CEA CAPA Education Abroad

Program Reviews

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Michael
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Grenoble Engineering Study Abroad Program

My time abroad in Grenoble was with all certainty a highlight of my life. The experiences I had there learning about the local culture, studying at a high level, exploring the city and the alps, eating delicious food, and travelling beyond the city limits are those that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I grew significantly as a person abroad, facilitated by the support that CEA CAPA provides and simply becoming embedded into such a unique and limitless new world. Grenoble's central location within Europe as well as the developed transportation system allowed for further travels throughout the rest of Europe with incredible ease. I would highly recommend this program to anyone, especially those who are intrigued by nature, good food, travelling, and French culture.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
To be completely honest, the most shocking thing I saw was something I saw only a half hour after I landed while traveling to Grenoble, and continued to see every day for the rest of my time abroad: the alps themselves. The French rolling countryside is broken abruptly by some of the largest and most beautiful mountains you will ever see, and they are viewable out the window and just a short distance away no matter where you are in the city. Their snow caps pop out from behind the buildings while in the city, and when you take the transit to the local universities you get to see a 360 degree view of three of them. Simply seeing them is something that I hope everyone can have a chance to see at one point in their lives.
Pros
  • Travel Opportunities / Location
  • Great Food
  • Exposure to Unique Cultures
Cons
  • Safety of the city
  • Attitudes of locals
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Maura
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Maura

Studying abroad in Rome through CEA CAPA was one of the best experiences in my entire life. I was fortunate enough to go abroad the spring semester of my junior year with a bunch of my friends. During my time, I travelled to over 20 cities, 12 countries, and 2 continents. Before this, I had never been to another country, so I really feel like I made the most of my time and got to explore so many different global perspectives. I learned much more than I could have in any class setting. This opportunity definitely challenged me but was so rewarding, I have memories and lessons that will last a lifetime.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
The most surprising thing I did was stay in tents in the Sahara Desert in Morocco for a weekend. I got to explore the local culture, ride camels, ATV in the sand dunes, and so much more. This experience was unlike any other, and I would recommend it to anybody.
Pros
  • Support from the program
  • Good schedule
  • Lots of options for classes for many different majors
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Audrey
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My Summer in Barcelona

Hi everyone! My name is Audrey Planner and I had the amazing opportunity to take part in a global internship this past summer in Barcelona, Spain. I pursued this opportunity because I wanted to have an internship during the summer, but I also wanted to go abroad. By pursuing this program, I was able to do both. I traveled almost every weekend to new countries and wandered Barcelona during the week allowing myself to get immersed in numerous cultures. Barcelona was the perfect location for numerous reasons. I practiced my Spanish speaking skills, lived in a non-touristy part of town but was only a metro ride from hot spots of Barcelona, I felt super safe throughout my entire trip, and the list continues. While in Barcelona, I participated in a full internship at the same time, developing my professional skills, Spanish speaking skills, and exposure to real-life work experience. I really enjoyed being able to work abroad to see the differences between business in Spain and business in America. Overall, I gained more from my experience than I thought possible. I truly believe I have developed new qualities, giving me different insights on going about certain situations, I gained and developed friendships that are so wonderful to continue building on at campus, I made memories that will last a lifetime, and so much more. I could not recommend abroad experiences more.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
My biggest piece of advice is to research what you want to do, see, and experience while abroad, but also be okay with not doing all of those things. One of my favorite pieces of my experience was being open to any opportunity and enjoying the more niche, non-touristy, or "must-do" experiences. Whether that was places I traveled to on the weekend or what I spent my Monday afternoon doing, I enjoyed the sporadic element and not cemented schedule of my abroad experience.
Pros
  • Experiencing a whole new way of life in Barcelona and other countries I visited
  • Growing closer to the Ohio State Students I traveled with
  • The freedom of the program - I worked during the day, but my evenings and weekends were open to allow me to experience what I was interested in
Cons
  • I had many obstacles with my host company, but they were also great learning moments
  • I truly do not have that many cons, but if I have to add another I would say no AC and no dryers
  • Fully remote internship (has pros and cons)
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Addison
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Studying in Barcelona: A Blend of Culture, Nightlife, and Affordable Living

