Program Reviews

Enjoyed it so much!!! Made so many new friends and saw so many cool sights! The instructor, Janis Mackaye was amazing in helping us process our writing and to open up to writing even more! Through experiences outdoors, we got to know Edinburgh like a local, with field trips almost daily, and opportunities to show and eat on the way. Downtime was plentiful, and free time was one of the best additions to explore around the city! Overall, the CIEE Session 1 High School Summer Abroad Program was perfect.

Rennes is a beautiful city, not as touristy as Paris, but just as rich in history and culture. I had a blast in my program Language and Culture in Rennes during June 2026. Even with a heatwave, we still had a ton of fun, made a ton of friends, and made memories that I will never forget. This is the perfect program to enhance your language skills in a place with less people than Paris. I myself wanted to go to Paris, but when I landed in Rennes I was so glad I picked this instead! This city holds so much history, it shows in the architecture of the buildings in place sainte-anne. The parliament and Opera hold hundreds of years of history in paintings and tapestries. Whether you want to see the history, explore the food, learn the language, Rennes is the most inviting place to go, the people are nice, its easy to navigate, and everyone can find a home in Rennes while strolling the cobblestone streets.

I studied in Merida, Mexico in June 2025 with CIEE on the language and culture program. From the moment I started my application, CIEE staff was available to help. They went above and beyond by calling me to ask additional questions about my allergies. Their attention to detail assuaged many of my fears about traveling as I knew the staff was prepared.

My homestay enriched my experience by giving me opportunities to practice my language skills and immerse myself in Mexican culture. My favorite memory of my host mom is when she taught me how to make empanadas. Spending hours with her in the kitchen gave me unforgettable memories and valuable knowledge.

Despite not knowing anyone when I went on the trip, I made friends quickly and spent most afternoons hanging out with them. Merida is very walkable and Ubers are cheap, so it was very easy to get around the city. We had student IDs and were able to get into some museums for free.

I attended daily language classes and we had cultural activities every day to deepen our understanding of Mexican culture. In class, we learned practical language skills focused on conversation. By the end of the program, my Spanish speaking had improved significantly because I had so many opportunities to practice. Whether I was taking an Uber, ordering at a restaurant, or talking with my host mom, there were many opportunities to practice my Spanish.

My favorite part of the trip was the overnight excursion to Chichen Itza. It was incredible seeing it in person as it had been on my bucket list for a while. We also got to see some cenotes, which were beautiful.

I would definitely recommend this program to anyone looking to improve their language skills and immerse themselves in Mexican culture.

I spent three weeks in London studying creative writing with CIEE, and those were the best three weeks of my life so far. I met amazing people that I continue to keep in touch with, I got to explore a culture-rich city (and came to adore it so much), and I got to learn about a topic I loved. Everything was so fun and organized and tailored to the student that I didn't really feel like I was studying; it felt more like a fun summer trip with friends!

I think studying abroad is something everyone should do, so if you're thinking about it, I recommend going with CIEE!

This summer I had the chance to go to Kyoto, Japan through CIEE’s High School Study abroad program. I attended session I, which took place during June. If you want to go to Japan, I recommend session I because it isn’t too hot and humid yet, and we also got to visit schools while they were still in session. CIEE offers really good scholarships, and the staff is really helpful and communicative. Student and staff mentors are also always available to answer questions, which helped a lot during the application process.

First, I will discuss the advantages of choosing CIEE from my experience:
- I was super impressed with the affordability of the program; although the upfront cost seems high, the money goes towards excellent staff and teachers, stipends for our host families, and stipend to pay for lunches and transportation — they also arranged really nice hotels for us during field trips and for when we first arrived.

- The language classes are high quality and supplement your immersion. I was placed in level 1, which is upper-novice/lower intermediate, and the language support was excellent. Our class was taught by a native Japanese speaker, and instruction was delivered in mostly Japanese. Although it was challenging to adjust to at first, especially since I had only ever self studied Japanese, I think that if your goal is to actually learn the language, then you are in good hands. For the language and culture programs, we are required to take a language assessment (STAMP) before and after the program to measure our growth. In just one month, my score increased from a level 2 to a level 4!

- College Credit: Most language and culture programs offer the choice of college credits (about $150). I HIGHLY recommend choosing this option, because you are pretty much guaranteed the credit even if you start knowing absolutely none of the target language. You can send apply the credit to your high school transcript, or send it to colleges when you apply.

- Immersive and educational curriculum: we didn’t only take language classes, but we also engaged in a lot of other activities to learn about Japanese culture and society. Some of my favorites of these was the high school visits and field trip to Hiroshima. The program does a really good job of align sure you are practicing your language skills and actually engaging with the local culture. We also got to do some volunteering at a daycare/elementary school that was super fun, and you can count it as volunteer hours. I made a lot of friends while abroad, some local and some also studying abroad. Everyone was super helpful, friendly, and enthusiastic about the program.

Now, I will discuss some negatives of the program:
- Transport time: Your host family could live as far as 90 minutes away from school, and since class started at 8:45 that meant waking up at 6am. I ended up living all the way in Osaka; 2 trains, a bus, and over an hour away. My roommate and I would have to leave the house no later than 7:00 noon order to get to school on time. Personally, I actually enjoyed the long commute. It gave me a long time to people watch and observe the landscape. There were also a lot of fun malls on the route that my roommate and I would frequently explore. The biggest drawback for me was that we had a curfew (I’ll talk about this later) which meant we had to head home really early, and didn’t get to explore as much as we wanted.

