CIEE Reviews

The program is designed for people who are interested in immersing themselves in the material and who are interested in their own personal growth, as well as group dynamics.

The program, while time intensive in the beginning, allowed for a variety of experiences. I had the experience of staying in a dorm with a Thai roommate, while also getting to stay in a variety of home stays in different provinces. I appreciated the mixed educational model of classroom time and peer facilitated spaces, while also gaining hands on experience. It was a transformative semester for me.

My summer in Korea was amazing! The list seriously never stops, and the entire day you just see so much. It's impossible to take it all in. But never fear, after an entire day of touring and being a tourist, they give you the entire night to do what you will with your time and money. The student helpers were key in having a great time, suggesting great places to go and how to play Korean drinking games (which are really fun). One of the great things about the program is that they pick a variety of students throughout the US, so you'll always find a group of people with similar interests who want to explore the same parts of Korea as you. But really, they give you so much time to just go out and do whatever, and if you're that kind of person who likes to walk around the city and talk to random people (when you find young people who speak English), it's a pretty awesome time.

They took us out for all of our meals, and they always took us to nice restaurants. So don't worry about not liking the food. You have to be curious! And it's not as spicy as they think it is. I mean, I could list the food, but they pretty much served us all the main food people think is Korean food.

This summer program, to say it in one word was amazing. Through this program, I was able to finally visit Korea, and it ultimately affected my potential future goals and dreams.

First, the amount of things we did on this program was incredible. Truthfully because of our early morning schedules (beginning around maybe 8/9AM) ending sometimes late at night, it got very tiring, but it was definitely worth it. We were able to see so much, such as Gyeongbokgung Palace, Insadong, Myeongdong, and even the DMZ, etc., check out Yonsei University, one of Korea's top universities, meet great people such as Hyunwoo Sun of the famous internet learning website "Talk to Me in Korean," as well as experience great shows and performances, such as a B-Boy show called Bibap. The list can go on and on. To top it all off we stayed at a very fancy hotel, located in the Anguk area, which is conveniently a walking distance away from Insadong, Hanok Maeul, the Jongno area, Gyeonbokgung Palace and the Blue House, Cheonggyecheon, Korean Tourism Organization, etc.

The staff were also pretty helpful, from when we left our site in the US to when we left. In addition to the staff, we had some AMAZING student helpers who not only stayed with us the entire day, but also even after our tours ended to help guide us with where we wanted to go in our free time and even joined us and helped us at the places. Truly incredible, kind helpers.

The thing that boggles me is that though there are a large amount of students who apply to this, there are not NEARLY as many as there should be, and I think it is because of how little information there is on this program. The amount of things you're able to do on this trip is incredible, and one of the greatest experiences you will ever have in your life. Please do not pass up on this opportunity. If you have passion about wanting to go to Korea (or even just wanted to see what it is like), you must go on this trip, as you will get a very good taste of what Seoul is like.

Why is Brussels the girl next door? It doesn't get the same attention as Paris, London, or Barcelona. It isn't as big or flashy, and it may not inspire the same degree of awe the first time you visit. Do not be fooled, though; there is plenty of awe to be had had in this city. A multicultural, progressive, and welcoming environment, Brussels is a city of leisure, culture, and peculiarity. The bars are open all night and they are packed with amazing beers and interesting folks. Also, a sizable contingent of the people who live in Brussels are not Belgian, which infuses the city with a global flavor. Vesalius College is modeled after American universities (though the workload is about 1/10 of American colleges!), and taught by competent English-speaking professors. 75% of students who attend Vesalius are European students who have come to Brussels to attend an American style college, while the other 25% are American study abroad students. Many professors were American as well. The campus is located on the VUB (google it) campus which really made me feel like a Belgian college student. Most people in my program elected to do independent living and loved it, while those who did homestays all had positive experiences as well. I lived in an apartment with one other American and it was spectacular. There are certain amenities you will not have in Brussels that you have in America, such as dryers or flawless internet. I found this to be charming, though, and I enjoyed cooking in my apartment. The public transportation is very effective, though closed between 2 and 5 a.m., and shops usually close much earlier than they do in America. The cost of living was relatively expensive, though not nearly as expensive as a city like NYC or London. Belgians are friendly, warm to Americas, well traveled, and proficient in English. I went over with no knowledge of French, as did many of my classmates, and survived just fine. Upon your arrival in Brussels I can guarantee you will second guess your decision at times. However, I can also guarantee that by the end of your stay you will absolutely LOVE Brussels. It is full of quirks and hidden gems, delicious foods and beautiful architecture, rich history and culture, and memories waiting to happen. Pick Brussels if you are looking to have a unique but wholly satisfying study abroad experience.

