CEA CAPA Education Abroad Reviews

Words cannot express my semester in Granada, Spain. The city welcomed me with open arms, as did the staff of my CEA program. Though I was a nervous wreck trying to bumble my way through Spain in my first few weeks, the CEA staff was there to guide my new friends and I through, what would turn into, the greatest journey of our lives thus far. I know that sounds incredibly dramatic, but it is true.

Granada was my city of choice because my greater focus was to better learn the Spanish language and culture. I felt as though this smaller city would be able to assist me in achieving my goals, and it did. The academic program that CEA and Centro de Lenguas Modernas offered me pushed me to be my best, practice my Spanish all the time, and immerse myself in the Spanish culture. Also, with the city being on the smaller side, English was harder to come by; therefore, I was forced (and gratefully so) to utilize my Spanish skills.

During my five months in Granada, Spain, I was able to truly know my city, begin a life there, develop an incredible friend group, and grow individually. However, much of that is thanks to CEA. While they were not too involved in my daily life, they were an incredible support system. I became very ill shortly after being there for a month and needed to go to the hospital, and without question my CEA staff was there to take me to the hospital and help me through it all. On another note, I lived in an apartment (most choose a homestay, but I did not) with one roommate who was also in the program. While I greatly enjoyed the independence I had in my apartment (that was super awesome), any issues I had were gracefully handled by the wonderful CEA staff. I appreciated their willingness to help and fix any issues I had.

With the combination of the CEA program and staff and the city itself, I had the most amazing experience. If someone offered me a plane ride over there tomorrow, you can guarantee that I would be on it.

I chose to study in Chile because I wanted to have an experience full of a life at the beach, constant outdoor adventure, laid back Latin culture and be able to travel from the Patagonia mountains to the dressiest desert in the world all in the same country. Chile is an amazing country, It feels like my second home. The people are extremely friendly and aways offer a hand of help. Most things don’t cost very much so you able to do more things for the value of your money. The program director was amazing for CEA in Chile. She always helped us out so much and made sure everything was the best it could be. I loved my university because the professor wanted us to travel and when we had class I learned so many interesting things about Latin American in a whole new perspective. I 100 percent recommend going to study in Chile. I extended my program for a year because I didn’t want to leave! You will fall in love with the country and not want to leave. Who wouldn’t want to study in a place you can ski and surf in the same day?

I loved how San José was at the heart of Costa Rica and offered us the rich culture of the huge city to explore as well as the option to hop on a bus for weekend excursions. The staff at Veritas is extremely friendly with all the foreign students, and they helped me feel like I really BELONGED to the school. The Spanish classes are challenging and, though they are quick-paced, I mastered a lot of topics that I hadn't been able to before. In general, the Costa Rican culture and people are very welcoming, and will make you feel very at home. I really didn't want to leave, because the longer I stayed, the more I realized there was to do, see, and explore! Good thing that many of my Tico and Tica friends invited me to stay with them whenever I chose to return to Costa Rica! :)

Being a pre-med STEM major, I was having such a hard time finding a program that would not make me behind in my hours and would be able to look good on an application, then I found CEA. With CEA, I was able to go to San Jose for a medical spanish and health psychology program that changed my life! Not only was I able to learn spanish that I use everyday at work in a hospital but I also was able to experience adventures like no where else in the world! During my free time, I was able to go ziplining, hike in the rainforest, rappel down waterfalls and go in both the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. The wildlife and scenery in Costa Rica is like no where else in the world and is absolutely beautiful!

My semester in Paris was one of my favorite experiences of my undergrad career. I decided to study abroad in Paris on my own and was very surprised by the wonderful friends I made during my time at CEA Paris. When I think about my semester abroad, most memories that come to mind involve those friends. We traveled together to Amsterdam, Rome, and all over France. We visited sites and places like the Anne Frank House, the Colosseum, and a couple vineyards too! We also had our own Thanksgiving celebration at my apartment in Paris where we invited all our friends and made different cultural dishes to celebrate being in Paris together and being each other's "family" for the semester. It was one of the most memorable nights I had in Paris and I'm really thankful for all the great friendships I made when I lived in Paris. :)

What I loved most about CEA and Veritas University was that they gave you opportunities to travel to different parts of the country through sponsored events they planned. In particular, while on a CEA assigned excursion, I had the chance to go to Bocas del Toro, Panama. It was 30 students and two CEA staff members on our way to the international border where Costa Rica and Panama met on the northernmost side. My initial thought was wow, riding in comfort on a AC bus towards Panama. Once we arrived at the border we were asked to grab all our things and get off the bus. It was a vibrant border town dedicated to selling fruits and merchandise. We walked towards immigration and that's when I realized we were crossing the border, walking! The bridge that led us to Panama was what divided the two countires. Once we all got the go to enter the country, we got on another bus that led us to a small boat town in Panama. The sun had already set and we were not able to see the beauty that is Panama yet. On small boats we made our way like sailors to the main island in Bocas del Toro called Isla Colon.