- Rules/Freedom: Like probably every other summer abroad program you’ll find, we had a LOT of rules. We weren’t supposed to go anywhere without our host family or a teacher, we had a super early curfew (7:30 for dinner), and we were expected to go straight home after school — no exploring. I understand why this exists, programs like this have a lot of liability and need to keep track of kids who are alone in a foreign country. However, it was a little frustrating as someone who is used to being very independent and loves to explore on my own. Luckily, my host family always took me and my roommate out on weekends, so we never had too many issues. It was a lot worse for other students though, because they were stuck inside all weekend if their host family didn’t want to hang out with them. They weren’t even able to walk to a convenience store down the street. While the program is very safe and does a good job of keeping track of you, it was a little too strict in my opinion and I felt like I missed out on some opportunities to experience life in Japan.

My Advice:
- I highly recommend doing a summer abroad. Even if you are not 100% sure, you can always apply and see if you can get in. Studying abroad gave me a new outlook on life, I realized that the world is a lot bigger than we think. I learned communication skills and how to navigate life in a new environment, abilities that will benefit me in all aspects of my future.

- While working on your application, reach out to an advisor or whoever you have contact to if you have questions. Ask them to review what you wrote and give you any suggestions before you submit, they are happy to help!

- Once accepted, try to complete the required materials as fast as possible, and communicate with staff if you are having issues (for example, I couldn’t get a health clearance before the deadline so I got an extension)

- Don’t pack a lot so you have room for buying new stuff, you will have access to a laundry machine and trust me you won’t need as much clothes as you think

- Bring a portable charger, or prepare to buy one when you get there (You can find them at Hands, Aeon, etc.). You will be out all day almost every day, and your phone will likely loose power fast — especially if you are using maps or taking photos.

- Bring a water bottle or buy one there!!! Again, you will be out ALL DAY and need to stay hydrated. In Japan especially, it can get really hot and humid so you need to be careful of heatstroke. In Kyoto especially there is no drinking fountains or anything, so you don’t want to be wasting money buying water.

My experience with the CIEE Spanish Language and Culture Program in Palma de Mallorca was overwhelmingly positive and truly transformative. Living with a welcoming host family allowed me to experience authentic Spanish culture, try new foods, and practice my language skills daily. Taking Spanish classes every weekday deepened my understanding of the language while immersing me in an academic environment abroad. Beyond the classroom, cultural activities and excursions helped me connect with the island’s history and people, creating lifelong friendships and unforgettable memories. This program not only strengthened my Spanish but also gave me a new sense of independence and appreciation for global perspectives.

My time during study abroad with CIEE was something I’ll never forget. It’s normal to be scared to fly on your own, but CIEE made it so much more acceptable and comfortable for me as we tracked with everyone else on a chaperoned flight. On your study abroad experience you are bound to make multiple friendships along the way which will make your journey so much more fun! I got to see plenty of Italian monuments and places like Venice, and the Duomo in Milan. Additionally, the experience with the host family completes it, families can be so inviting and supportive during your time abroad, I got to experience multiple memorable moments with them. Finally, if you go for language and culture you’ll be sure to learn so much Italian culture and the language, I was already speaking in three weeks because of CIEEs amazing teachers and engaging classes.

The program was overpriced. My daughter enjoyed her homestay family, but the daily commute one way was 1hr away from Tokyo city center, where the Language Center was. This was unexpected. The program was disorganized, their rep gave us the wrong airport information for arrival, as we booked our own flight instead of the highly recommended platform they use, which had additional costs. The program didn’t really have a lot of downtime for kids, lots of activities packed in. We were made to think safety and traveling with a buddy was a must, but soon realized that our daughter traveled to and from the activities on her own. Travel time could be over a hour. Initially my daughter told us that kids were getting lost for hours and crying. We understand about immersing in the Japanese culture, taking public transportation, but veering away from what was initially discussed at orientation about traveling with a buddy, safety and throwing kids in an environment they’re not familiar with shows negligence on the programs organization and outlook. When we insisted on speaking to the director, he downplayed our daughter getting lost from the group. It should be the group leaders responsibility to take head counts to and from an activity, or have backup plans in place when kids are separated from their group.

I spent four weeks in Kyoto during the summer of 2025 and I had a great time! From this trip, I've made lifelong friends with shared interests with which I plan to visit Japan with again! I also made friends with some locals in Japan such as a neighbor from my homestay and, of course, I also got really close with my wonderful homestay family! Not to mention I visited some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen such as Miyajima Island with my study abroad group or Himeji-jo with my host family, both of which I recommend if you visit Japan! Overall, I think this is such a wonderful way to visit Japan, learn some extra Japanese, and have fun!

My time in Seville was incredible and it was a really valuable experience. I had an amazing time, it was so much fun but I also learned a ton about Spanish, the culture, history, and traditions of Seville. I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested as it was also amazing for my sense of independence and I feel much more capable to handle the world and any challenges I face knowing I have already done something so character building. This program has helped me find myself and I would highly recommend it to any individual who wants to learn and grow as an academic and as a person.