Great program - daily service created an enjoyable and meaningful experience while enjoying South Africa. Not only were we able to fully appreciate the social and cultural atmosphere of Cape Town, but we were also able to further our understanding of the issues that plague the society as a result of a tormented history with hands on experience. Engaging in the public health sector offered me a first hand academic learning opportunity that I would not have gained in the class room, or even at a hospital in the USA.

CIEE offers both an Arts & Sciences program and a Service Learning one. Arts & Sciences students are enrolled in classes at the University of Cape Town, while Service Learning simply uses their facilities for classes. The main staff is amazing and often plans cultural events. The best thing about the service learning program is involvement in local NGOs, prisons, hospitals, and schools. Students generally spend three days a week working with their respective organizations. Cape Town itself is a beautiful city with amazing sites to see, great restaurants, markets, museums, and an amazing social scene. Be prepared to experience a culture thats very different from what you're used to!

I did a study abroad program in Sophia University spring 2010 and I have to say it was absolutely amazing! There are options to dorm or home-stay and I chose to hom-stay since I thought it would be a great way to improve language (although I've heard complaints that some families tend to speak English to the exchange students so it defeats the purpose). Although I'm not going to lie that luck is quite important when it comes to host family assignment. My host family were great (yess!) - they were really friendly and chill, so if I needed to come home late or go on trips I just had to text them in advanced. And I still remember the delicious Japanese food waiting for me everyday after school :3. Speaking of food, I thought it definitely was one of the best part of the experience. The school is located at a very convenient location (really close to shinjuku) so lots of places to eat for lunch/dinner. And the cafeteria at school will always be a good backup for yummy yet cost-efficient Japanese lunch!
The school itself is one of the more prestigious universities in Japan so the academics were great overall even compared to US. Except for the mandatory Japanese language course, everything else is taught in English and there is a good range of courses to choose from depending on your interests/needs. Although the amount of courses are limited and may not be exactly what you're looking for sometimes. The school is also known for its English program so there are a lot of Japanese English speakers. One drawback is that if you're not comfortable hanging out with non-English speakers, it might be hard for you to improve your language. Many of us just attended the school clubs and circles to make local Japanese friends, and these club activities/friends are in fact the most crucial part of Japanese college/social life. I highly recommend joining one or two so it's not like you went on a 4-month vacation in Tokyo with your American friends without even knowing what real Japanese food tastes like.
The program staff were helpful overall as they do try to help make the most out of everyone's experience. There were weekend excursions to Kyoto and Hiroshima too depending on your length of stay. Since I stayed for a semester we went to Hiroshima and it was very educational and raised awareness and enriched our knowledge about the atomic bomb and local culture/history. Another thing is that the program fee was pretty high if you don't have financial aids/scholarships. But I think that's an understandable tradeoff for having any good experience.
Japan is known to be one of the countries with the lowest crime rates but I'm not saying it's guaranteed that everywhere is safe. However I've never personally experienced nor heard any bad stories in terms of safety issue. Some of us were even able to recover our lost wallets and other valuable items from the locals.
My only complaint would be the long commute each day. Downtown Tokyo is very expensive to live in so most residential areas are 1 hr or more away from where our school was. It does get tiring sometimes after a long day and you just want to go back and sleep. But you'll still have to go through the train/bus rides to get back. And one stereotype that I verified to be true is that Japanese subways ARE extremely crowded during rush hour and you'll just have to deal with it. However, it's not the worst thing in the world as long as you're not hungover.. I might sound weird but I kind of miss the crowded subways rides. And I still remember how amazed I was when I first saw that every single person on the platform just automatically formed lines when the trains approach so people can come out first then they would get in.
I had a great time overall and learned a lot about the country, the culture and even myself. I'm sure there are people who didn't have as amazing of a time for various reasons but it really depends on how you take it. It wouldn't be great anywhere if you're not willing to try and embrace the culture/differences when you're in a foreign country - no matter how nice your study abroad program is. So it is dependent on individuals but I think bottom line, this is a very good program based on the above facts. Of course, it's definitely wise to do enough research and compare horizontally to decide which program best fits your interest.

I loved the program overall, and had an amazing experience learning the language, culture, and being in a new place. The only thing I wish was different was the housing. They place you in homestays that are pretty far away from each other, as well as most of them are a far walk from school as well which I thought was hard, especially at first.

I loved Barcelona; everything about the city was what I truly wanted within my study abroad experience. However my experience was lessened by the academic setting of CIEE. For example, I took classes both in Spanish and in English. Classes such as marketing, (that I was taking in English), had powerpoint slides alternating between both Spanish and English. Luckily I had enough Spanish experience to be able to decode, but many students had trouble translating business terms from Spanish to English. Additionally, the classes at ESCi were horrible; you can ask ANY student in our program, not one was satisfied with their class at ESCi.