AIFS Abroad Reviews

Studying abroad in Salzburg, Austria with AIFS was the best decision I made during my college career. Once I was accepted into the program, any questions I had were answered quickly and thoroughly by the AIFS staff both in Stamford CT and Ingrid, Suzanna and Andreas in Salzburg. My biggest worry was the travel to London and Salzburg but the staff made it so easy to find them and truly put me at ease once I arrived. Throughout my 4 months in Salzburg, I knew the office door was always open to any questions or concerns I had, or even just to chat and have some cookies! Salzburg is such a unique and beautiful city and you can tell that the people who live and work there truly love it and take pride in their home atop the Austrian Alps. My professors at the University were very helpful and understanding of our different academic backgrounds. It was extremely interesting to hear about topics such as the Holocaust and Fascism from an Austrian perspective and we even got to visit a concentration camp which was both horrifying and educational. While I had class four days a week, I still was left with plenty of time to explore Salzburg and all it has to offer and to travel on the weekends. The opportunity to study abroad and truly immerse yourself into a culture is truly once in a lifetime and choosing to have this experience through AIFS gave me the support and guidance I needed to succeed without being overbearing or too protective. I will forever remember the places I visited in Austria and the surrounding countries and I will never again make a group of friends with such a close bond as my friends from Salzburg.

This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! I studied abroad my junior year and met so many amazing people in my program from all over the US. I didn't take any German before going, but took German as one of my classes when I was there - it was very helpful. The other classes were fairly easy and I only had class from M-Th so it was nice for traveling on the weekends. (You also have to think about your main goals in studying abroad, because I was more interested in the experience/traveling rather than classes).

Austria is also centrally located so it made traveling easy to so many countries - I visited 10 the whole semester. The included trips were great and so much fun! I also loved that there was a 2 week spring break.

The housing was also perfect. I stayed at St Sebastian and it was close to everything - and walking here is not a problem at all because of the great weather and beauty of Salzburg!

The only negative I can really think of is how they did the meal allowances compared to other programs. Maybe they have changed this? I basically cooked all my meals just due to the cost of food/eating out. I could go on and on on how wonderful of an experience studying abroad is - Salzburg was amazing!

I would not say that it is crucial that you have a major in business or politics in order to learn on the program at all. But with that said, it might make it more interesting if you have a major in either of those subjects, something related, or have an interest in politics or European business practices or what is currently happening with the euro. I'm an international business major, and while I have many friends at home who I think would be able to understand pretty easily what was being taught, I doubt a lot of the ones with non-related majors really care about the history of the EU an the future of the euro. So I'd say if you are interested in the topic, go for it! Just know that most people will probably have a business, Economics or political science related major. This does not give them any advantage though other than possibly having more background in subjects that are discussed on visits and so they can ask better questions.

Like with any trip, it's really what you make of it! We had free time frequently, but even when we didn't in neat places that we might have only visited briefly, we found ways to make free time. You have to be willing to go non stop for a month. If you blink you might miss something! We would get up early sometimes before visits and go to museums and would stay up late in order to experience the culture in other ways. Some of my favorite visits on the trip were going to the British parliament in Westminster and getting to meet with a member of parliament and visiting the European commission in Brussels. It was a neat time to go to Europe with everything going on with Greece, the euro, and the EU. If you went this year (or anytime in the next few years I'm sure) it would be as interesting if not more because you'd be a part of so much. I felt like I was a part of history in the making!

Outside activities were too many to name. I can think of random things I really enjoyed, but also I remember the towns in general and really liking certain ones based on their individual cultures. Of course I liked Paris (but I'm a French minor), I also loved London even though it doesn't have the food culture that most other cities have, but what I really enjoyed were smaller towns like Strasbourg. It just had such a different feel but there was still a lot to see and do. What I would highly suggest is if there is something in a city that you want to do, don't let anyone stop you. If a group doesn't want to do something, go off by yourself and do it! Of course you have to do this within reason and be smart about this though. When we were in Paris, I really wanted to go to the Montmartre area and see the moulin rouge and the sacre coeur and nobody else did.. So I navigated the metro and went by myself. It was one of my favorite things, I think partly because it was a memory all of my own and it made me feel empowered.

But really, the people in your group are what make the trip or break it. The hard thing is you can't find out how everyone will interact ahead of time. I didn't know anyone before the trip. There were 17 of us and only 4 were girls! Our professor said normally there's a lot more girls than guys though. I became really close to a bunch of people on the trip and I even met up with 4 people in Chicago this fall for a little reunion. I don't think it would've been as good of a trip if the group hadn't gotten along so well!

