CIEE Global Navigator

Program Reviews

Chandler
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Trip to remeber

My experince on this trip was nothing but amazing! Exploring Berlin and the outskirts of Germany was just one piece of the cake. Other things involved us talking to locals, and local business people. There were lots of fun things like taking weekend trips to a city in the outskirts of Germany that was filled with cobblestone roads and the most beatiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. I can still remeber the taste of currywurst from the street venders and how we and my newly found friends would walk two blocks too our new favorite coffee shop “no need for fancy names.” Each day was something new and made an everlasting imprint on my lives and i’m sure everyones elses. Even after the trip I still talk to the friends I met in Germany. Even though we are scattered across the country we still skype and even send each others gifts.

What would you improve about this program?
Looking back on the trip there isnt much I would change. Each experince was real and lead insight on how a different culture lives
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Giselle
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

BEST SUMMER EVER

CIEE is a wonderful program that works hard to make sure every participant feels satisfied with their experience and become true global navigators. The staff members were as eager and excited as the students and CIEE did a really good job of matching students with their home families. I personally fell in love with my home stay family and I plan to visit frequently in the future. In addition, I made amazing friends that live throughout the United States and we are in contact till this day. CIEE not only makes sure that it's participants feel safe and comfortable throughout their trip, but they also make sure participants experience a diverse set of activities, all which help them understand the culture of Chile. My experience was amazing and I felt like I was part of a new family.

What would you improve about this program?
I think one improvement could be perhaps working on bettering the communication between CIEE and participants before the trip. CIEE assigns online assignments to all participants prior to the trip to make sure everyone feels comfortable transitioning, however I think CIEE should offer a section on what to bring to Chile and how to prepare for the activities.
Response from CIEE Global Navigator

Hi Giselle, thank you for your review. We’re so glad you enjoyed your summer program with us! Your feedback is very important and helps us improve our students’ experiences abroad. Typically, CIEE provides a site-specific packing list and a schedule of available activities for every program prior to departure. We will assess any updates to make sure the material we provide is crystal clear!

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Erik
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best 2 Months of my Life!

I would’ve never thought I would get such an amazing opportunity like traveling to China and live there for 2 months during my high school years! Attending this program was something that I’ beyond grateful for, it gave me the global awareness that I was lacking as a sophomore in high school. I have made lasting relationships and meaningful one throughout my stay. Studying abroad to Nanjing, China was honestly the best thing that has ever happened to me.

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Aceadia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Service In Santo Domingo

This program brought some of the best weeks of my life.
I was deeply well prepared by an educational program CIEE has you take before attending the program and got to know the people in my group really well.
There was a great balance between volunteer work time, tourist activities, and social time planned for each us all.
My host family was very kind, the maid always helped clean our rooms so that made life 10X better, and we always had breakfast, lunch, and dinner prepared it was always beyond delicious.
We would usually spend the morning in service, and then do something related to tourism or exploring the area in the afternoon, or take Spanish classes.
We went to a local school to play sports with kids, and really just have fun with them. It was really interesting to see differences in countries with the school system.
The best part of the trip was the three - day excursion where we went to kind of a resort like area and we had our own cabin rooms that were super beautiful. We had little waterfall pools by us all and there were horses everywhere! We got to go hiking, and see an area that Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed at. We got to help plant trees and chill at the beautiful beach. I remember going to places with little mini tiki huts, and hammocks, it was absolutely beautiful.
The trip was so fun, helping the kids out and playing with them was beyond an adventure, and I remember how I learned so much more about the world just by being in a different country. It was an absolute gift and an experience I'll never forget.
If you're looking to volunteer, grow, learn more about the world, life, and meet incredible people looking for more experiences, I 10/10 reccomend.
This was an amazing experience in my life that I am beyond grateful for, and I hope that you get to experience this too.
Post program, I was more driven to travel in the future because I now know how beautiful, fun, and fulfilling it can be. I now value a lot of things that are in the US that many countries don't have like AC in most buildings, and clean drinking water.
Some useful tips if you decide to go
1) Don't come in with expectations and be prepared for a whole different way of living
2) Sometimes the showers only have cold water
3) Their are A LOT of bugs in Santo Domingo
4) Be prepared to be around people a lot and try your best to socialize to have a fuller experience
5) If you try everything, you won't regret it! You have to get out of your comfort zone or else you're not going to be truly happy
6) Things on this trip WILL NOT GO perfect. If you complain, you'll only make it worse. If you accept it, and do what you can about the situation than life will be 10X better for you
7) Allow yourself to have more fun on this trip!!

