CIEE Reviews

Before I start I will say a little about myself my name is Maddi Chinn and when I went into this program I was a sophomore at Husson University in Maine with a major in English Education. At the time I was 19 and had very little knowledge of Chinese. My main reason for wanting to go to China was not only to learn to language, but also to learn more about myself. My grandfather on my dads side is from China and I was hoping to find or learn more about where part of me comes from. Anyway, last spring I was able to study abroad in Nanjing, China and it was the best experience I've ever had. During this program I was pushed to every limit I possibly had, but I learned so much from it. Although my experience was a little different from my peers. One of the requirements for the program is at least 2 semesters of college level Chinese, but Ciee accepted me with only one semester. In the program there are tree types of classes A, B, and C, but after taking the placement test it showed I was not anywhere near ready to be in classes A, B, or C. So, in my case I was able to take an actual Nanjing University International course. I believe being able to take this class with other students that were just beginning Chinese made my experience more well rounded then my peers. In my NU class there were students from South Korea, Australia, Germany, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Poland, Peru, and Spain. I got to learn about so many cultures while learning Chinese. Another thing about this NU class was since everyone in it was a beginner it was easier to ask to for help or find an understanding of a word or phrase. To elaborate my peers, that I now consider good friends, had at least 1 semester of Chinese more than me, so it was harder for them to try and understand why I would have trouble on things that came to them naturally. Through this class I made twice as many friends and in multiple countries and I actually think I learned more Chinese at a faster pace in this class. I think that if all the Ciee students could participate in the international classes, like I did, they could get more culturally enlightening experience.
Ciee was also very accommodating with my lack of Chinese. Not only did they have me take the NU class they also got a teacher to give me a private class for the second period. That second class was very hard, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. My friends and I had the chance to actually volunteer teaching English to 3rd grade class of Chinese students. That experience solidified my decision to teach English as a second language in Asia. This is a little off topic, but it was a fun little story. When we were teaching we taught in groups of three in my group there was also my friends Hailey and Pablo. So of course the kids would call me Maddi laoshi, Hailey Huali laoshi, and for some reason they had a hard time saying Pablo so he became BaBa (father in Chinese) laoshi and we all thought it was the cutest and funniest thing.
The city of Nanjing itself is rather large, but that means there's always something to do and the food is amazing! There were two streets one we called food street which is closer to the main entrance to the university and one called Dark Ally. On dark ally they have a bibimbop (Korean rice dish) restaurant or in Chinese called Ban Fan. That place was one of my favorites, along with a place that one of my friends called Mom's. On food street they have a biangbiangmian place, so if you study in Nanjing you HAVE to try these places and of course get jianbing for breakfast.
Another fun thing that happened in Nanjing was when we went on our group trip to southern China. I got to see a completely different side to China. Also, as long as you provide information on where your traveling (and the hotels are legit and safe) the teachers allow you to go on weekend trips. With the semi- flexible schedules my friends and I went to Beijing, Xian, Suzhou, and Shanghai. These trips also include spring break! a group of my friends decided to go to Tibet for a week and I decided to go to South Korea and Japan. Being in China gives you a good starting point for these kind of short trips on the side.
A final thing that I learned the very hard way is to always recheck your visa! Once I was in China I had my visa changed to a multi entry visa, but because of my lack of Chinese and our interpreter was having trouble interpreting what the visa officers were saying I received a brand new type of Visa where once you return to China from abroad you have to leave 30 days after returning and then come back again for 30 days. Since this was not properly explained I overstayed by 24 days. So when I went to head back to America after the semester I was stopped by immigration and had to pay about $2,000usd to leave the country. Moral of the story always triple check your visa!
I could go on forever with this, but this program changed my life in many ways, it enhanced my knowledge of China, it allowed me to visit places I've never thought I would ever go, gave me some of the greatest friends I have ever had, and made me realize that I want to live the rest my life in Asia. So once I graduate from college with my degree in English education I plan to teach English in Asia and live there as much as possible.

This program was amazing. The staff was there to help whenever you needed it and hey were all so kind. They had ample opportunities for you to experience parts of Berlin, but ayou also had enough time to explore the city with friends. It's located in a perfect part of tthe city where it is very accessible to the Ubahn and various shopsx restaurants and grocery stores. Although you are surrounded by a makority ofther American students, you are so close together that you create a tight knit family.

