AIFS Abroad Reviews

My study abroad trip to San Jose, Costa Rica was the best 4 months of my life. In the time that I was there I hiked up multiple mountains and a volcano. I also made hikes to 6 different waterfalls in which I got to swim in 2 of them. I went to a black sand beach, many white sand beaches and a beach made out of broken seashells (I suggest wearing shoes, lol). I got to ride on more boats than I can count, a banana boat, a buggy, a zipline, and many busses. I also got to take 2 Spanish Classes that ensured you learn the language and 3 Elective classes that all applied towards my degree. My host family and the support staff (Karla and Catalina) were my specific highlight though. No matter what problems came up, my host family, Karla, and Catalina were there for me. Everyone in Costa Rica was so nice and I miss them everyday. If you love to do adventurous and sometimes adrenaline activating activities, Costa Rica is the trip for you!

This program was amazing. My internship was great, and the people I've met through the program have all become my best friends. Even though I'm not currently enrolled in university, I was still able to land an amazing marketing internship at a fashion label in Sydney. GE also did a great job in organizing everything so there was never a time I felt unsure about the program. The accommodation was also so much better than expected, and it's so nice to live right next door to all of your friends. Our group did some weekend trips around the country, to places like the Blue Mountains and even the Great Barrier Reef. Sydney is an amazing city to live in for a few months and I would not trade the memories I've made here for anything. If you're on the fence about going abroad, just do it! I could not recommend anything more.

Sydney is an ideal spot for anyone who enjoys good food, fun and a variety of different travel settings in one place. Definitely get a great "bang for your buck" as there are amazing hikes, beautiful beaches, the harbor, a bustling city, a number of parks, sporting venues, nightlife and so much more. Literally something for everyone. Sydney is such a diverse city and truly a melting pot of different cultures. I've gained so much from my internship itself, but even more from getting to travel with such a great group of people whom are now some of my best friends! Housing was great, support from our internship coordinator was great, planned weekend trips were great. An overall unforgettable experience that has helped me to grow personally and professionally!

I had an incredible experience working abroad in Florence, it has been one of the best experiences of my life thus far. Global Experience was an incredible company with helpful staff who set me up with an internship that suited my needs and future career goals. The company even sets up cultural events during your time in Florence for you to attend. The events are catered to learning more about Florentine culture and taking your experience beyond the local tourist spots. From the marble paper making to the Siena wine tour in the Tuscan countryside, GE did a fantastic job coordinating and creating the wonderful events. It was a great way to get to know your fellow interns and learn something new about Italian and Florentine culture.

Additionally, before the program began, I decided to pursue my own housing outside of GE. Even though this was my choice and out of their hands, the GE staff assisted me with recommendations on neighborhoods to live in. This went completely beyond their job scope to help a fellow intern find a safe living space and neighborhood. This assistance showed their dedication to their interns and the want to make their experience the best possible while abroad.

I would highly recommend this experience to anyone looking to work abroad! I had the absolute time of my life!

I had such a fantastic time in Australia, arriving at the end of August and staying until the end of November. Before coming I decided that I wanted to be more adventurous, and with help from the friends I made in the program, I was able to grow significantly as an individual. I climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge, took a trip to the Great Barrier Reef with my friends, bunjy jumped, even visited the Melbourne cup. I was able to do this and so much more on top of a dream internship planning events at the InterContinental hotel, where I helped tremendously and consistently had my opinions regarded and considered by my supervisors. An exceptionally wonderful first internship that taught me so much about the event industry. Exactly as GE promised!

Granada, Spain is the best location to study abroad and going with AIFS is the best way to do it. The help that you have in the city is unbeatable. From being able to go to the staff members for cultural questions, restaurant recommendations, or help with the language, they are always there for you. They were always so willing to help and they made my experience what it was. Also, the optional excursions are amazing. Being able to go to Morocco with a guide and my friends was something that I wouldn't have been able to do without this program. Also, my host family made everything feel comfortable and they treated me like I was their own. They helped me feel like a local and I'm so glad I chose to stay with a family. They also cook the best local food! Overall, this program was amazing and AIFS does a great job.