What would you improve about this program?
I would say to have more volunteer activities that we can do that make a bigger impact. Playing sports with the kids was fun, but how can we do even more for them?
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Emma
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

New Experiences

When I first signed up for this program, I was nervous about it because I had never traveled out of the country by myself, and I had never been away from home for a month. Taking the leap to fly to Mexico with a group of other teens from around the states was the best choice that I have ever made, and I have no regrets. I grew so close to the other students that traveled with me, and I advanced my Spanish more than I could have in any class in the states. My host family took me in like I was part of their own, and I even grew close with my friend's host family. After doing this program I feel like I have a wider, clearer view of the world as a whole, and I am inspired to try more new things and travel at every chance that I get. The main tip that I could give to anyone considering doing this program is: take the leap, you will not regret it.

What would you improve about this program?
More games.
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Akvile
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

One of the best summers I had had

This was a delightful summer to grow and improve my knowledge in Leadership. All lessons were led by professional lecturers and there was a lot of practical tasks. For example, we had to work with Portland baseball team, analyze their image and make suggestions to improve the game experience. There was enough support provided to ensure quality work and fun experience. The facilities were amazing with locally cooked buffet meals, gym, beautiful Maine scenery. Overall, it was one of the best summers I had had.

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Emily
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Embracing the unknown

Thanks to CIEE and my wonderful host family, I spent a month fully immersing myself in a language and a culture completely foreign to myself. It was refreshing to be surrounded by like-minded students who also shared the same passion for language learning and were willing to succeed and fail with me. Through the moments that made me laugh and cry, I came away a far more open-minded, independent, and adventurous student than when I left.

What would you improve about this program?
My program struggled with enforcing the rules with a few of the students. It was a bit relaxed in letting kids do whatever they want in a foreign city where they don't know any better.
Response from CIEE Global Navigator

Hi Emily, thank you for your review. We’re so glad that you enjoyed your summer program with us! Your feedback is very important and helps us improve our students’ experiences abroad. We want to make our programs as safe and enjoyable as possible. Every program orientation includes time in which CIEE staff reviews program rules with the students. Our staff makes every effort to enforce these rules throughout the program. We will reinforce this again this summer!

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Arun
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

living in berlin

I had an amazing experience on my CIEE program, from an amazing team of staff, teachers, and awesome host families, the fun felt like it could never stop! I am unable to take german classes in my home town so thanks to this program i was able to learn a lot about a language i love! My host mom constantly went out of her way to better my day! From waking me up with a pleasant good morning and a cup of tea, to bring snacks to me and my friends as we studied in my room. Over the four weeks Sabine easily became my favorite part of Berlin, she made me feel so incredibly welcome and my hope is that everyone will have hosts like Sabine, because there’s nothing better than that.

What would you improve about this program?
my only suggestion is more thoroughly checking host parents, some of my friends had troubles.
Response from CIEE Global Navigator

Hi Arun, thank you for your review. We’re so glad that you enjoyed your summer program with us! Your feedback is very important and helps us improve our students’ experiences abroad. Staying with host families is an important part of our programs and often remains the highlight of our participants experience. CIEE staff vets all host families through a rigorous screening process and orientation. Sometimes, adjusting to a new family environment/dynamic can be a challenge, so we will make sure that the lines of communication stay open and clear for all students and families so we can mediate a comfortable program for all!

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Emily
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Seoul K-pop Immersion

I had never been that far from home so when I got the chance to study abroad in South Korea I didn’t know what to expect. As I got to the airport, I got to meet everyone else in the program and while I didn’t know them before, it felt like I had known them for years because of how easily we bonded over our love for korean culture. Spending a few weeks with the rest of my peers, I got to experience so many things like karaoke, spicy rice cakes, and I even got eat fried chicken with my friends along the Han River. Making so many memories with people I didn’t know, naturally led to us becoming not just friends but “Seoul Mates” and to this day, my trip to Korea continues to inspire me to be more curious and to embrace the unknown.

What would you improve about this program?
The length of the program can be longer because it didn’t feel like enough time.
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Raegan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My Experience Abroad

During my time in Santiago, Dominican Republic was AMAZING. I grew so much from there, not only did the children I mentored learned something from me but I always learned something from them. I took what I learned and applied it to my everyday life. Having GREAT program leaders also contributed to my trip, there was never a dull moment while with then and I felt quite comfortable with them and the people who travel with me were great, I still keep in contact with them and soon will visit them. While study Abroad, I got the chance to volunteer, learn about the culture and language, interact with the citizen and travel on excursions! One of the best parts that made feel right at home was staying with an host family, scared right? The total opposite, my host family was so welcoming I felt right at home, we cooked together, watched tv togther, and ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner togther, which gave me the tile to get to know them! I don’t think I would ever chose a difference program other than CIEE to travel abroad with, I felt really safe and the experience was GREAT!

What would you improve about this program?
Make some programs longer !!