AIFS Abroad Reviews

Immerse yourself in the culture of Catalunya! Inma and Saski made this program a success from start to finish! Global Experiences made this an easy process starting with enrollment, skills training, resume and cover letter building, through being placed in an amazing apartment with great roommates and fun excursions planned! My advice to anyone thinking about coming to Barcelona is to make the most of your time in the city and learn as much as you can! I was placed in a finance internship per my request and worked in a coworking space in the Gracía neighborhood. I met so many different people from around the world and learned alot in my internship. I worked for a FinTech Startup company that specializes in all social and copy trading platforms. I worked in the Beta Haus with 8 other GE interns who worked for other companies here. During your free time, make sure to explore new neighborhoods or "barrios", find new clubs, restaurants, bars, etc. Rent a bike, hike, run and find the hidden gems of Barcelona! You can never be bored in this city because there is always something to do. If it is within your budget take some weekend trips to other countries, but don't worry if you can't because Spain has so much to offer. During my time here, I stayed in Barcelona and found things to do every weekend. I planned a day excursion with a group of people and went to a winery, went to Barcelona Beach Festival, took the train to Montserrat to hike, and other beach towns. The train can take you anywhere in Spain so use it to your advantage. You should never be bored in beautiful Barcelona! Have fun and don't forget to learn some Spanish while you're here! Vale! Vale!

My time here in Florence was everything I had hoped for and more! I may have only been here for a matter of two months, but the amount that I've grown both personally and professionally has been immeasurable. Not only have I learned so many technical skills that I can use to market myself for future jobs and internships, but I've also had to become comfortable navigating a foreign country for the better part of this summer. On top of that, I've made so many close, amazing friends in both my office and my GE program, and I can't believe I only have a little less than a week left with them. This program has been absolutely amazing for me, and the program organizers have helped make this the best summer of my life. If you're looking for a chance to expand your work experience and marketability and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to actually live in a foreign country, then this is definitely the program for you.

Interning abroad with Global Experiences has been a life changing experience. The people I have met and memories made along the way will be something that I will always remember. I have gained so much independence from this experience, and GE provides just enough support and advice to help you when needed. To anyone debating whether they want to intern abroad, do it! It has been the best decision I have ever made!

My time interning in Florence is coming to an end in the next week and while I am so sad to be leaving my new friends, apartment and the city, I know that what GE has given me can be taken anywhere my career path goes. I have matured so much professionally. GE really does set you up with all the tools you need to succeed where ever you end up. Im walking away from this internship with an unforgettable work experience that will set me apart from the crowd when I look for post grad opportunities next year.

I love living in Florence. Interning in Florence has been such a unique experience that has allowed me to grow as a person and dive deeper into the culture. This has been one of the best experiences I've had in such an exciting city. This experience has helped me grow in the work place by being better at communicating more than I thought I even had to. This has also given me more confidence in the work place especially for when I go back home since there will not be a language barrier. This program has pushed me out of my comfort zone and has pushed me to be a better version of my self.

I spent my summer in Florence, working for a wedding planning company. I learned so much from my internship experience, got to see a new country and learn about their culture, and traveled all around Europe! It was an amazing experience and I would definitely recommend it. I became a lot more independent and had so much fun. Italy is a great location because it's just a train ride or short flight away from so many amazing places. I would definitely recommend taking a lot of day or weekend trips. Happy travels!

I had the pleasure of working in Upper concept store, a boutique/art gallery/event space in the 4th district of Paris, France. The coordinator at Global Experiences did a really good job of setting me up with a job I wanted - while there, I helped creative business & marketing strategies for the concept store. I felt very involved in the workplace and rarely had any downtime while at work. When I had time to myself, I made lots of friends in the program and traveled all over France and to Rome & Amsterdam. This was by far the best summer of my life! I would definitely recommend this program to anyone who is looking to do a summer abroad!

I am in my last 10 days of my Global Experiences internship here in Florence, Italy, and I feel like I have learned more in the past 8 weeks than I have in the last 2 years of college! Not only have I been able to apply skills that I already have learned, but I have gotten to experience just how different the design process is here in Italy, versus how Architecture and Interior Design is taught in the United States. I have learned so many new ways of using familiar computer programs, as well as having gained IMMEASURABLE professional skills, by actually working in an international office. I am actually excited to get back to classes this Fall so that I can apply what I have learned to my own design practice.
I applied for this Global Experiences internship on a whim, and now I can't imagine my life without having had this experience. And the staff at Global Experiences have made me feel like I am the only one here! The personal attention they give to your resume, portfolio, and language skills ensure that you are going to be successful, both in your internship, and in the real work world.