Studying abroad was a decision I almost made on a whim. I had only left the US a couple times before and for brief periods of time, so the move to Amsterdam for four months was a big change in my day-to-day life. Going with CIEE was one of the better decisions I made. They helped a lot with the paperwork of applying to study/live in the Netherlands as well as housing and getting into classes, so I highly recommend them for that. The staff for CIEE Amsterdam are fantastic people. The second you arrive they make you feel so welcome. All of them are very knowledgeable and helped calm our concerns before arriving with two live-streams to answer questions and go over the agenda for arrival.

Upon arrival, you'll be picked up by some CIEE staff to take you to your hostel for a couple days of orientation. These first two days are a great way to make some friends and know some faces before you're thrown into the ISN introduction week. If I'll be honest, the ISN week was tough. I barely felt like I was settled before we were being taken all over the city 'til late hours. Sure partying is fun, but when you don't know many people and you have nothing setup in your apartment, it's a little awkward. Obviously the timing can't be helped too much and it's not CIEE's fault, but that was probably my only concern with arrival/orientation.

CIEE the program was great. The excursions are soooo much fun and well worth taking advantage of (especially the overnight trips!) Schiermonnikoog was my absolute favorite part of the CIEE Amsterdam program, hands down. CIEE also hosts numerous "clubs" that meet to try different activities, games, book discussions, or trying different foods. I didn't do too many, but the ones that I did were loads of fun (bouldering became a new hobby of mine). My CIEE classes were very informative and gave me enough to work with while not being overwhelming. Bonny and Annabel were my two CIEE teachers; both of them were great. Beginning Dutch and Intercultural Communcations gave me a perspective of Dutch culture that I greatly appreciated both in my time over there as well as post study abroad. They also planned some fun excursions such as visiting an authentic Amsterdam canal house or visiting a voting booth on election day.

I also recommend taking advantage of the weekend home-stay that CIEE offers (included!) If you're staying in a dorm, it's a great way to gain some insight into Dutch lifestyle and culture. My home-stay was in Arnhem, NL. CIEE pays for your train ticket and I ended up being able to stay with my host family for two nights. I got to see the sites of historic WW2 battles that were fought during Operation Market Garden in and around Arnhem as well as see the production tulip fields in Noordoostpolder in Flevoland. Homemade Dutch food was also a massive bonus :)

My UvA classes were alright, but generally I felt underwhelmed with them. Some of it was the difference in academic environment from my home university, some of it was my awkward "this isn't my major" feeling since I was mostly taking elective classes during my study abroad. Overall they weren't bad, just not what I was expecting either.

Housing was alright. The location couldn't be better (I was in Prins Hendrikkade dorms) which are just outside of the city center. The accommodations were slightly underwhelming. My kitchen came with nothing and had no freezer or oven. My room was clean and comfortable though, so I can't complain there.

Top recommendations for things to do while studying in Amsterdam:
1. Get a bike. Learn how to ride if you don't know how, but seriously get a bike. Two locks, two lights, and awareness of your surroundings and you're ready to go. Biking in the city is so much fun and soooo much easier than dealing with public transit (which is still pretty good here). I recommend either renting one or finding a decent used one for sub 80 euros (any more than that and you're just overpaying for four months).

2. Try the various cafes and markets in Amsterdam. Waterlooplein is a great flea market and I highly recommend Two for Joy Coffee Roasters, Sweet Cup, and Lot Sixty One for some great third-wave home roasted coffee.

3. Travel around the Netherlands! Europe is awesome too, but if you spend all your time planning a trip around Europe, you'll miss out on the amazing Dutch towns and cities. Delft, Utrecht, Maastricht, and Haarlem were among my favorite that I visited. They're super easy to reach by train, though if you and your bike are up to it there's also bike "highways" between all of the main cities in the Netherlands.

4. Don't be afraid of being alone. If you spend your whole time worrying about not being alone, you'll lose a lot of sleep over nothing. Find your groove and your people. Try new things. Studying abroad isn't just posting cool instagram pictures, it's a time to learn more about yourself and the world around you.

My overall feeling about studying abroad in Amsterdam (in general) is that I would do it again. I would've made more of an effort to put myself out there in the first few weeks and make friends though. I struggled being alone a lot in the Netherlands both in travel and in day-to-day activities. Being away from my support system of my family and friends at home was big challenge for me. If you decide to study abroad (in any capacity), be ready for this.

