CEA CAPA Education Abroad Reviews

I had the most amazing semester in Barcelona thanks to CEA. The program staff was always available and helpful and the professors were knowledgeable and approachable. I was placed in a lovely apartment close to the program center, as well as many restaurants and shops, and CEA was able to accommodate all of my roommate requests. CEA offered a great range of courses and the professors are knowledgeable and truly care about their students. Overall I highly recommend this program to anyone looking to explore Barcelona!

My abroad travels were certainly worthwhile. I feel as though after living abroad I have a new found confidence as well as a changed global outlook on the world. I found internship opportunities through CEA which complemented my experience as well as my resume. One of my favorite aspects of CEA was their cultural engagement program, where the staff lead excursions to connect students with the Parisien community.

CEA staff made every effort to assist students in connecting with local culture. They did this through arranging housing among other french persons, arranging guest speakers, and arranging a variety of day trips and walking excursions within the city throughout the semester.

I felt as though the intensity and rigor of the courses I took did not align with that of the program descriptions I had initially looked at when applying for this program. I actually found the courses to me more intense than anticipated accompanied with more homework, research papers, and presentations than I though. However, the resources provided were beneficial to my courses and the cultural engagement requirement for each class (where students are required to participate in an excursion that pertains to the course material) I found to heighten my comprehension of course content as well as my interest in the Parisian culture. Additionally CEA Paris has an impressive range of professors with real world experience within their disciplines.

The administration here at CEA made every effort to acclimate their students. They did this through formal orientation programs and out of the classroom activities.

Living abroad can be a tricky situation however my living arrangements were very comfortable. In the event of a leaky pipe or power outage, the staff at CEA always responded immediately and helped my roommates and I to fix the situation.

Meal plan was not an option for this program. Paris however has an amazing range of things to eat so I never went hungry. Additionally, upon arrival, CEA staff coached us on where to shop for food, how to read labels, and inexpensive dining options that aligned with our student budgets.

I never personally had to see a doctor or go to urgent care while abroad. However my roommates did, and CEA staff were accommodating, discreet, and took the time to follow up multiple times with the students.

I never felt unsafe once while studying in Paris. My housing was in a quite neighborhood, people on the metro were civil, and because I was aware of my surroundings and tried my best to not stick out I was perfectly fine.

Though Paris is an expensive city to live in (like any major city) I found it manageable finance wise to eat, shop, and travel.

Every professor and staff member encouraged me to use and practice my french while abroad. I definitely think my language skills have improved since going abroad.

If i had to do it over again I 100% would. I learned so many practical life lessons that I would have never learned in a traditional classroom. The only thing I would do differently would be to sign up for an entire year abroad!

The only thing I wish I knew before this program would be the level of difficulty of some classes. For me, I knew only a small amount of french before going abroad and the level of french that I took abroad was probably too hard for me (but I managed :) ).

I decided to study abroad for one academic year in Paris through CEA during the '16-'17 year, and absolutely loved it. It was by far my favorite year out of all four years of my college experience and I cannot wait to return to Europe in the near future. All of my advisors through CEA were amazing, and helped me with everything I had ever needed when I was abroad. The education I received was great, though there was some confusion with what classes were available and which were not prior to my enrollment for the second semester. I was placed with wonderful host parents, though they were not always at home and were a bit more conventional, but I learned a lot from them in the end. I hope to continue keeping in touch with CEA one way or another and would highly recommend studying abroad with them!

Usually people study abroad in big cities, or cities that people always go to when traveling to Europe. Being in the French Riviera allowed me to explore the whole region as well as different countries, because of the accessibility of transportation. It was the best fit and such a unique experience studying abroad with CEA. They offered weekend excursions that other study abroad programs don't offer. There were hiking trails, swimming spots steps from my house and became a part of the Mediterranean lifestyle. The business school I attended had students from all over the world which was a life experience within itself. Definitley the greatest semester!

I am studying abroad for the Spring 2018 semester. I only have about one month left in Barcelona and it feels like the time flew by! I have had a great experience studying abroad with CEA. The support of the staff and professors is very helpful. Communication is great and if I ever have questions or concerns there is always someone at CEA who can help.

My favorite parts about CEA are all of the included activities we can participate in. The other day a group of us went on a hike to Montjuic, which is a big mountain in Barcelona. It was great to have a CEA staff member as our guide. Activities like this make my study abroad experience exceptional. Not all study abroad programs are as involved and supportive of their students. CEA does a great job with this.