Global experiences exceeded all of my expectations. My goal before starting this program was to have a better idea of what I want to do with my future. I knew I wanted to study abroad before entering college, and I was so happy when I found out that I can get internship experience in the field I was interested at the same time. Global Experiences helped with every step of the process from the very beginning and until the end. They were always available to help with any problem whether it was about the internship or the location. I cannot thank GE enough for this once in a lifetime experience.

Salzburg, Austria is a criminally underrated location for a study abroad semester. It has been my experience that few Americans know that much about Salzburg and Austria as a whole, which is disappointing because Austria is rightly nicknamed by some "the hidden gem of Europe." However, I would recommend Salzburg to anyone who is wondering where to go for their study abroad location.

Austria is in the smack-dab middle of Europe, which makes traveling to other countries very easy and very cheap (I traveled to nine other countries during the semester, not including the trips I took around Austria itself). Austria is also gorgeous and is a good option for any nature-lover, as the country features the greenest meadows you've ever seen, plus idyllic lakes, mountains, forests, and old Byzantine cathedrals dotting its countryside. Skiing was a very popular and accessible option for several of the students in my program. Salzburg itself is chock-full of activities that are easy to reach via public transportation or by foot; you could eat breakfast at Cafe Tomaselli, which was Mozart's favorite cafe in which to compose his music (I highly recommend their ham and cheese omelets), or bus to Untersberg and hike the mountain, or visit the fortress in the middle of town, or walk around the Mirabell Gardens which were featured in The Sound of Music, or sit on the banks of the Salzach River to sunbathe or read between classes; the list goes on and on. Other students and I often visited the cozy Shamrock Irish Pub for Tuesday night karaoke or the Augustiner Bräustübl when we wanted a little night-life. Additionally, Salzburg has a more small-town, pastoral atmosphere than other popular locations; you could spend the entire 3 months in Salzburg without ever seeing a skyscraper. The people are nice and no-nonsense, and while you will have ample opportunities to practice German, almost everyone speaks perfect English, so the difference in language was not intimidating or difficult to overcome.

The American Institute of Foreign Study (AIFS) not only made this semester possible, but also extremely comfortable; the Salzburg team at home in the States and on-site in Salzburg was incredibly supportive, kind, knowledgable, and involved without being at all smothering or controlling. Take advantage of the excursions included in the AIFS Salzburg package (which include weekend trips to Vienna, Munich, Prague, Innsbruck, and Hallstatt - all absolutely beautiful locations). Also, AIFS offers a flight package that includes a stop-over in London on the way over to Salzburg after departure from the United States, which was a wonderful way to meet the other students in the program, become acquainted to traveling, and explore a fabulous city that I have always wanted to visit. AIFS Salzburg offers both homestay and residence hall options for housing, so students do not have to limit themselves to one or the other in order to study abroad. I chose the residence hall option and was assigned to live in Institut St. Sebastian, which is a still-operating church in the middle of historic Salzburg with beautiful living facilities, a five-minute walk from all cultural sites and a ten-minute bus ride from school. The residence hall options give students the ability to live with both American and Austrian students, and I became very close with the other students in my program as a result. Two meals a day are also included in the program fee and are put on an easy-to-use meal card.

The classes offered through the program gave me an opportunity to learn about subjects I never would have delved into on my home campus (I took literature, music history, art history, history of fascism in Europe and beyond, and a sociology course about contemporary Austrian culture). We spent several days outside of the classroom, walking around the historic city center to explore churches, museums, and even Mozart's birthplace during class-time. In the art history course, we took field trips to a dairy factory, a rug-weaving shop, and a family-owned shop in town that made Dirndl and Lederhosen. The classes are taught in English for the most part, but there are a few opportunities to take courses taught in German, and homework was mostly presentation-based with a few exams and papers.

All in all, AIFS Salzburg provides students with a wonderful opportunity to travel in a highly supported, structured way. GO TO SALZBURG. You won't regret it.