If you are looking to connect with the local students and practice your Spanish, ALA is the program to go with! When you take classes at the local universities, you are with local students and many are interested in talking and helping us with the classes. Also, CIEE has awesome interns, who provide workshops to learn about grammar or the culture, and they encourage students to speak in Spanish. The interns also invite students to get coffee a lot, which is a huge part of the culture. I still talk to these students even months after leaving.
If the idea of classes all in Spanish make you nervous, CIEE provides tutors for every class that you do, and they help you study or correct your grammar on papers. ALA also gives students some money to spend in Spain. I used part of the money to take Salsa and Bachata classes with a variety of people in Seville.

I remember it like it was yesterday. Boarding my flight from Paris to Rabat, I was excited and full of nervous energy. This being my first journey outside of my home country, I could hardly wait to step foot on Moroccan soil and meet my host family. Of course, some aspects of my eight-week experience worried me. For one, I didn't speak a word of Arabic. The language of sweeping letters and beautiful calligraphy was at once intriguing and daunting. Secondly, it would be the longest period of time I had spent away from my family, and with a family of a different faith than my own, during Ramadan, no less! As I entered my new home away from home, which was situated in the heart of Rabat's medina (the old part of the city) I was greeted with warm smiles and hot mint tea. It seemed we would get along just fine.

Thus began my two months in the magnificent Maghreb. Morocco chewed me up and spit out a completely different person. The at times grueling, but ultimately rewarding 6 hour school days provided me with just the rigor I needed to build a solid foundation in Arabic. I found myself speaking full phrases in mere days, and when I returned to the States, I had advanced to Arabic III. The excursions I took all enlightened me in unique ways. A trip to an Amazigh village in Marrakech taught me about the native people of the region, and gave me a new appreciation for them. The whistling dunes of the Sahara reminded me of just how small I was, and to be humble in all I do. The blinding white and electric blue of Chefchaouen gave me a glimpse into heaven- and a look at how I could coexist with those around me.

I always say this, but it bears repeating: The best part about Morocco is, by far, the people. Coming home to my host family every night and eating their mouth-watering cuisine (usually tajine!) was something I will never forget. This aspect of my trip was heightened during Ramadan, when, in the evening, the whole house seemed to be on the edge of their seat. In the pregnant pauses before the last call to prayer, signaling that the day's fast had ended, I learned an invaluable lesson about patience. The harira and dates we savored were manna to me, and I wasn't even fasting. In those dinners, I was also able to completely bond with the members of my family. After a while, I didn't even refer to them as my host family, only as family. On Eid, I felt a closeness that I had seldom experienced before or since. It was something I will cherish forever. The CIEE staff are incredible as well. They care so much about the students on the program, and bent over backwards for me multiple times. Between our sometimes seven hour conversations and the excursions we took together, I made what are sure to be lifelong friends. Moroccan kindness even extends to complete strangers, but who is really a stranger in Morocco? If you are willing to drink a pot of tea and have a meaningful exchange, you're as good as family.

The night before I departed, I sobbed uncontrollably. My family was right there with me, my host sister embracing me and crying with me. The bonds we forged will never be broken, and we still contact one another frequently. And so I returned, with a gift the new members of my family had given me, a more advanced understanding of the Arabic language, and a light heart. I had gained compassion, kindness, an open mind, and peace. I had lost my proclivity to anger, my preconceived notions of others, and my unnecessary worry and anxiousness.

My study abroad will be something I will keep with me for the rest of my life, and I will take the lessons I learned on it and apply them at home and elsewhere abroad. I could not recommend this program more.

