CIEE Reviews

There are way too many memories, way too many amazing things, to even consider writing them all down. So I'm going to cheat and say "check out my totally unironic and super interesting blog"! Yes, I hate those annoying self-promoting bloggers too. For real though, Tanzania is great, CIEE is great, everything is great. Don't let the words "Africa, malaria, developing country, etc." scare you.

I am a senior at Fordham University in NYC and have dedicated this past year to traveling throughout the UAE and Oman while studying abroad with CIEE at the American University of Sharjah. I had dedicated my entire year to researching contemporary Middle Eastern art as I met with artists through my painting class and at contemporary art galleries in Dubai. I had the opportunity to represent Leila Heller Art Gallery in Abu Dhabi art fair and Art Dubai and was able to bring some of my friends from classes to these fairs.

My experience studying with my CIEE group has been life changing. It has inspired me to further my interests in the contemporary art field. I just completed a Fulbright application which funds me to live in the UAE for a year to interview Emirati artists as they prepare for the Sharjah Biennial 2017. I aspire to become a curator of contemporary Arab art and want to exhibit these works within the Gulf and NYC regions. I am currently curating a group exhibition in NYC with Iranian and Afghan artists. I will be traveling back to the UAE this January to meet with old professors at AUS and to visit more artist studios.

After my first experience abroad when I was 17 and then a summer abroad as a foreign exchange student when I was 18, I expanded my horizons further by living abroad for my entire junior year of college through the University of Sevilla program in Seville, Spain. The University of Sevilla has agreements with many domestic universities for study abroad in Sevilla and I went while I was at Michigan State University. What makes this program different from some other study abroad programs is that all the classes we took were on campus at the University of Sevilla and they were all in Spanish.

Our group was fairly large and included students who were in Sevilla for an entire year, like myself, and others who were there for a semester. We all arrived in Sevilla independently and some on different days, and then had a collective orientation in Sevilla where we reviewed some cultural information but primarily studied intense Spanish. The perquisite for the program was some fluency in Spanish, which we all had, some to more degree than others. The intense Spanish classes lasted about two weeks, during which time we were all getting accustomed to living with our host families or arranging other housing.

Originally, we were all placed with families but we were given the option to find our own housing if we desired. I moved out of my host family after a few weeks and into a boarding house. After a month there I moved into an apartment with two other students in the program and our piso (apartment) housed several students throughout the year who were in transition from a family or other living arrangements.

Our classes at the University of Sevilla were amazing – they were all in Spanish and taught by Spanish professors. All the exams, papers, homework – everything – was in Spanish. This was not a sugar coated version of Spanish classes, but actual courses at the University – like an agricultural class that taught all the ways to get olives from olive trees….reading El Mio Cid and Cien Anos de Soledad in Spanish, with papers and discussions in Spanish. Assimilating into life at the University meant meeting professors after class in the bar for office hours to discuss homework or questions. We met many students from other programs but none of them had the classes actually at the University and taught by university professors. This program was the real deal.

While we studied a lot and worked hard at class, the social aspects of living in Sevilla were phenomenal. We had a lot of vacation and most of the students traveled all over Europe on break, as well as throughout Spain. It was a long year and when I was over we were all ready to go home. Sevilla is an enchanting city and the University was wonderful. On my most recent visit to Seville, I actually ran into the coordinator of the program. It was a blast from the past and reminded me of how small Sevilla really can be, while having so much to offer, back then and still today.

While most students go abroad to learn new languages and to explore new cultures, I chose to go abroad to rediscover my heritage. My mother and I last saw our family when I was four, so the opportunity to study abroad in Korea while fitting it into my academic schedule was a once in a lifetime opportunity. As a science student, going abroad can be unfeasible, especially in many non-English speaking countries. However, a summer term fit perfectly as it allows you take a small break but will not interfere with your academic schedule. CIEE also allowed me to live with my grandmother, which helped me make sure I was able to spend more time with her and my family. CIEE also made sure to expose us to Korean culture through cultural activities. We visited the DMZ, museums, temples, volunteered in the community, and attended lectures on Korean culture.