So my overall advice: Go on the trip! Its a once in a lifetime kind of thing, and you get to visit places that you might never have access to go to otherwise (EU buildings, US embassy, etc.). Look up some background information before on the EU and the current happenings. And don't waste time; if there isn't anything arranged for a day, don't sleep in or just sit around. Go out and explore and experience everything!

Also, if I were to change anything about my experience, I would have stayed in Europe longer. While at first a month seems long enough, it went by so fast and there's still a lot of places we didn't get to see. Some people in the group went to other places in Europe before or after and I envy them! You already have a plane ticket over there, so might as well get a little more for your money!

Salzburg was the perfect place to study abroad because it is so cental answer I also liked that it was "off the beaten path". Also the cost of living was much better than in big cities such as vienna or london. The aifs program was great; I thought one of the best parts was that the group size was 36, which is big enough that you're bounid to find people that you really get along with, but small enough that you r eady get to know everybody without feeling forced to spend too much time with them.i would definitely recom
mend this program.

I absolutely loved studying abroad in Cannes - it is one of the highlights of my college experience. The people at the College are incredibly helpful and willing to do almost anything to make your experience the best it can be. The university housing is very nice - the dorms are clean and neat with more than adequate space. The classes, while challenging, are great. They require effort, but are not overwhelming. I had the most amazing study abroad experience I could have asked for, and made friends I still keep today. It was fun, eye-opening, and made me stretch myself and learn in ways I never before thought possible.

CSULB partners beautifully with AIFS to provide an excellent learning experience. I was able to attend four live performances in famous theaters around the city of London, all of Shakespeare's popular works. We even took an overnight trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, and saw the RSC perform Romeo and Juliet. Commuting every day from my home-stay in NW London was fun and easy on the Underground. I learned so much in such a short amount if time. Pack far less than what you think you will need! I made it 3 weeks on $700.00, but I wouldn't recommend it if this is your first time abroad... You won't be able to see everything you want. Study abroad changed everything for me. Truly an amazing experience. If you are a CSULB student go into the study abroad office and ask for Sharon or Maddy... Both have been on the trip and can tell you all you need to know! DO IT!

Spending a year in Florence through AIFS is easily one of the best decisions I've made in my life. I chose AIFS over my own university's program because they offered more choice in enrichment activities, living situations, and classes. You can choose to live in an apartment with other students, or with a family. I chose an apartment with other students, and was placed in a great area of town within walking distance to both school, restaurants, bars, and other activities. Our apartment was a good size, clean, and had everything we needed to feel at home.

The academics are obviously a part of the program, but they are not overwhelming, and I left the year feeling like I had learned more than I had in most of my regular courses at home, but without as much stress! You can choose among a good variety of classes that include language, literature, art history, fine arts, and many others. The classes are interesting and the instructors were very personable and easy to understand. My art history courses were focused on both local and international art, and we took frequent field trips to see in person what we were learning about, which made the course seem so much more relevant to my actual life.

The program also offers a lot of extra-curricular activities that you can choose to participate in - wine tasting, cooking, museum trips, weekend trips to Rome and Venice, soccer games and concerts to name a few.

I found it very easy to make friends in this program, which was great because I came into it alone. In the first few weeks the program hosts multiple gatherings at restaurants and bars to help you meet other students. I have kept in touch with many people from the program, and some have become my closest friends. We had ample time to travel (most weekends are 3 day weekends) and I felt like I had the perfect balance of education and adventure.

This program caters to a broad range of people.

Our Spring 2008 group had students who had never been out of the country and chose to live on-campus, while some more advanced French speakers lived in homestays or in off-campus apartments. The living options make it easy to tailor everything to your comfort and independence level. I was in an off-campus apartment, which meant more freedom, and being able to cook your own food. We had an amazing outdoor market in front of our place every week, so it was popular to shop there.

On-campus people had meal plans with the school, so they were a bit more limited. (Living on-campus also had a 2am curfew/lockout, so beware of that.)

My only words of wisdom are to understand that this is an American-heavy program. Since you're surrounded by dozens of fellow Americans in classes and housing, it's easy to bond with them and forget to explore what makes the French tick.

I'll always remember the night my friend and I were sitting elbow-to-elbow in this crowded Basque restaurant in the 11th arrondissement. The people next to me heard us speaking English and asked us how we liked France. We talked with them for the entire dinner. These kind of situations really made the semester memorable, and probably wouldn't have happened if we'd been a huge group of Americans.

Take advantage of the support and cultural activities AIFS provides, but remember to get out and break free from the group when you can!