I was able to make so many memories within a few months because Wollongong has some of the best people, places and things to do. There was always something to do and something to experience. The area itself provided me with freedom to go to the city to explore, shop and eat great food. If I wanted a more outdoorsy feel I could simply walk a few minutes with a friend and hike up a mountain to see all of the city below us. If it was a beach day, then I would take the short trek (about 1/2 a mile) to the beautiful beach that was scattered with surfers and unlimited photo ops. AIFS made the study abroad process almost hassle free which allowed me to soak up as many moments as I possibly could.I grew so much within my experiences there and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Every international experience helps you grow and provides context for your own life and experiences. But none of my prior experiences have opened my mind quite in the same way that this program did!

I selected this program because it was on a continent I'd not yet journeyed to and because it fell within the guidelines of the research grant I was awarded that summer. While short (8 weeks or so flies by so fast!), I felt challenged by the classes and cared for by the staff and local students. That's right, I said local students! Getting to meet and spend time with locals is unfortunately not always a given during academic-focused programs, but this unique program uses a crew of local volunteers who take classes with you (this is their winter term, so they are giving up their school break to hang out with international students - so cool), live in the dorms with you, and help guide your transition to the new city. By the end of the experience, it felt like a private school full of international friends.

In addition to that component, two other things really stand out about this AIFS experience: 1) The option to take part in a Garden Route one week tour when the classes are done. Your classes are finished, you've made close friendships, you've had a unique culture experience and now you get to take it on the road for a week! So fun and solidified the friendships I had made in the previous weeks. 2) The classes are interactive, exploratory, and created to open your mind beyond the classroom. I am struggling to think of a single course I took that didn't have a field trip or cultural experience linked to it. Taking the class about HIV & AIDS in South Africa? Well, not only do you learn about how it is affecting the nation, but you actually go to a site where locals are working to create legal action to make the change and get to sit down with them. Taking any class about Apartheid? You are learning in a classroom where political decisions were made about this injustice and learning from teachers who participated in the first open elections. You visit townships to see first hand how that still plays out in today's society.

It's not for the faint of heart, but it will open your heart in a big way.

The summer I spent in London was easily the best summer of my life. The program advisor Carmen was so hopeful and always there when we needed anything, big or small. I met the most amazing people and got to work in a field I'm really passionate about. The city itself is filled with things to do, I didn't even have time to do it all and I was there for two months. There is so much opportunity in London since it is such a huge city. Their public transit (the tube and the bus) are super easy to navigate and fairly always clean. I traveled while I was there a few of the weekends since its so easy to fly or train to other major cities in Western Europe. I wish I could go back because nothing will compare to the friends and memories I made along the way.

Global Experiences in San Jose provided us an opportunity to explore an environment that was very different from what most of us were used to and in a way that gave us time to go explore on our own during many of the weekends (in addition to a few planned trips to places that were really unique and interesting). San Jose (and sometimes Costa Rica as a whole) was very different from what some of us expected and they were many weekends where we had really amazing and crazy adventures. We were able to explore so much, have so much fun and make lifelong memories along the way.

Besides our weekend and planned trips, we spent most of our actual time in San Jose at our internships. All of our internships were pretty different and unique (mine was an NGO working to organize girls' clubs in disadvantaged communities to prevent teen pregnancy), although some of us had shared experiences with similar work environments or focus areas. Our local coordinator, Mariel, was really helpful and really tried to set us up with the best suited internships but did so almost entirely with people or groups that she knew first-hand or second-hand or trusted would be great opportunities for us.

Mariel was very friendly and even organized a group-work day where we all went to a work-share area with a pool and shared about our work experiences and learned about each other, which was a great addition to our already-planned events. She also really tried to set me up with an additional internship in another field I'm really passionate about (i.e., indigenous issues) and although the opportunity did not pan out about because of lack of availability, she really tried to find me another opportunity on top of the one she had already set me up with, which was really generous and thoughtful, and I know future interns will be in great hands.