AIFS Abroad Reviews

Though I'm from a small town.. I have always wanted to live in a bigger city. That's the number one reason why I decided to study abroad in London, UK. AIFS was the first pick in terms of providers because they did a great job of organizing everything. As someone who didn't have a lot of family support along the way, it was important that I had support from my provider. AIFS allowed me to feel comfortable, while still giving me freedom to explore the city. It was like my home institution almost.

During my time in London I made a special effort to branch out and experience the city on my own. I heavily used social media and hashtags to find different things to do around the city like new restaurants, fashion week, museums, concerts, etc. If you are social media savvy I highly recommend using it as a resource!

Sydney is an amazing place to go abroad and to do an internship! There is so much to see in Sydney and in Australia that you will never be bored! I am happy that I chose Sydney and I really feel like I was able to get so much out of my internship and see so much that Australia has to offer. I'm so happy that I was able to have this experience and I really feel like I gained so much from my time here. The program director here is amazing and is ready to help you whenever you need it. The activities that were planned for us were great and I recommend going to as many as you can as it is a great way to get to know the people you are interning with and get to see new parts of the city and do activities you might have otherwise not done. If you are debating if you should do this program, don't hesitate because it is 110% worth it!

Very amazing program. If there was an issue it got solved very quickly and there was lots of exciting things always happening. I had never gone over seas before so going to Sydney was a very good choice for me. The accommodation was good, there were a few issues at the beginning but it got solved very fast. The food in Sydney is incredible!!! That is something I will really miss when going back to America. Global experiences always made sure we had an abundance of activities and our Program coordinator always responded as soon as possible if we needed something, as well as our coordination back in America. Everything about Australia is wonderful, and all the views are incredible. It is defiantly a place I will come back to when I’m older. So thankful for this experience.

Global Experiences was enjoyable to work with. They made the whole process super easy and smooth, making it easier to adjust to a new country. In the beginning, I was nervous to go through with the program since it was such an adjustment, but GE works with you every step of the way to make sure you are prepared and feel comfortable. The coordinator in Australia was amazing and made sure we were having a pleasant experience and we were getting the most out of our internship experience. The internship placement was everything I asked for. I learned so much from my internship and living abroad, I cannot wait to take what I learned and apply it to my full time job. I made so many amazing memories and friends in Australia and I could not have asked for a better experience.

Sydney, Australia is an incredible place. I had such a great time that I am staying for my whole visa! I met amazing people and have created some amazing friendships. I loved my internship and loved everything about the program. Everyone in this country are so nice and helpful. Transportation is super easy and you learn to love to walk everywhere because when you walk you always find new places and see new things! The food is AMAZING. Lots of healthy options and lots of açaí bowls! The beaches are wonderful and the weather is great! I wouldn’t change this experience for the world! It’s definitely changed my life and super happy that I get to live the Aussie life a bit longer! If you’re on the fence about it, just say yes!!! It opens you up to so many things!

I loved my whole experience in Dublin with GE! The application process was dedicated to finding out my interests, personality, and goals to find an internship that was perfect for me. I loved my internship and the amazing people I got to work with! The GE leaders in Dublin took great care of us if we ever had any questions or problems, and they held several events throughout the program to help us discover new events/places in Dublin and around Ireland. Living in Ardcairn House was also great - the staff were friendly, you're walking distance from city centre, and you get your own room! The GE team, the amazing new friends I made in my program, and my internship truly made me feel welcomed and I can honestly call Dublin my second home. I would definitely recommend GE and studying abroad in Dublin to anyone who loves culture, adventure, nature, and maybe a drink or two!

For someone who was studying abroad for the first time, AIFS made the process extremely easy. It was evident that the onsite administrators cared about the student's first and created programming with the students' wants and needs in mind. While it was difficult to find courses for my major (political science) if you are an art, history or other liberal arts major there will be plenty for you to pick from. This program was well catered to first-time Italian speakers/learners. One of my favorite aspects of the program were the on-site interns that were present in our everyday classes. The interns made it easy to connect with Italian culture as well as pick up the language. The fact that they were our age made them a lot of fun to hang out with.

I came into this program with the hope of finding a permanent job in the UK and live there for a while. Within the first few weeks, I was trying my best to impress my employers, and I was putting all I had into my work. The shock was after the first month has passed, and I started feeling like the corporate world is not for me and I do not ever want to be trapped in an office. Luckily, Carmen, our GE counselor, was by my side all along, providing me with guidance and valuable insights. I was extremely concerned with the way I felt about not wanting to have a one full-time job sucking the life out of me. We have had continuously long conversations on the train every time we go on one of the incredible trips she’s planned. She’s also arranged a coaching session one in person and the other one on the phone right before my big meeting with my host company to discuss future collaboration with them on a project I have been working on during the last two months of my internship. The company was impressed with the research I have provided and wanted to hire me as their representative in the Middle East and North Africa. I will forever be grateful for all the help and guidance I have received from Carmen throughout my internship. Now I can live anywhere I want and do exactly what I love!!

My time in Florence, Italy was an incredible experience I will never forget thanks to the American Institute For Foreign Study. They made applying and and getting ready for departure easy and seamless by walking me through the visa and passport applications, and by providing the option to have my flight to and from Italy booked by the company. That was such a relief for me because I had never booked a flight overseas before, another perk of having my flight booked by AIFS was a 2 day layover in London on they way to Italy.

After arriving in Florence, AIFS did such a great job helping students make the most of their time, they always had free or cheap events for us to attend like gelato tours, cooking classes, soccer games and even tickets to the opera. There were also many excursions included in the price of tuition, one was a week long trip to Rome and the others were weekend or day trips to places like Venice and Viareggio.

A cool opportunity I got to partake in thanks to AIFS was working as a tour guide at the Church of Santa Croce, this church was across the street from my apartment and is where Michelangelo is buried! All students at AIFS are offered the opportunity to partake in volunteer work, a friend of mine got to help teach children at a local school.

All in all I loved my time abroad and if I were to do it over again I would still choose to go with AIFS!

I am so grateful to GE for helping me take part in this incredible internship experience. It was the perfect segue from collegiate life to the professional world and I feel incredibly prepared for the future now. London specifically was a great place to work in and was just enough culture shock without being overwhelming. There is more to do than you could possibly imagine. With the tube running through every part of the city, it is incredibly easy to get around and see everything. There is so much history to take in and truly shows you just how young the United States is. Not to mention there is incredible food every step of the way. The cheap chicken shops are perfect for a quick snack, but should never be the goal. Highly recommend this amazing experience for anyone thinking about going abroad!