This program was well-rounded in that it is academically rigorous while also focusing on cultural immersion and the overall experience of studying abroad in China. CIEE students are expected to speak Chinese as much as possible through small (4-10 students) participation based courses, volunteer teaching at a local school, and group activities, which means this program is not always easy, but you'll take full advantage of your study abroad experience, your Chinese will improve drastically, and you'll be able to speak intelligently to a wide variety of topics related to Chinese society and China-US relations. You'll have the opportunity to live like a local but explore and travel like a tourist, and you'll meet people that share similar passions and genuinely want to see you succeed. CIEE is a small, close-knit community of people dedicated to the success of the group and each individual. The teachers and coordinators are compassionate, supportive, and hard-working, spending time with us outside of class and getting to know us beyond class participation. The Chinese roommates, tutors, and host families are some of the most encouraging, patient people I'll ever meet, and the other CIEE participants shared my passions for learning Chinese and international relations. All of this made it possible to build connections with the entire CIEE community almost instantly. We traveled everywhere from Beijing to Tibet, deciphered Chinese menus (which are more difficult to read than you would think!), and spent hours in the study rooms together as a group, and these shared experiences have made us friends for life. I truly feel I have a second home in Nanjing, and if you're looking to study abroad, look no further because this program is amazing!

I enjoyed my time spent abroad with the CIEE program. The coordinators are very helpful and supportive during the experience. Mwalimu Paulo is the BEST Swahili teacher. I definitely got hundreds of opportunities to improve my Swahili and Paulo is very dedicated to his students and really pushed me to challenge myself. I would encourage future participants to research the country and really prepare themselves to embark on this journey. There is not a very rigid schedule during the day so be prepared to find your own fun and make friends on your own. I made tons of friends that I am still in contact with to this day. Overall I would recommend this program to anyone who is interested in learning about East Africa.

CIEE is an amazing program! The entire staff emphasizes that Rome is a unique cultural experience for the student, and the curriculum is built around this principle. Between the expertly crafted excursions and trips and the interactive classes, I cannot speak my praises enough. CIEE was not just taking a class in another country, it was an experience that allowed me to immerse myself within Italian culture and tradition. I learned so much about Italy, art, and myself through program.
I took an Art History course, and each interactive and hands-on class gave unique insight into the history, culture, and art of Rome. We learned about the pieces of art right in front of the original masterpieces, which surely beats sitting in a classroom.
The staff at the Global Institute is responsive and attentive, available for any reason and always full of insight and guidance. They understood just how amazing yet overwhelming the program could be, and were able to guide each student through it with carefully curated activities.
I especially appreciated the time allotted for personal travel and adventure. My favorite thing to do was just explore Rome and get lost within the history and architecture of the beautiful eternal city.
CIEE was an experience I will never forget. I learned more than I ever thought possible, and fell in love with a new place. I would recommend the program to anyone.

This is a great study abroad program. They offer a lot of support for students who have never been to India, or even those with minimal knowledge of the country. CIEE staffs are really good at making sure you are well adjusted and I encourage all the future participants of this program to really take advantage of the staffs, they can be extremely helpful. This program offers an excellent chance to see Indian university campus life and meet young people from all over India and from different background.

I completed the Russian Area Studies Program with CIEE St. Petersburg in spring of 2017. I had wanted to study in Russia, and specifically St. Petersburg, due to a fascination for pre-revolutionary Russian history as well as a love of Dostoevsky's classic novel Crime and Punishment. CIEE's program was the only program in St. Petersburg that was pre-approved by my university, so it was an easy choice. I had originally wanted to do the Russian Language Program, but since I had only taken three semesters of Russian, I didn't qualify for it so I applied for the Area Studies program instead. It was one of the best choices of my life. Not only is the city full to bursting of palaces, museums, and art galleries (not to mention the historically preserved architecture of the city centre), but the CIEE program was well organized and super fun. The staff was extremely helpful and approachable. Excursions--ranging from optional walking tours of historic sites to mandatory trips to Moscow and Pushkinskie Gori--were offered extremely frequently, often with tours available in both Russian and English. Although the St. Petersburg weather lives up to its reputation as unpredictable and often downright unpleasant, the days spent at the Smolny campus more than made up for the conditions outside. This program gave me the opportunity to live with a host family, improve my Russian, and learn more about this complex country and the city I resided in. I made tons of new friends and everyone on my program were super tightly knit. Although I have many favorite memories, one that will particularly stick with me is when we took a bus tour of the city during one of the very first days after arriving in St. Petersburg. It was the first glance we got at the city centre. As we were driving back to the orientation hotel, at barely 5pm, the sun was already set. We drove down Nevsky Prospekt, the main thoroughfare of the city. All of the buildings were lit up, and it started to snow. I realized that the city, although very good looking at all times, was most beautiful at night, as people bustled along down the sidewalks under the glow of the lights and the freshly falling snow. It was a good start to a fantastic semester.