Program Reviews

I spent the fall semester studying abroad in Paris with CEA CAPA, and it was easily the best four months of my life! I took all of my classes at the CEA CAPA Study Center, located in the Marais, one of the trendiest and coolest areas in the city. The staff was always so kind and helpful, and my teachers were so knowledgeable. I got to take a handful of fashion classes, which included frequent field trips around the city and guest speakers. I lived in the student housing in the 20th arrondissement, which allowed me to explore a less touristy area of the city. Paris has amazing food, art, and people. I will never forget the time that I spent there!

The CEA CAPA staff truly is the best of the best! They are patient, understanding, and so helpful through every step of the process. I have gained so much from studying abroad, and I never could have done it without CEA CAPA. Beyond the unforgettable experiences, I developed valuable personal and professional skills that will benefit me long after graduation. Living and studying in a different country helped me become more adaptable, independent, and confident in navigating unfamiliar situations.

Especially in terms of building a resume, studying abroad can really build it! By using a strong program, students gain international experience that demonstrates initiative, cultural awareness, flexibility, and strong communication skills—qualities that employers increasingly value.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience during the CEA CAPA French Riviera program! Our cohort was fairly small, around 30-40 people, so we all became friendly with each other quickly, and I made amazing friends during my time abroad. We were all assigned private student apartments across the city of Antibes; I was very happy with mine! I only had one flatmate, but it can range from 1-3 flatmates from my understanding. My building was secure with the exterior door fob-locked, but we were all in different buildings, so specifics likely vary.

CEA CAPA staff were friendly and made themselves available 24/7 for any questions or concerns. They always provided support when needed, and planned great excursions to Nice, Monaco, Grasse, and more!

Antibes is a beautiful city tucked between Cannes and Nice, so there is plenty to do in the area, and Nice has a well-connected airport for easy, cheap travel. Overall, I would highly recommend this program!

Florence is a very walkable, historic city that I found hardly anyone could dislike. Florence has a little bit for everyone, and CAPA's location were in beautiful parts of the city. They helped me get food, book trips, and were my home away from home. Florence is a very easy city for anyone to have a good time in! Being Italian American, getting to be in touch with my father's side of the family was amazing, It helped me answer questions about myself as well as help me grow as an artist in the most artistic place in the world!

I had a wonderful time in this program! The staff were lovely, and it was nice to have the opportunity to ask them for advice from academics to social plans to knowledge of the area. The center was a great resource to have both to spend time and to get to know the staff. CEA CAPA was generous and you can tell they really value exploration and learning about the area - they encourage you to travel, see the city, and even have projects getting to learn about different areas as part of your classes! The application process was smooth because I was assigned an advisor to me that I could contact and meet with to ask any questions.

I thought that CEA Capa in Rome was a fantastic program. It mixed getting a great cultural understanding of a new country with learning how to live, have fun, and learn in said foreign country. From going on weekend trips, to having group dinners, to playing in soccer tournaments, CEA gives many different avenues to enjoy time in Rome without having to do your own planning and spending your own money. Another thing that I really liked about CEA Capa was in the classes. A lot of the business classes helped me to understand how international businesses function and the projects allowed me to get hands on experience with international businesses.

CEA CAPA study abroad in Madrid was a program that made this one of a kind experience even more remarkable! Through creative, immersive coursework including museum visits, palace field trips, cooking classes, food and wine tastings, and tapas cook-offs, I gained a deep appreciation for Spanish culture and came home with lifelong connections both with locals and fellow students from my home university. The CEA CAPA staff and faculty were supportive, responsive, and genuinely welcoming every step of the way.

Studying abroad through CEA CAPA in Sydney ended up being one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. Going into it, I expected amazing travel opportunities and fun memories, but I didn’t realize how deeply the people and relationships would impact me.

One of the best parts of my experience was meeting a close friend group with locals and building friendships that extended far beyond just a semester abroad. I came into the experience knowing just my roommate from my home university, but by meeting new friends in Sydney, we got invited to one of their family farms outside the city, which ended up being one of my favorite memories from the entire experience. It gave me such a different perspective because we weren’t just visiting Australia anymore, we were actually experiencing real life and culture through the people we met there.

Those friendships didn’t end when the semester did either. Some of the locals we became close with even traveled with us to Bali afterward, which made the experience even more unforgettable. Then, the following semester, they came all the way to visit us in San Diego and stayed with us there. What started as random people we met abroad turned into lifelong friendships and relationships that genuinely changed my life.

CEA CAPA gave me so much more than a study abroad program. It gave me confidence, independence, perspective, and connections across the world that I still have today. Sydney itself was incredible, the beaches, the lifestyle, the travel opportunities, the culture, but the people are what made it unforgettable.

I would recommend studying abroad to absolutely anyone, especially through CEA CAPA. It pushes you outside your comfort zone in the best way possible and opens your world so much bigger than you could ever expect. I came home with memories I’ll talk about forever and friendships that still continue long after the program ended.

I loved studying abroad with CEA CAPA in Grenoble. I always felt highly supported by the onsite staff, they were very responsive to all of my questions about academics, housing, and local activity suggestions. The staff were great resources for learning how to immerse ourselves in the local culture. I also loved the excursions that we went on, it was a really great opportunity to engage in experiences I otherwise would not have had access to. Grenoble was amazing and I would highly recommend this program!

Getting the opportunity to study abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica, was by far one of the greatest experiences of my life! I got to live with an amazing host family, go on tons of adventures, excursions, beach trips, and explored all over the city of San Jose! I met so many new people, made so many new friends and got to really immerse myself in the Costa Rican culture which I absolutely loved! The city of San Jose itself had so so much to do including farmers markets, tons of cute cafes to study in, entertainment everywhere, cultural events, concerts, Christmas markets, and more! Almost every weekend my friends and I from my program took buses which were super accessible + cheap to the coasts and spent the weekends at the prettiest beach towns ever! CEA CAPA had a very supportive on-site team that provided help + support whenever necessary as well which was such a big help. I would recommend this program to anyone and everyone! Costa Rica is an incredible country and being able to experience it through CEA CAPA was a dream!