Program Reviews

Rome is the absolute perfect place to spend an entire month just exploring. Its rich history and famous culture are definitely something worth seeing (and trying)! There is something new to do and see every day! The public transportation system is easy to navigate and there are plenty of English-speakers, which makes communication so much easier. The university is very nice and I feel as though I learned a lot from the classes I took. I took an Italian language class and a History of Modern Europe class, and even now I reflect on what I learned in those classes while attending school at home. CISabroad was very helpful in organizing several trips for the students and that made us more familiar with our area. By the end of my trip, I knew so much about life in Rome that I felt like a local.

In the fall of 2018, I realized I wanted to study abroad. So, after researching a few programs, I decided to study on the Amalfi Coast in Italy! I went through a program called CIS Abroad, who helped me to plan everything - from a basic packing list, to information about the student Visa process, to financial planning!
I loved Sorrento, where Sant'Anna Institute (the abroad school) was located, as it was a very authentic Italian experience; bigger cities such as Rome or Florence tend to be more high-density tourist attractions, which hinder traditional Italian culture. For the semester, I lived in a dorm located in the same building as my classrooms. Sant'Anna provided very safe and clean housing as well as access to kitchen spaces and balconies. The staff helped with any travel questions we had, and the teachers cared deeply about our success as students as well as young travelers.

Melbourne is a fantastic city to study abroad in! There is so much culture to experience- sports, festivals, concerts, restaurants, bars, and so so much more. There's also a lot of incredible nature right nearby in Victoria, and many naturally beautiful areas to check out all across Australia and in nearby New Zealand. As far as location, I cannot recommend Melbourne strongly enough! I had an incredible experience that is not available in most other locations within Australia and New Zealand due to the size of Melbourne and its reputation of being welcoming to people from all over the world. The University of Melbourne also offers a lot of fantastic academic opportunities and social experiences. As far as my experience with CIS, I think they did a good job and gave me what was promised. But if you can get into Melbourne with a different program for less, I would say that's fine.

I was not up for leaving the country at all, I'm not sure what made me go finally but I am so glad I did! Bond University has a beautiful campus and very well qualified professors. I took a similar class that I had taken back in the US but learned 10x more! There are many cool places to go in the area like Burleigh Heads, Surfers Paradise, and Miami (their version of our beloved Floridian city). Go a little farther to Byron Bay, Brisbane, and Sydney! I went to all the above places and had so much fun at each. The food, culture, and people were all better than here in the US. My Study Abroad group was involved in lots of the places I went such as snorkeling the great barrier reef, going to a rainforest in Cairns, and going surfing in Byron bay.

What I enjoyed most about being a part of CIS Semester Abroad in Thailand was the sense of community and closeness that the program facilitated. I enjoyed that the program had pre-planned excursions and trips that included everyone in the program. It gave me an easy way to connect with other students studying abroad in Thailand and it made it effortless to make such a close knit group of friends. The pre-planned trips by CIS are what I looked forward to most while I was abroad because I knew we were always going to do something amazing and I got to be with everyone I had come to be close friends with. It also made planning trips less of a hassle because the program had everything planned out for us already when we went on group trips. I would always suggest that students participating in a CIS study abroad program take advantage of the pre-planned trips and try to go on them whenever they possibly can.

I got the chance to study abroad for a summer trimester in this amazing and beautiful country. Thailand has so much beautiful culture to offer and I’m so grateful for being able to study in this country for a month. I studied at Mahidol University and took an Intro to Thai Language course which definitely came in handy! I cannot even begin to explain how beautiful the temples, the elephant sanctuary and the different provinces I visited (Krabi Island, Chiang Mai and Bangkok) are. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Between the classes, the excursions, the interaction with locals and the overall beautiful way of Thai life I wouldn’t have changed any aspect of my experience there. CISAbroad had awesome staff to help us with everything we needed and always made sure we were taken care of. I learned a lot about not only Thai culture, but about myself and my capabilities as well. If your thinking about choosing Thailand and your study abroad destination, I definitely recommend it and I think you will have the most amazing time!

I absolutely LOVED my time in Spain. From the people, to the food, to the city itself, Barcelona was AMAZING! CIS Abroad staff was extremely helpful with all of the pre-departure paperwork and I had no worries at all about my semester abroad. Upon arrival, the on site staff were extremely helpful in facilitating anything that I needed. In addition, the program has many fantastic excursions that really generate a love for the culture of your chosen country. I cannot more highly recommend any other experience. To this day I still talk to the friends I made while abroad in addition to my host parents on an almost daily basis. The connections I made in my semester abroad will be connections that I carry with me for a long time to come. Again, 10/10 would recommend.

I spent this last semester in Dublin with the CISabroad program and I loved every minute of it. The CIS staff was amazing through the process and so ready to answer any and all of my questions. And our on-site program director was absolutely amazing! He was always there to check in on us and if we had any questions he was one phone call away at all times. He also knew so much about Dublin, and Ireland in general. He was like our Irish dad, always watching out for us. The university that I attended was also really nice, they had a large number of international students and a lot of events and clubs tailored towards all of us. I got to meet people from so many other countries through their events. The university also had a variety of classes available for me to take, and it was cool because I was in classes with other Irish students. For a couple classes, I was the only international student there. So I was really able to learn from those Irish students, and see what their courses are like, how their schedules work, and how their programs are set up. The best part of my time in Ireland was definitely the friendships I made with my other CISabroad program-mates. There weren't many of us, but we all became so close. I still talk to many of them everyday and I miss them all so much. I would highly recommend this program, or any CISabroad program, to anyone wanting to study abroad. You will be well prepared to go, well taken care of while there, and you will be with some of the greatest people you will ever meet!

I have always dreamed of being able to visit Japan, and experience the vibrant culture first hand. Having the opportunity to not only study Japanese, but interact with Japanese students and local Japanese people was truly a once in a lifetime experience. The location we studied at was Seisen University, a gorgeous campus with historic buildings, located in a peaceful scenic neighborhood. The excursions we went on were really fun, and I was super excited to get to wear a kimono and participate in a Japanese Tea Ceremony. Of course the classes I took were for Japanese language. I learned so much, and have continued my studies on my own after the program. We learned grammar but also wrote Haikus with the vocabulary we learned. I am still close friends with several of the Seisen students who helped teach the class, and was thrilled to be able to see them when I returned on another trip. Now I didn't spend all my time in class, there was plenty of free time to explore the city of Tokyo and surrounding prefectures on my own. I even went to a Japanese outdoor hot spring and to Kamakura to see all the shrines and temples. If you want to experience a historic and vibrant culture that perfectly blends traditional beliefs with modern technology and lifestyles, I cannot stress enough how amazing the January in Japan program is!

My decision to study abroad was one of best I have ever made; I challenged my comfort zone, gained a global perspective and learned how to become truly independent. One of the biggest contributors to my success abroad was the support system I had from CIS. There were negative and positive aspects to this program, but overall I am very satisfied with my choice.

Molly Bond was a great asset to have during the application process and was able to answer all of my questions and concerns about my visa! I also appreciated that CIS met us at the airport when we first arrived in Italy and arranged transportation to our apartments as it helped make that overwhelming day easier.

I ended up falling in love with the city of Florence instantly. I lived less than a 10 minute walk away from the breathtaking Duomo and the view of the Arno River from my classroom was incredible! I was able to travel to a number of different countries in Europe and cities in Italy such as Rome, Venice, Milan, Sorrento and Pisa and was amazed at the differences between each region! I also made it a priority however to fall in love with my host city and explore as much of Florence as I could. Studying abroad was a life changing experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life.