AIFS Abroad Reviews

This place is honestly the best because of the location and the people! The university is so small it forces you to be friends with those around you and there is no better experience than Richmond The American International University in London! Like seriously I wish I could go back to my time in London because how amazing the teachers and daily life was. I got to go to 5 arsenal matches because of roommate had season tickets! Like seriously everyone you meet is a superstar and the tight net community makes the experience 10x better!

Have you ever dreamed of traveling the world? Of seeing places you'd never thought you'd see, meeting unforgettable people in one of the most beautiful cities in the world? I have, and I experienced it.

I found what I was looking for when I stumbled upon AIFS and their Prague, Czech Republic program. With their all-inclusive programs and optional flight package (which I took), it was easy every step of the way. Their unconditional support before, during, and after the program has been incredible and reassuring. I've met lifelong friends and took some of the best classes I've ever taken. I miss the city I lived in for 4 short months, and every day I remember the beautiful cobblestones and grandiose castles, the swans in the river and Letná Park. Thank you AIFS for the best experience I could have ever asked for.

I've also pasted my review for the semester classes program below as I've studied abroad in Rome with AIFS twice, once for the classes program and once for the internship.
When I returned with AIFS I wasn't sure if my second time could live up to the first, but it did! I was placed in an internship in an Embassy in Rome and attended meetings at the UN and met ambassadors! The Richmond staff helped me feel up to date with the other students despite me only taking 2 classes (due to the 6 credit internship) while the other students took more. This was a very enriching way to spend a semester abroad and I truly wish I could do it a third time.
Original review: I understand that study abroad being life changing is a cliche and I used to roll my eyes at it too! But then I did it, twice, both times through AIFS in Rome and I can truly say my life is changed. I went from a shy introvert who longed to go home after being home sick for 2 days, to suddenly someone with many friends and a new zest for life and desire to explore. The classes were scheduled to fit well with allowing for cultural out of classroom learning and the on site staff made you comfortable and were so welcoming. My experience was so incredible the first time, that immediately upon getting back to my home university, I worked hard with my academic counselor to make going back a possibility. I then returned to do an internship and grew even more. I cannot recommend this program enough!

I understand that study abroad being life changing is a cliche and I used to roll my eyes at it too! But then I did it, twice, both times through AIFS in Rome and I can truly say my life is changed. I went from a shy introvert who longed to go home after being home sick for 2 days, to suddenly someone with many friends and a new zest for life and desire to explore. The classes were scheduled to fit well with allowing for cultural out of classroom learning and the on site staff made you comfortable and were so welcoming. My experience was so incredible the first time, that immediately upon getting back to my home university, I worked hard with my academic counselor to make going back a possibility. I then returned to do an internship and grew even more. I cannot recommend this program enough!

I know the title of this is super cheesy but its true! Studying with AIFS made my experience so much more enjoyable. Their staff was there for me throughout the application process to pre-departure to my time in Prague to making sure I knew about resources they had as I returned to the states. The onsite staff became my go to people to ask advice about what to do in Prague to just having someone to talk to about the local culture. Prague is a beautiful city with a rich culture and history that not a lot of people know about. Through AIFS we had the opportunity to have weekly walks through the city from one of our onsite staff who has lived in Prague for a good amount of his life. The things he showed us and told us about are things that I will never forget. He really knew where the gems of the city were hidden. That is just one of the many things AIFS provided us. They also organized optional cultural activities, such as going to hockey games, ballets, or cooking activities, and optional weekend excursions where they set up all transportation and lodging in a different city with local tours and events set up with free time to explore on your own. I am so lucky that I stumbled across this program when planning my study abroad trip because my trip would not have been what it was without AIFS.

This trip was my first time outside of the country alone. I was terrified that I would get pickpocketed and that I wouldn't know how to get around. Totally false! I never got pickpocketed and learned the metro and bus system like the back of my hand. AIFS made life so easy for me. They assisted in getting my visa. They arranged the flight and a small stop in London (for a small fee). They made sure I got to and from the airport when I needed and they even set up my stay with my host family. Living with a host family was the most incredible experience. I know for a fact that I learned more about the Spanish culture (and had much better food) than those students who didn't live with a host family. My family was humble and kind and they even welcomed me back when I came to visit the following Spring. Spain is full of kind people and is ultra safe. Do not hesitate to study abroad. And please, try a home stay out. It may very well change your life!

