CIEE Reviews

If you love history, culture, food, new experiences, and new adventures unlike anything you could ever imagine-- studying abroad in Russia is definitely for you. I had been studying Russian language for two years before coming abroad with CIEE and I have definitely fast tracked my progress in the language in just one semester! The classes are small and focused on your individual progress and the professors are warm-hearted, kind, and most importantly dedicated to your advancement in the language. The academic coordinators serve as an incredible support system and they are ready to help you along the way whether you need a tutor because you've fallen behind, a tutor because you are blazing forward, or any other concern you may have. The program coordinators actively plan activities and excursions to keep you culturally immersed and out of your comfort zone in the best way possible, while simultaneously curating events such as Thanksgiving and helping you find the activities you love at home, abroad. If you're anything like me, you'll be a bit weary to commit to living with a host family but I advise you to take the chance! Living with a host family has been one of the most rewarding aspects of this program. My host parents were always encouraging me to speak Russian and they really helped build my confidence with the language. Every day we would share delicious meals together and talk about our day-- it really made me feel like I was part of the family. As someone who has also studied abroad in Paris, I can honestly say I prefer my time in Saint Petersburg-- I am so thankful to CIEE for their excellent organization and curation of this program, and the incredible professors, advisers, staff, and host families who make this experience worthwhile. Thank you CIEE!

If you are looking for an experience that will let you grow in more ways than you could ever imagine all while becoming fluent in Spanish, CIEE liberal arts in Alicante is the program for you! This program has allowed me to be more independent by stepping me outside of my comfort zone. Alicante is an amazing city to learn Spanish and immerse yourself in the culture. The classes in this program are all in Spanish which at first is daunting, but ends up being the best decision. I had so much fun my semester abroad! I am forever thankful for the people I met, the CIEE employees and I am proud of myself for allowing me to do something completely on my own without any previous friends and family. Anyone considering abroad in Spain should put Alicante on their radar.

This is a great opportunity to expand your horizons and grow a lot as a person. CIEE's direct enroll program at the University of Ghana is an amazing opportunity to study a huge variety of subjects while being well supported as an international student by the wonderful on-site Ghanaian administrators and UG students who will be your friends right from the start of orientation.
The university is located in Accra, the capital of Ghana, which I really enjoyed as as place to learn about daily life and Ghanaian food through a homestay, many day trips around the city, a wide variety of street food, and making friends with fellow students. It is also an international city with internet cafes and international restaurants that can help to ease the transition stress and homesickness of any abroad experience.

Moving beyond Accra is not difficult; you will have three CIEE-organized trips to various cultural sites around Ghana built in to the program. For the more adventurous, public transportation to and from Accra is easy to find, I have greatly enjoyed the independence, confidence, and experiences of traveling with a few friends on my own.

Through CIEE's cultural trips, my classes, conversations with Ghanaian students, and forming friendships with the other CIEE students of very diverse backgrounds, I learned so much about Ghanaian and West African history and present-day politics, especially with respect to the slave trade and colonialism, past and present. This is a critical topic for our time as injustice born of this history continues to dominate and oppress both here and at home. This program has given me invaluable new perspectives far exceeding the limited (and rather one-sided) information I received in school, and is understanding I will treasure and use for the rest of my life.

Traveling to Ghana has been a rewarding experience like none I've had before. I enjoyed it mostly because of my continuous interactions with Ghanians throughout my stay that allowed me to learn more about our understanding of each other's cultures as well as our cultural differences. Studying in Legon I've had the opportunity to try many delicious meals, explore the city of Accra (and others included in the program), and to create new international networks and friendships that I hope to keep up! Before arriving, I was skeptical about getting around, bargaining, and making new friends in a new environment where I knew no one. However, the overwhelming support of the CIEE staff here in Legon made it impossible for anyone to be lost or left out throughout the entirety of the semester! After arriving, I felt as if I had found a whole new family of friends and colleagues. There were some troubles and bumps along the way as is expected when in a navigating a new environment. Nevertheless, this semester in Legon has been unforgettable and I look forward to returning in the future!

The classes were difficult but I know I am walking away with a lot more knowledge not only from the university, but from all over South Africa in general. Of course studying at UCT was the most irritating thing because nobody wants to study and do school work when you are in such a beautiful place like this! There is always something to do here in Cape town, the list is never ending (good thing you have a lot of time to fit it all in!). What really made it the best time was the CIEE staff. They supported us from day one and always had the best advice on what to eat, where to go, and were extremely helpful in providing all of the information we need to stay safe in South Africa. I would definitely recommend this program for everyone who is looking for adventures of all sorts!

I loved my time in Cape Town with CIEE! I spent a semester studying at UCT. The classes were challenging but I learned a lot. UCT is one of the best ranked universities in Africa, and is known worldwide. The CIEE staff in Cape Town were so helpful and kind, they supported us from beginning to end and I made some great connections with them. Additionally, the staff were extremely helpful in providing all of the information we need to stay safe in South Africa. Cape Town is beautiful and had so much to do. You have a city, mountains and the beach all in one! I came to South Africa alone, without knowing anyone here, and left with lifelong friends who were also on this program. I would definitely recommend this program for someone who is looking to get out of their comfort zone!

