CEA CAPA Education Abroad Reviews

My experience studying abroad in the French Riviera with CEA exceeded my expectations in so many ways. Many students study abroad in big cities in Europe but my favorite part of this program was getting to live in the little seaside town of Antibes. I feel like I really got to know this little town and make it home for a few months. The best part is that Nice is only 20 minutes away by train and has everything a big city has to offer including an international airport so that it is easy and cheap to travel all over Europe on the weekends! The excursions that CEA provides are so fun and enable you to see things in the Riviera that you would never see otherwise and really helped me understand the culture! The CEA staff is incredibly helpful. Other students at our school who studied abroad without CEA were so jealous I f all the support and perks we had as CEA students! I can't say enough to describe how wonderful this program is! My daily life included runs by the sea, hanging out on the beach with friends, and trying new gelato and coffee shops.

I studied in Grenoble with CEA and loved it. The city itself is young and lively with beautiful mountains surrounding it on all sides. I originally picked CEA for its reasonable price and am very glad I did. The programs director Patrick was very welcoming and enriched the experience with his many cultural activities and great humor. I would definitely recommend this program if you are interested in France, the Alpes and a great learning experience.

I was a part of the CEA program in Paris of fall 2015. I had an unbelievably great time meeting new people, exploring an amazing city, and learning about life abroad. Being outside of the United States at such a sensitive time politically provided a truly valuable learning experience and gave me access to a unique perspective of viewing my country and my culture from the outside. The other participants in CEA were all extraordinarily interesting, and each and everyone of them challenged me to grow in different ways: intellectually, socially, and personally.
The CEA office is outstanding. The staff is genuine and sincere, and they are constantly on the look out to make sure you are safe while still granting you the freedom that makes study abroad so liberating. Weekend trips with friends were an amazing bonus of being in Europe, and during my time in Paris I was able to take trips to Munich, Cologne, Madrid, Barcelona, and London.
Paris is an expensive city to live in, so just be aware that while the program is reasonably priced as far as study abroad programs go, you will be responsible for ALL metro (60 euros a month), food, and recreational costs (with the exception of a few excursions).
The part I was most disappointed in was the academic aspect. I participated in the ICP (Institut Catholique de Paris) program in which my classes were exclusively in french. While I did love my professor and classes, I felt as though CEA itself did not adequately encourage french immersion or integration into french society. This is probably because many students there didn't speak much french and didn't consider language acquisition a main goal of theirs, but just be wary that if you are truly aiming to perfect your french to the maximum possible extent in 4 months, this might not be the program for you.
All in all, I had an amazing experience with CEA. Only word of warning to kids who are truly looking to maximize their french exposure: rent an apartment on your own and enroll independently in a french university, you'll learn more!

Living in Antibes on the Riviera for 4 months was unbelievable. The town is beautiful, quaint, and easy to find your way around. There are many great places to eat as well. It is very close to the airport and train station which makes traveling anywhere in Europe extremely easy. CEA's onsite staff are wonderful and always asking what they can do to make your experience the best it can be. Wonderful place to study!

Grenoble is a wonderful city full of history and fun. Patrick, the program coordinator, makes your trip the best with his support and general knowledge. I would go back in a heartbeat. My favorite part was our walking tours of Grenoble and drink coffee at one of the oldest cafés in France! Patrick will also take you to other cities in France and will make you feel more and more like a local. Get ready for a nice sized city, great public transportation and lots of activities!

Living and studying in Grenoble for four months was a great experience. I went through some important and life-changing growth during my time away. Our site director was a great presence to have around - super supportive, knowledgeable and always had something funny to say. The city itself was beautiful - the alps were always rising above you no matter where you were in the city. The school was a solid place to network and to learn about the importance of globalization in business.

Although there are no words that could perfectly describe my time with CAPA in Florence, I'll give it a shot. I had always planned on studying abroad in Rome, but somehow I stumbled across CAPA's program in Florence and decided to go for it. Little did I know that this would become the best decision I have ever made. I arrived in Florence knowing enough Italian to order gelato, but not much else. From pairing me with the best roommates I could ask for, to giving me an apartment that showed me what it was like to be a true local, and providing me with classes that brought the streets and language to life, CAPA did it all. It was impossible to complain about school when I was taking classes like, Exploring the Global City, Italian Cinema, and Italian. These classes and teachers allowed me to truly dive into the full Italian experience, while teaching me how to not only recognize the works of Botticelli, but also the proper time of day to order a cappuccino. Aside from giving me more knowledge than I could've imagined, the CAPA staff truly cared about each one of us. Whether it be gathering all the information of our weekend trips, or asking other teachers if we're doing okay after a poor quiz grade (sorry Professoressa), I always felt at home. Leaving Florence and CAPA was one of the hardest thing I've ever done, but thankfully they just provided me with so many more reasons to go back.

I had an amazing experience with CEA London. Cassandra was such an amazing program director. She would drop anything she was doing if a student needed something. She really went above and beyond her job description. I really enjoyed the trips and activities that CEA had planned for us, they were nicely spread out and really got us out into the community and country. Overall, I really enjoyed this program and would come back and do it again if I could.

November 13th, 2015 is a day I will never forget. After I heard about the terrorist attacks that targeted numerous locations, many thoughts, including well wishes for victims families, ran through my mind: was it still safe to study abroad there? What precautions would be taken for students abroad? Both my parents and I were extremely anxious during the months leading up to my semester abroad. Before departure, CEA offered potential city relocations for students, as well as much reassurance that they would do everything they could to keep us safe in the upcoming semester. And that they did. They have implemented a survey system in which each student responds with their weekend plans and phone number so should there be an emergency, the staff knows their whereabouts. There is also an emergency number that students may call at any point during their semester. All in all, this was a stressful time on my parents, but CEA's staff made it that much easier on all of us. It is also pretty gratifying to know that I am a part of French history that will never be forgotten.

I was a student in Seville, Spain for a little over three months and it was the best experience of my life. The professors and directors of CEA helped shape my experience to the best it could be. I recommend going to every excursion CEA offers beacuse that is where you will truly learn what the country you are living in has to offer. One of my favorite excursions was when CEA took the program to Morocco. This adventure was an eye opening experience that you will not be able to find during your travels to cities such as Paris or London. Now don't get me wrong London and Paris were my favorite cities to visit but when I look over my experience abroad it was my excursion to Morocco where I learned the most about the world. We traveled to four different cities, spoke to students studying in Morocco, and even had the opportunity to ride a camel. What I learned during my travels was that it didn't matter which cities I visited; in the end what shaped me the most were the people/friends I made along the way. The success to a wonderful abroad experience is to meet knew friends, try new things, and never say no to a new adventure.