My experience was the best thing in my life. I found myself while in London. I have always been a social butterfly, but having the opportunity to connect with people from other countries and cultures was amazing. The courses allowed me to travel around the city and explore. This hands-on experience was the best way for me to learn. I also met lifelong friends in London. I loved the culture and city so much that I went back for another summer to study abroad. In total, I had spent 15 weeks in London over the past two years studying abroad. It still wasn't enough time for me. Every day I want to go back because it truly feels like home.

Hola! My name is Sammy and I studied abroad in Granada, Spain in the Spring of 2018. I went through AIFS and can say it was by far the best program I could have gone with. From the pre-departure process to my arrival back in the US, I felt that I was constantly helped with each new experience. As for the location, Granada was truly the hidden gem of Spain. Everywhere you go, there is something new to see and get to embrace so much of their culture just walking through their streets. I lived with a host family and loved every part of it. I felt so welcomed and like one of their family members. I was able to learn so much about their culture and traditional foods. I had classes from Monday to Thursday and this allowed many students to take up on their weekends to search more of the town or explore more within Europe. The campus I was in, also consisted of many other students from all over the world who were also exchange students. Aside from taking all my courses, I also was able to complete a little over 45 hours of my internship at a local hospital as a medical student. I had the honor to scrub in surgeries and closely work with the doctors there. It was by far one of the most life changing experiences for me to get the opportunity to have this internship as an opportunity. AIFS changed my life in every aspect and would do another program in an instant and will forever have a second home on the other side of the world.

I absolutely loved studying abroad in Budapest. My family is from Hungary so having a chance to connect with my heritage on this level was the greatest opportunity of my life. I completely fell in love with the city. I know it's cheesy to say study abroad changed my life, but it really did. It completely changed my career path and helped me learn more about myself and what I want out of life. My program was great! I loved the university and the classes I took, the housing situation was great and our resident director was fantastic! She was always there to help whenever we needed it. All the planned trips through the program were great (the optional trip to Prague was my favorite!) and so were all the little activities planned for us in the city. I also did the AIFS flight that included the London stopover which was really cool since I'd never been to London before. I lived with two other Americans in the AIFS program in a nice apartment that was really centrally located and about an 8 minute walk to the school. My experience with AIFS was really good overall and I'm really glad they gave me the opportunity to study abroad in my dream city. My only regret is that I didn't study abroad for the full year because a semester was not nearly long enough. If I were to go abroad again, I would absolutely go through AIFS (and I'm actually thinking about doing so this summer)!

I studied abroad in the Spring semester (Fall trimester in New Zealand) of 2019, at Victoria University Wellington. I was at their business school, Pipitea, which was an amazing school, truly, with state-of-the-art facilities and staff, and the secondary building was the old Parliament building so it was beautiful and full of governmental history as well.

Studying business abroad, in New Zealand in particular, was one of the most difficult semesters academically that I've ever experienced. I was definitely told going in that I should not take business classes outside of the USA, but I didn't really have a choice, so I ended up going against recommendation. However, though it was difficult, I ended up learning so much more about my field of study and how business is done in different parts of the world that was just so interesting that I don't regret my decision at all.

The program I chose, AIFS, was spectacular in that it truly provided everything I could have asked for and many things I didn't. My parents weren't so sure about my going abroad, but AIFS had such a tailored, all-inclusive program laid out that they were able to be more at ease and comforted in my traveling halfway across the world alone. In addition, the program for AIFS New Zealand is fairly small (there were only 7 in my cohort), so really they are able to pay so much more individual attention and we were able to do so many more things that couldn't have been possible if there were more of us.

All in all, my time in New Zealand and with AIFS contain some of my best ever memories, and I highly highly recommend this program to any and everyone who is able.