I studied in Barcelona, Spain with CEA CAPA Study Abroad. I took some of my core business and management classes, a Spanish class, and two fun classes, Art and Architecture, and Food and Culture in Spain. Most of my courses were very easy and not too much work. Barcelona itself is such an amazing city to visit as a young adult. Firstly, the cost of living is so cheap. Food, drinks, groceries, and clothing are so much cheaper than in the US and much better quality. The nightlife is also so incredible. Whether you like small intimate bars or huge nightclubs, there is a bit of everything. I always felt safe in this city and while I do think you should always be with a group, I never felt like a target or like my safety was at risk.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
One nerve-racking moment that I experienced was when I went to Ibiza with some of my friends I met on this program, and when we were on our way to the airport to fly back to Barcelona, we got a message that all of the flights were cancelled for that day because there was a small fire at the airport. We were freaking out and trying to book new flights but everything was booked for the next three days, but we had class the next day, on Monday. So after lots of stress and phone calls, we found a 8 hour cargo ship that was leaving soon and so we decided to get a ticket for the ship and we made it safely back to Barcelona early Monday morning. Crazy experience.
Pros
  • They offer a hybrid program option, where you can take classes at the CEA CAPA in English, and also take classes at a local univiersity, giving students the opportunity to experience a local school with local students and teachers.
  • Barcelona has a very low cost of living and flights from Barcelona are very cheap
Cons
  • Everyone speaks english and often don't want to practice Spanish with you (just keep trying.)
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Divine
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Cea CAPA Barcelona review

Cea CAPA was a very nice program, that supported their students and Made sure we were okay. The field trips were truly amazing. The housing options can use some improvement like more options. And students need to have a higher chance of getting their options.
The internships felt like free labor instead of a working experience.
The program is quite expensive. Cea CAPA was good but it has room for improvement.
I truly enjoyed my time there, the classes and hours of my internship were well shared and I had time to travel on weekends.

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
It will have to be paella, it was absolutely not what I had expected and I was confused about why people liked it so much.
Pros
  • rice
  • Sea food
  • serving size
Cons
  • Oily
  • Taste like palm oil
  • Mid
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Abigail
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

French Riviera

This was a wonderful program and location. The location of this program is super convenient for traveling to other cities and countries. I was able to travel easily and cheaply almost every weekend. But I would also really recommend staying close to the city. There are so many things to see and do without traveling far. The people were amazing, I was really good friends with my roommates and made a lot of friends with the others in the program. The school was in a very cool location and the classes were perfect for me, although the structure varied from what I was used to.

Pros
  • Easy Travel
  • Amazing Food
  • Beautiful Location
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Sofia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Summer in Alicante

I completed CEA CAPA’s month long program in Alicante. I was there during the summer and it was an amazing time. I took two different Spanish courses and being immersed in the culture helped me so much. I became so confident when speaking to the locals and the town was beautiful. It was a perfect size and my apartment was walking distance to the beach. The excursions that CEA planned were so much fun and everyone that I met through the program was so nice. The onsite staff was so helpful and answered any questions that came up. I would highly recommend!

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Mia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

PEACE LOVE SEVILLA

I had the absolutely best time in Spain; it is now my favorite country I've visited. I went into this program knowing absolutely no one, and came out with 4 best friends for life! Not only that, but we met in class which is where we discovered we shared similar majors. This trip opened my eyes to the world and helped me form countless new relationships. I have now seen parts of the world I never thought I would while not only broadening my education for my major, but for many new cultures.
This program helped give us a jump start on exploring the culture by planing trips for us and excursions. Those are some of my best and favorite memories from abroad, and really helped us when planning our own weekend trips.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
If I could change anything, I would do the extended program! I would've been able to stay in Spain another month.
Pros
  • met new friends
  • traveled to 2 new countries, and many new cities
  • experienced life changing events, like concerts and a futbol match
Cons
  • missing family and friends from home
  • having to cram everything into one month
  • not going to school with your new friends once the regular year starts again :(
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Morgan
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

CEA CAPA Summer in Rome

My experience with CEA CAPA in Rome was life changing; I learned so much about myself from the experience and it is something I would recommend to anyone even slightly considering studying abroad. The academics were fair and the schedule allowed for lots of free time to explore the city. Living arrangements were also fair, but living in the city allowed for close proximity to all of the local attractions, restaurants, and nightlife. I would definitely recommend trying to find a roommate before getting there and sampling as much of the food as possible! I thought I loved pizza before, but now I am a total pizza snob.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Make sure you do not bring a huge backpack to class- you won't need it. Pack a smaller bag for just a laptop and whatever you take notes on. Do bring a big backpack however, for weekend trips. Not too big though, because you may have to carry it around with you. And remember sunglasses!
Pros
  • food
  • schedule flexibility
  • nightlife
Cons
  • roommate situation
  • one bad professor
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Isabella
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

CEA CAPA: Sydney, Australia

The CEA CAPA team in Sydney, Australia was -- to put it simply -- incredible. From the moment students stepped off their planes to our sad goodbyes, the staff made themselves incredibly available and helpful to each and every student in the program. I was nervous to come to Sydney because it was so far away and I was going alone, but the staff did a wonderful job at helping me to create a community that made me feel secure and confident, and I can't thank them enough for that! I hope to visit again soon!

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
Kangaroo and wallaby -- surprisingly tasty, yet very chewy.
Pros
  • Helpful staff
  • Easy beach access
  • Public transit cards!!!
Cons
  • Apartments were nice, but there were too many people in each one