic and unrealistic my expectations were. I did not understand everything, and it took a lot of work to get to the point where I could understand French fairly well. No, I didn't leave France fluent either. However, my time in Grenoble helped me so much in gaining confidence in my abilities as well as in my understanding of French culture.
The staff of AIFS were vary supportive in helping me throughout my time there. I loved how I could meet with my resident director, and she would help me think through the difficulties or misunderstandings I was having. She was knowledgeable and very supportive because she knew French culture and she knew how best to help American students struggling with culture shock or just trying to understand and speak French. She taught me how to laugh at my mistakes as well as how to view French culture in a different way.
The people of Grenoble were generally very friendly. You have to understand though that it is a different culture, thus, their way of engaging in conversation and making friends is different from that of Americans. However, most of them were delighted that I was trying to speak French and they would even correct me when I made mistakes. For example, I had a cashier at a restaurant correct my pronunciation and vocabulary from time to time. He told me to keep trying though.
The living experience was a great experience! I really loved my host family, and I still keep in touch with them. They fixed good French meals and Madame would tell me about the food and where the recipes originated. They were very sweet to me and a very large part of my experience.
Academically, the program boosted my understanding and abilities in French. A professor at my home university in Texas commented after I returned that he could see a huge difference in my progress from before I went and after I returned. Yes, the classes I took in Grenoble often did seem long and difficult, but it was worth it in the end.
I would highly recommend my program to anyone who is wanting to take some major steps in their abilities in French and in gaining understanding of another culture. This program will also give a student the opportunity to experience French culture in a daily life setting. This setting is the best way to better learn a language and a culture.

Studying abroad in Salzburg, Austria was by far the best experience of my college career. I met life long friends whom I would not otherwise have met. These friends and I were able to travel all over Europe experiencing everything it had to offer. Salzburg was a perfect place to study because of its central location and its perfectly preserved Alt Stadt. Salzburg is safe and there is something for everyone. I cannot speak enough about the program and the friends I have met. I recommend this to everyone I meet.

I would not trade this experience for anything in the world.