I would highly recommend studying abroad through CEA to anyone!

This program was a great way to intern abroad. i study finance and was able to work for a bank in Ireland, allowing me to diversify my resume and gain critical experience needed to finding a job in the US. The support system with CAPA was great in that they were always on campus and around to answer travel questions of make recommendations. the classes were challenging but very useful as well. I would absolutely recommend this program.

I never expected spending a semester abroad to impact me on a particularly deep level; after all, my family travels as much as we can, so I figured it would just be a much longer version of that. I was in the rare position of being the only person in my particular CEA program, but not my location. This led to my developing three distinct groups of friends during my time in Grenoble, each amazing in its own distinct way. My friends from uni were a group made up of locals, the children of prominent international business-people, and long-term study abroad students. In short, they were the best and most interesting drinking buddies a girl could ask for, because where else will you get educated on Tanzanian ideas of respect and Taiwanese street style at the same time?
My CEA group felt, in a way, like home. They were all amazing, sunshine-y people who just made me feel at home during our weekly meetings with Patrick, the greatest program coordinator out there!
And to end it all, my host mom. This woman works night at day to keep her business afloat, supports two kids in collage, and yet finds the time to just sit and talk about life for two hours with a foreigner struggling desperately to keep up with her language. I cannot say enough positive things about my host mom, and about her many incredible friends that she was gracious enough to introduce me to.
The location might have been a selling point for me, but what really ended up having the biggest impact was the confounding range of people from different backgrounds I found myself happily surrounded by,

After living in Galway for 2 months, I can say that it is my favorite place I've ever been to. Galway has somewhat of a city feel while still having a small-town, cozy feel. I've become friendly with the locals and it's impossible to go into town without meeting a new person. Galway has a young, diverse population and is an amazing place to study. Everyone in the city is extremely friendly. I have easily made friends with several of the Irish students and joined clubs on campus.

I loved Costa Rica, and I know going with CEA was the right choice. I had a ton of support from the on-site staff, and I knew I could count on them. I took two months of advanced intensive Spanish and I spoke fluently by the end. I made amazing friends and I love my host family. Part of my heart with always be in Costa Rica.

Tips:
1. Pay for a checked bag to bring sunscreen/shampoo/conditioner - imported stuff like that is expensive in Costa Rica.
2. Don't be afraid to embarrass yourself speaking Spanish. The only way to learn is to try!
3. Visit Puerto Viejo, but stay in Punta Uva or Manzanilla, which are nicer beaches right next door. Puerto Viejo has good night life.
4. You'll probably end up eating some ants at some point. That's not a tip. I'm just letting you know.

It’s been a year since I lived in Aix-en-Provence for four months, growing roots in a city I long to return to every day with friends I miss so much. If you’re wondering whether this city is a good match for you, I’ll give you an idea of why I chose it: I was looking for a small city, a place where I wouldn’t feel lost stifled by tall buildings. I was looking for a place with those classically charming cobblestone streets, flanked on either side by boulangeries, little shops, and age-old homes slowing decaying but in the best way possible. Living in Aix brought those expectations to life and fully exceeded them. The blank shops and empty bakeries I imagined in my head before arriving turned into Jacobs, where you can get the best baguette of your life for just 80 centimes, or Joseph, for a tarte au citron (or, let’s be honest, any other stunning dessert in the display). Le garde Manger was a favorite too, for it’s too-cute-for-life balcony and killer quiche lorraine.
And I was actually able to get to all these places somewhat regularly because of my class schedule in the SUFLE program at Aix-Marseille Université. I only had class Monday to Thursday, and only for about 3 to 5 hours a day. My friends and I would go to a café in the afternoon and have a croissant and an espresso and read a novel for class or just sit and practice speaking in French.
Being in the CEA program made navigating a French University easy because I didn’t have to figure anything with class registration or anything like that.
CEA also did a wonderful job of keeping us busy with fun activities on those Fridays off, with everything from soap-making at a local savonnerie, wine tastings, or a drawing workshop in the Provençal outdoors with a view of Mt. Sainte-Victoire.
Overall, it was a great experience I wouldn’t change at all, and going there with CEA was the best decision I could’ve made.