AIFS Abroad Reviews

I have so many memories from my time abroad that it is too hard to pick just one. If I have to share one though it would be that I learned more about myself and grew out of my shell while abroad. I met new friends from both the United States and from throughout Europe who I still keep in touch with! I love sharing my experience with people and relive my time abroad like it was yesterday. Going abroad is nerve racking and you have so many emotions running through, but once you're there all that goes away and you live in the moment and take advantage of every opportunity.

Living in London is amazing, the city and the people, incomparable. However it was hard going home (the dorm) to a single room. I was put in a single room tucked away in the corner of the dorm. This made it hard to make friends since everyone was pairing up with their roommates. Also, the food was terrible. I found myself spending extra money to eat out most nights which wasted a couple thousand of dollars.

I had the best time during this program! There were many times when I thought the program needed better organization, but I was also very thankful to have booked group times at museums and churches which allowed us to skip the absurdly long lines. The professor, Steve, was a really wonderful and kind man. My complaint is that his very soft-spoken voice was not ideal for trying to explain artwork to 40+ students. This was an ideal program for my first trip to Europe.

I loved Granada. I could walk anywhere I needed to go but always found something new to explore. There's something for everyone...shops, beaches, hiking, and nightlife. The program staff is the most helpful duo you can find. I felt at home.

December 1st, 2006, generally a wintery day to me, was sunny and warm and we got the chance to go picking olives. Two old gentlemen workers didn't think a bunch of females could work like they did and they grumbled in Italian about it. By the time we quit mid afternoon, they were impressed. Old doors were laid flat on saw horses, tablecloth thrown on, and a rustic lunch was served outdoors. These two old men were smiling, and although they didn't speak English, and none of our group spoke Italian enough to know what they were saying most of the time, we understood the camaraderie that grew that day as they kept pouring us more wine and offering more food. It is one of my favorite memories of my time in Florence.
I felt at home in Firenze. I felt safe. I felt like I could live the rest of my life in Italy and be happy. The best thing I ever did in my life was to choose Florence for study abroad.

Barcelona has so much to offer! Besides the wonderful Mediterranean weather, there's always something new to discover.

One of my favorite pastimes in Barça was exploring the Gothic quarter, which is full of neat shops, restaurants, and (perhaps my favorite) gelato shops!! You can find all of these throughout the city, but the Gothic is very Medieval!

Another favorite pastime was spending time in the Parc de la Ciutadella. There's a huge, beautiful fountain, ping pong tables (yes, people play ping pong outside in parks!), and plenty of shady spaces to lay a blanket down to read or do yoga. There's a huge pond in the middle of the park too where you can rent a paddleboat or find a bench to people watch or start a conversation with someone.

The FOOD is amazing!! Of course, not all food is created equal. If you use Trip Advisor, you'll find the gems! The mediterranean diet is considered the healthiest in the world. Enjoy every bit of it, too, because it can't be replicated back home. The Ensalada de Espinacas y Fresas was my FAVORITE!! It was probably the fresh, warm goat's cheese... can't get it like that at home. :)

Practice your SPANISH! The locals love when you converse with them in Spanish (or Catalan, the official language of Barcelona). I was barely past beginner level when I arrived in Barcelona, but the locals were generally very patient. I received better service, and learned more about the city when I did my best to speak Spanish. Thankfully, most people in Barça speak English if you have a limit to your Spanish fluency. It just targets you as a tourist, and if you're studying abroad in a country, it's respectful to learn their language.

What really made my trip worthwhile was that I tried something NEW every day. Whether it was trying a new food, exploring a new area, or stepping a little more out of my comfort zone. One of the most courageous things I did was travel outside of Spain by myself. European travel is super affordable if you're already within the EU. It's impossible not to make friends if you're a traveler (especially backpacking).

The biggest thing I learned from my study abroad experience with AIFS is that your experience is what you make it. Nobody is going to tell you what to do. The great thing about being in Europe is that you can easily travel from one country to another, within the EU. I wish I had planned more thoroughly!

AIFS Paris is a great program that I would highly recommend. The Paris staff was excellent and made sure everything ran smoothly. AIFS does an excellent job with host family placements as well. ILCF was great. The teachers were very helpful, and by the end of the semester, I could tell I had made a lot of progress.

My 3 months in Florence was a dream true! I would recommend anyone fresh out of college to intern abroad (especially Florence). I've lived at home my whole life and living in Europe has definitely enhanced my level of independence and has made me more worldly overall. The first month was great because I brushed up on some of my italian and had a lot of free time to explore the beautiful city of Florence. The last eight weeks were equally as great because I was working at a contemporary art gallery and learned so much. My employers were very kind and made me feel that I was at home. My favourite part about this program was that every week we had scheduled events with GE interns and our internship advisor Rachel. She set up the best weekend excursions in cities all over Tuscany and organized amazing activities in Florence. She made me feel very comfortable as she was always there whenever I needed her. Overall, the food, culture, beautiful scenery and amazing relationships I created along the way made this experience all the more wonderful!

I spent a total of 3.5 months in London and I wish that it had been longer!! To say that London is amazing is an understatement! My favourite memories from my trip would be the random excursions all over London I made with my new mates who were in my program! I really appreciated the variety of classes offered at Richmond University; I fairly enjoyed all of my classes – both the course content and tutors! Students get the chance to really get to know their tutors – who are always willing to help students if they needed it! This program is run through an American International University in London, which meant that they ‘acknowledge’ American Holidays, like Thanksgiving (there is still classes during the day, but they cook up a pretty decent Thanksgiving dinner in the cafeteria!!). A huge plus for this program would be the awesome Day Trips and activities that AIFS students automatically get to participate in for no extra cost – we went to Bath and Cambridge, we saw Wicked during Orientation Week, and we got to take a flight on the London Eye – in addition to group excursions around London that were open to any student at the University! While the program is a great fit for those who are going out of the country for the first time, it is not exclusive to first time travellers. If you are given the opportunity to study in London, take it! Seeing this city through the scope of a student is entirely different than visiting as a tourist. I would not have learned half of the interesting information or met the people I did if I had just come during holiday. The time spent there will always be a highlight of my college career :) Cheers!!

This program was the best experience I could have asked for! Located in the beautiful area of Kensington, there is plenty to do in this area! And I always felt extremely safe which is very important when living in a new area! With the Kensington Gardens, High Street Kensington and tons of shops and restaurants within walking distance, this is the place to be. Not to mention you are only a 10-15 minute Tube ride away from the center of London! The program itself was amazing too with a jam packed orientation week that includes a ton of fun activities throughout the city, helpful and friendly staff that make you feel at home, and interesting classes that take you out into the city! I would definitely recommend this program and am jealous of everyone who gets to do it in the future because I'm going to miss it so much!