As for the university we attended, Yonsei University, it is a beautiful campus! It is located next to Ewha Womens University, another beautiful campus, and Sinchon, which has plenty of restaurants and stores. Since we only had classes four days a week, we took the opportunity to utilize Seoul's public transportation system to explore. The system is fast, reliable and there is plenty of instructions in English. When it comes to Seoul, it is a city that seems to never sleep and never runs out of things to do! Coffee shops and Karaoke are everywhere alongside department stores, outside markets, and clothing stores. After getting a taste of modern Seoul, you can glimpse into Korea's history by visiting the many museums, palaces, and temples throughout Seoul.

First off, the program is very well-organized, and there is a lot of fun excursions. You are directly immersed in Koç University, so there is a wide variety of courses that you can take and clubs that you can join. I got my scuba license while I was there and took some really fabulous classes with some wonderful professors.

HOWEVER, please, please, please, check the location of Koç before you go. It is literally located in the middle of a nature preserve, and it is a solid 1.5 hours into the city by public transportation. Furthermore, the public minibuses (dolmus) that take you up to the school from the end of the subway line stop running at 9PM, meaning a taxi if you want to stay in the center of the city past 7:30.

I love Cape Town! It is such an amazing city, however there are plenty of reviews on that. What I would like to warn future participants of, is CIEE. I am recommending Cape Town, absolutely not the CIEE program. CIEE is not a good program, please look elsewhere if possible. I haven't heard a positive thing about CIEE from a single one of the two hundred and something participants. In fact, everyone I have spoken with about CIEE is upset with them as well. I feel like I was lied to when signing up they were disorganized and unhelpful. They cancelled several of the activities (for example the summer concert AND Johannesburg trip) due to poor communication and planning on their part. CIEE ended up becoming more of an obstacle than a help during my time in Cape Town.

This program opens up opportunities for learning more about health care in a challenging and dynamic/hands on way. Botswana is a safe country and Gaborone is a growing city. If you are vegetarian, you will find lots of food to eat. Local cuisine is great! You'll love the experience if you like to travel between countries and go on safari's as well! Africa is such an amazing place and you'll find yourself wanting to go back to moment you come home.

During my time at the Sevilla CIEE study center, I was able to take interesting class that fit my two passions: teaching and Spanish. The study center is gorgeous and the professors were all very enthusiastic and willing to help you out in any way possible, class or otherwise. There are also always other Spaniards who work there hanging around to chat with or ask about anything. And not only was I able to take a variety of interesting classes there at the study center, but I also had the opportunity to take a class at the Universidad de Sevilla. All of these classes transferred back to my university in the United States, as CIEE is an established organization that has been working with many universities for a long time. My semester in Sevilla really was academically challenging.
The orientation process on-site upon arrival was also incredibly useful, not just showing you around the famous parts of the city, but actually showing you how to live and get around in Sevilla, so I felt prepared to get where I needed to on my own once the process was over.
With a variety of clubs, trips, and volunteer opportunities which are all already included in the cost of the program, I was really able to also get to experience many of the different parts of Spain and the variety of cultures which it contains. There were also many different events and activities sponsored by the study center to be able to meet Spaniards, make friends, and get to know more about the culture and community of Sevilla.

I loved my study abroad experience with CIEE. Some important things to know are that a majority of students are placed in families in Viña del Mar as opposed to Valparaíso (kind of the more upscale, suburbany sister to Valpo. It may be safer but has less character). Valparaíso is a great place to be a young person. There are numerous students around due to the multiple universities, and it's a great place to go out - whether you like clubbing or just finding smaller spots with music and wine. Valparaíso is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been as a result of the architecture, artwork/graffiti, hills, and the ocean. Public transportation is great. The social/political history is fascinating.

CIEE was very supportive. They helped me find a non-profit to volunteer with. The Chilean students who work for them had a major impact on my stay, inviting me into their friend groups, helping me choose classes, practice Spanish etc. All of my classes at PUCV were lecture based except for my Spanish and Chilean culture class (which was great). There's not a lot of accountability for foreign students in the university system in my experience, which was great because it gave us freedom to travel (where I learned the most).

My study abroad experience in Brazil was incredible. I really enjoyed taking classes with Brazilian students at an actual Brazilian university (though the students did go on strike the last week). The CIEE teachers were amazing, especially Professor Sergio.