Program Reviews

After studying abroad in Paris for a semester, I have memories that will last forever. When I started to get settled in during my first month, I realized that my experience was going to be whatever I wanted it to be. I feel like everyone has this overall perception of students going abroad and just traveling and partying. However, that isn’t what I wanted my experience to be. I wanted to come home from Europe having learned new life lessons and a different understanding of a part of the world I have never discovered before.

I came to Paris all alone not knowing anyone in the program, flew all the way by myself, and had random roommates. This situation worked out great for me because my roommates ended up being two of my best friends abroad and I actually got to meet new people who also go to the same home university as me. It was definitely a lot to soak in upon arriving but I think my openness and extroverted personality helped me a lot through the process. Something I was worried about when coming abroad was not being able to have a routine but surely after a few weeks I was able to get into one. I have also never experienced the level of independence that study abroad gives you. It was so liberating walking through the streets of Paris, soaking it all in and thinking to myself “Wow I’m fully just living in Paris right now.” But like I said, you choose how you want to live your life. I know some of my friends in different countries are always with people because they hate being alone. I personally have always been an independent person so I chose to be alone sometimes. This has definitely made me more mature and open to new experiences. Overall, some advice I would give to a student that is planning on studying abroad is that you don’t have to do what everyone else does. You get to choose your own experience so make it the best that you can for yourself. Try not to do the same things you would be doing back in the US when you are abroad. Get out of your comfort zone and explore.

I loved my semester in Dublin this past spring! I chose CIEE because my school did not offer a home base in Dublin but was affiliated with CIEE. My favorite things were st stephens green, Dun Laoghaire, Galway, Hugh lane gallery, the food, so many things! I do recommend this program but be aware of how small it is and the housing isn’t the best with staff but a good location. Please travel to Galway, cork, Howth, Killarney, Dun Laoghaire, Belfast, Kilkenny, and Sligo. There’s such a rich history to discover!

I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested in film or filmmaking! You get really good hands-on experience by working on three or more student film sets. The gear, mentors, and classes give you all the technical knowledge you need to succeed on those sets. The apartment-style housing is wonderful, and living with your classmates helps making friends a smooth process. Also, Prague is a great city - it has amazing architecture and parks, and it's relatively cheap compared to the U.S.

My time studying in Lisbon through CIEE has been an incredible experience and has taught me so much. Lisbon itself is an amazing city and gave me everything I wanted in an abroad experience, warm, by the water, city etc. The people were all eager to welcome me and my peers and educate us about the culture in Lisbon. CIEE was a great resource throughout this experience. The classes were insightful and the professors were all so friendly and educated. CIEE staff were all super helpful and caring and made Lisbon feel like a new home! My only issues arrived prior to departure where communication with CIEE was difficult and VISA process was tough but as long as you get through that the program itself was amazing. 10/10 recommend!

From traveling to other cities around Andalusia, Sevilla stood out the most to me because it has the best balance of fun places to go to with friends, a rich history and museums and affordable restaurants. My favorite part of being in Seville was exploring the parks after class and having mini picnics there. If you go in the spring like I did the weather feels more like fall and gradually becomes really hot, near the 90s and 100F, which I loved! Depending on where you stay, the university, Universidad de Sevilla is close and very easy to navigate since there are maps around and the people are very very friendly.

I studied in Sevilla my junior spring semester, spring 2024. I loved my experience. The CIEE program was very good at getting their students emersed in the culture and history of the city of Sevilla and the country of Spain. The aspect of CIEE that I most admired and thought was helpful, was their activities for the students. They had an activity almost every week that allowed me to learn more about Spain and it provided me with a way to meet more people in from Sevilla and from the CIEE program itself. I especially loved the day trips and tours that the CIEE provided. I have friends who are in other abroad programs, and the other programs do not provide them with any cultural and educational and fun activities. Therefore I am very appreciative and honored to have been a part of the CIEE program.

CIEE offers lots of immersive experiences throughout the semester while also running the program in a very organized way. There are program-funded weekend/day trips along with multiple activities students can sign up for every week to learn more about the culture. There are a wide variety of classes as well that are all taught by very qualified and interesting professors. The housing was clean, modern, and spacious. Prague is also a great city to study abroad with it being so cheap, centrally located, full of history, and fun.

CIEE Prague was a great experience! Having previously spent a semester studying abroad in Barcelona, I can definitely say that Prague may attract less people off the bat than sunny Spain but I would not write off central Europe! Especially if you're going in the fall when it's much warmer. CIEE did a great job helping us adjust to our new life abroad with orientation, neighborhood tours, and plenty of activities to meet new people. The included overnight excursions came as such a surprise. I couldn't believe that they took care of everything in such a way where we could still be independent while being taken care of.

CIEE Barcelona offered a wonderful study abroad program in Barcelona. The courses offered were related to academic work at my university, but students were never too busy with school work to go out and explore Barcelona's restaurant, cultural, and nightlife scenes. CIEE offered coordinated day trips and weekly activities for no additional cost that were also very enjoyable and a great way to meet more students on the program. I would recommend this program to students who are looking for an adventurous semester in Barcelona.

The best part of the experience was the ability to travel easily to countries all around Europe. Barcelona was usually a 2 hour flight from most countries and about 4 hours from countries that are further North or East. The program itself was great as well. The campus was located in the center of the city center and getting around wherever you want was very easy. Classes and teachers made it easy to travel, explore, adventure, and complete courses successfully. Professors encourage you to travel and see Europe and even ask you how your weekend traveling was. The pre-departure tasks were a lot to deal with the semester prior to leaving but once you're here, it's all worth it. The CIEE excursions were also great and well organized. However, there are very limited spots so it may be hard to actually go on them. Housing was also great for me. My apartment was located on the classic street of Consell de Cent. The apartment was big and in a great location. I had 10 random roommates and overall it was a great experience to get to know new people.