The classes at Veritas University offered hands on experience that related to topics learned in class. For example, in my environmental sustainability course we went to a self-sustaining biological reserve just outside La Amistad national park.

As this being my second study abroad experience I valued it more because it offered an alternative to a class setting. The classes at the university had mandatory field trips to different parts of Costa Rica. As someone who loves traveling and learning I would give this program 5 stars for an all-around best experience to its students.

Pura Vida

People always warn you about the nerves and sadness you feel before you get to your study abroad destination, but they never tell you how you'll feel when you have to return home. That emotion is so hard to comprehend, especially after you fall in love with a city, people, and a study abroad program.

Overall, CEA Study Abroad allowed me to challenge myself and honestly just grow as a person. I became more independent and found new passions in art and politics while also getting to explore old ones in things like travel and exploration. The program even allowed me to shape what I want to study based on the people I had met and the conversations we had had. I can honestly say that after studying abroad, I can't imagine where I'd be right now without those memories, experiences, and friendships. the entire experience is truly inspiring and has driven me to do things at my home university that I could never have imagined doing. CEA was such a great program that had the best staff, and the greatest mix of students that come from all over the country. I would highly recommend CEA to other students especially after seeing all the program has done for me. I am 100% ready to return to Paris and plan on doing so after I graduate from school. Basically, thank you CEA for giving me some of the best moments of my life!

Prague, what a city! Living within this enchanting city will forever have my heart. It consumed my entire self every single day as I walked along the cobble stone streets to my classes or explored its ever so breathtaking corners. Praha (Prague in Czech, is a city that will capture every part of you and will forever leave you wanting more of what it has to offer. It embodies an incredible amount of culture, history, beauty, lively festivities, mouthwatering food, and unique locals that would love to share a cup of coffee with you in one of the cities homey coffee shops. You will NOT be disappointed in studying abroad here or even traveling to. I promise you that this city and the country of the Czech Republic will broaden your horizon in more ways than you could ever imagine.

I spent February-June 2013 in Port Elizabeth. The city has a lot of history but what I most enjoyed was getting out and exploring the rest of the country on the weekend. Cars are easy to rent, buses are available (although they take a long time to get to destinations) and planes tickets are cheap if you go through the local companies. Whether it was hiking in the mountains, exploring Cape Town, or bungee jumping off a bridge, you will not run out of places to go and things to do.

Classes were strong and very comparable to my education in the states. There is more emphasis put on exams so studying is crucial. My advice, try to find some locals to join your study group or help with your research papers. The format of lectures and assignments was confusing at first and would have been easier with a local guide.

Port Elizabeth is a safe city if you stay aware of your surroundings. If somethings feels wrong in your gut, don't do it! Try to stay in groups when possible. There is definitely power in numbers. Travel is risky no matter where you go. I felt as safe in Port Elizabeth as I have travelling in Europe. Just remember you are a guest and you'll be fine.

The excursions through CEA were awesome. I can't recommend them highly enough. CEA was a great company to work with and always had answers to my questions. I would work with them again if I was still in school.

Studying abroad in Paris through CEA was probably one of the best semesters of my college career.

I loved CEA because it is more than just taking the same old classes in a different location. Every class I took had some sort of relationship to French culture, whether it was a History of Fashion in Paris class or Oenology where we learned about the different wine regions of France (and of course got to taste them all too!). I never felt like I was stuck inside studying on a beautiful day in Paris. Most of the classes I took had excursions as part of the curriculum, so I was constantly exploring new parts of the city. Through the Liberal arts and Social Sciences program, there are never classes on Fridays so I had an extra day to travel during my weekends exploring Europe.

The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. I still keep in touch with them today! They are very knowledgeable about the city as well as problems that a lot of students go through when living in a foreign country.