Program Reviews

The CIEE staff were supportive and explained about tourist traps and safety tips. They were helpful with recommendations from bookstores, entertainment, and restaurants.

Barcelona is one of the best cities in Europe for nightlife due to the siesta culture. Like anywhere be safe about traveling at night especially as a female.

Public transportation is the best! The metro and bus was fun for first-timers like me. But, I mostly walked everywhere. It's also very accessible other to places in Spain (& Europe) like Ibiza which I took by ferry.

My homestay location was safe. However, think again about housing if you are a picky eater. But it did help my Spanish skills. Spanish food isn't everyone's favorite though. When going out I ate anything but Spanish food.

My favorite part about CIEE was the experiences they offered every week. My first weekend in Barcelona I went with my friends on a day trip to Sitges which is a small town on the coast of Spain. I did another day trip to Girona and Tossa de Mar. Both of these trips were coordinated by the CIEE staff and all we had to do was sign up and get to the meeting point. They also offered small activities during the week such as visiting the best tapas restaurants in Barcelona and going on cable cars up to a castle. These activities helped us feel immersed in the Barcelona culture, meet people and explore the city.

I had an amazing experience in this program, particularly because of the connections that I made. I lived with a host family and felt so welcomed by them. I got to practice my Spanish with them, learn traditional recipes, and participate in cultural activities. I highly recommend taking advantage of this housing option if you feel your language abilities are strong enough. I also made some amazing friends through the program who I still keep in contact with. Finally, the city of Barcelona had an abundance of cultural activities. I tried to go to a new place everyday, and was able to get through an entire month without getting bored. One of my favorite things was the modernist architecture all over the city.

By studying with CIEE, I was able to meet so many people from different schools who were in my program that became lifelong friends. I lived in a very nice apartment in Barcelona with 6 other girls. This helped me to really feel like I was living on my own in the city, but still provided me with the support of other girls who were in the same boat as me because it can be scary at first. Living in an apartment I was able to integrate into the culture while practicing independence. The two months that I spent there were the best two months of my life and I have the best memories around Barcelona. In addition to all of the fun memories, I also learned so much from my professors who were very qualified and from all around the world. The provided me with perspectives that I wouldn’t have found at my university in America. This experience changed my life for the better and I highly recommend studying abroad with CIEE.

Going abroad in Spain, I obviously expected to learn about Spanish culture and be immersed in the European lifestyle. But what I did not expect was to learn so much from my peers who were also study abroad students. From every aspect of study abroad I learned a lesson about myself, about life, about the world, and about others. It was truly an experience I will cherish forever. I grew so much as an individual in ways I did not expect. I left the program feeling more empowered and confident. My best advice for future students is to have no expectations and go with the flow. Always live in the moment, and take even the challenges in stride.

I really enjoyed studying abroad with CIEE! All of the staff members were so helpful and truly cared about our experience. The CIEE Center was like a second home for me.

Madrid is an excellent city to study abroad in -- tons, TONS of things to see and do. The night life is incredibleeee and there's endless restaurants and museums to explore. The people here are the kindest I've ever met.

CIEE made it easy to handle all the logistics of study abroad, especially the visa process, and I'm so grateful for their support! They also plan activities weekly which is soooo convenient. I can't recommend this enough! Study abroad changed my life!

I had a great experience through CIEE. I did their open campus program, so I studied in Rome for 6 weeks and Berlin for 6 weeks. While ever program has their little weird rules or policies, CIEE made my time abroad wonderful. You always have a three day weekend, so you'll have plenty of time to travel on the weekends. The professors are great, but there was a good amount of work in the Berlin Study Center specifically. There are a couple different housing locations, one is on campus where all of your classes are held. The others are about a 20 min Ubahn ride away.

With CIEE, I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend a whole semester abroad in Seoul. Coming from my college in the Midwest, a change in scenery was never a bad idea, and I'm glad I chose South Korea as my destination. I expected a hefty cost of living when I first came here, but I was surprised that it was way cheaper compared to the States. A decent meal only costs me less than $8, and the food was just too good. South Korea is also a good destination for traveling, with many tourist attractions serving multiple sightseeing purposes, from amusement parks (Everland, Lotte World), hiking (Mungyeong Saejae, Seoraksan, Naejangsan), shopping (Outlet Villages in Seoul, Busan). Public transport was easy to navigate and cheap. Going out of Seoul was also not too complicated with many options (KTX or flying are all decent options at reasonable prices). However, my primary purpose in South Korea was to study. My academic experience at Yonsei University was rigorous, but what I gained from those learnings can't be disputed. These courses were among some of the hardest I have ever taken, but the professors were tremendously helpful in explaining every small detail.

I have enjoyed my time in Sevilla more than anything! The experience has been very enriching. I got to live in a homestay and experience what a true life here is really like. I also enjoyed venturing into the center to participate in the social aspect the town has to offer. I loved seeing more of Spain through the events CIEE organized during the beginning months of the semester. The program itself was extremely helpful with the application process. They take the time to ensure that all of your forms and requests actually come to fruition.

A amazing experience to get out of your comfort zone and explore France and the history and culture of it. You are able to learn about different types of food and stories of Paris. As well as learning about the metro system and how to navigate public transportation to get just about anywhere. Paris is also great location to be going and coming from different places in europe the transportation is easy going and gets you to where you need to be. Taking weekend trips is also the way to go in order to explore more of Europe.