Arriving in Cape Town for CIEE's "Fall Block I Open Campus," I was unsure what to expect. I felt ready to experience a new part of the continent (my family is from Kenya and I lived there for 10 years, but was born in the US) in a new light. After staying in an AirBnB the first night, I arrived in Rondebosch from an Uber across from the CIEE building. The first day there was great. Meeting everyone, from the staff to the other students excited me for the next 6 weeks. The first week was a learning curve with orientation and getting to know the 4 other roommates in my apartment. There were only 5 guys out of 18 in the program which is one thing I can say I was surprised about - but I suppose guys are less likely to do study abroad programs.

I took two classes, "Poverty, Development, & Human Rights," with the amazing Professor Nompilo, and, "Intercultural Communication and Leadership," with Akisha. Both courses were excellent, and all very discussion based. The only true busy weeks were week 3 and 5-6 as our midterm essays and finals commenced. Other than that, they were a good balance of work and experiential learning as we went out on excursions nearly every Thursday or Friday. It so happened that my classes were scheduled the same day, which was good and bad. The con was that it made for very long days with each class being three hours a piece with an hour or so in between, and the pro being the fact since classes were only on Monday and Wednesday, I had the ability to plan full day trips, events, and experiences without having to worry about coming back to CIEE on time for class. The other class offered, "Atlantic Crossings," I heard was excellent as well, with many saying it was one of the best classes they had ever taken during their time in college.

During our amazing study tour we embarked on to Muizenberg, Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope), Boulder Beach (African Penguins). Besides that, we also had numerous excursions to places such as Khayelitsha, Zeitz MOCAA, and others, and of course - we made sure to go out and have fun on our own. With the South African Rand trading in favor of the dollar (about 15.5 - 16 Rand = 1 USD during our time there), we were able to truly capitalize on all Cape Town had to offer. From Long Street to Sea Point, we visited many clubs, bars, and restaurants, with one of our staples being Stones in Observatory due to its laid back conversational nature. Personally, I was able to go skydiving with Skydive Cape Town (about $300 USD with the video/pictures - beyond worth it), visit the historic Robben Island, hike up Table Mountain via Skeleton Gorge (if you truly want to experience the mountain, this is the way - great day trip, but hard hike if you don't usually hike. There are easier routes like Platteklip) and Lion's Head, spend many days at the beach at Camp's Bay or Clifton, venture to Stellenbosch for an amazing full-day wine tour, and so much more. I did all of this and much more during six weeks, actually staying under budget.

Overall, I would do CIEE again if I could. It was so worth it. I made lifelong friends of whom I am already planning to meet up with early next year, was able to reconnect with myself in a way I didn't think I would, and was able to learn so much about a country that has been so successful but faced so much hardship. Even though I only did one block as I had to return to Seattle, I must say 6 weeks is just enough to fully immerse yourself in this amazing city and country. If you want to learn more about my personal experience, we sure to check out my 5 part VLOG series I made during my time there on my Youtube channel, Alfred Mugho - the link is below!

I always knew I wanted to study abroad. The problem was, how could I pick just one location? Then I heard about CIEE's Design Your Semester Program. With this Open Campus program, I able to switch to three different locations during one semester. For me, six weeks in a city is the perfect amount of time to study in a new city. CIEE also has weekend study tours to nearby cities. The tours always provide a well rounded cultural experience. I would highly recommend the Open Campus program if you want to see and experience more when abroad. They offer many cities around the world, but mainly across Europe. I picked Madrid, Berlin, and London for my semester. Each city, in its own special way, had so much to offer. I would highly recommend the open campus program if you can't decide where you want to study abroad.

I loved everything about my abroad experience with ALA Barcelona. This program does a fantastic job of balancing academic challenge with fun cultural activities. I had an amazing semester spent exploring Barcelona and traveling on weekends, and I improved my Spanish a lot. I think the biggest advantage that ALA offers is being able to take classes at the University of Barcelona. Unlike most Americans that study in Barcelona, I and the rest of ALA students interacted much more with locals. The level of linguistic and cultural emersion is much higher for this program compared to most others, and CIEE provides constant personal support to ensure that their students succeed academically. I think ALA students have the opportunity to really get to know Barcelona beyond a surface/ tourist-y level. In terms of logistics, ALA provides three housing options (residencia dorm among local students, apartment with other Americans, or homestay). The vast majority of students love their living situation, and each option has different advantages. I personally stayed in the residencia, and loved the central city location/ proximity to UB. Looking back, I would not change anything about my time in Barcelona!

The opportunities and memories I made in the CIEE program in Sevilla are going to stay with me forever. I made amazing friends, traveled to many locations, and even had an awesome internship with a very cool boss that I still talk to. One part of this program that I found really unique was the Morocco trip. There was concern that the trip was going to be cancelled due to high winds making the ferry ride impossible. With a stroke of luck and very bad sea sickness (totally worth it though), we finally arrived there. I am going to be honest here, I started doubting the trip before we went because it was such a daunting experience that I did not feel ready for. After the trip, I did not want to leave. CIEE had the perfect itinerary and we got to know a variety of people who lived there. I would not trade that experience for anything. To this day, it is one of the most eye opening experiences I have ever had. It brings a whole new life to what my mind thought Morocco was due to movies and other media. Morocco has such a beautiful culture and life to it that I wish I could share with others. It is one of those, you have to see to believe. If you are debating on CIEE, I say just go for it. I loved my program and it is worth it to take those leaps. If studying abroad taught me anything, it is that nothing is as it seems. Life is meant for you to push yourself into become more than you could have ever imagined.