Program Reviews

I’ve been asked multiple times why I chose to go to Cape Town of all places for my experience abroad — I never truly had an answer, but knowing what I do now about living in South Africa, I would have never picked a different place to go! This country has SO much to offer: wildlife, activities, food, culture, diversity, language, adventure, experience, etc. And everything there is CHEAP! There wasn’t a single day that I didn’t do at least *something* while I was there. The housing was conveniently located and everyone in the program was within walking distance of each other. I went into the program not knowing a single person, and left the program with some of the most amazing lifelong friends (I even extended my stay by a week). The onsite VACorps and CISabroad teams gave us an orientation on our first day, checked in with us often, and hosted weekly activities - which was one of the best parts! I went surfing, skydiving, hiking, and sand boarding for the first time among a ton of other fun activities. The application process was easy, and both VACorps and CISabroad were helpful throughout. I recommend South Africa to anybody! If you’re even slightly considering going abroad, I’m telling you the answer is already YES!

Sidenote: if you go in the summer session, it's their winter/rainy season, so pack accordingly (unlike what I did RIP - but don't worry because there is a very nice and convenient mall downtown if you forget or need anything while you're there... trust me, we went there frequently).

I have never traveled out of the United States before so I experienced a huge culture shock after traveling to 2 different countries. The trip was amazing and was an experience that I will never take for granted. I came back with new knowledge on culture, architecture, political policies, basic language and communication skills, and a more broad outlook on the world itself. I now have a greater curiosity of what other places in the world are like and feel the need to get out and explore. Because the program I chose was a multi-country program, we spent 1 week in 3 different cities. After the trip, I left wanting more. More time to really get a feel of what it would be like to live in Rome, Florence, and my favorite of the 3, Barcelona! To future participants who are doing a shorter length program, if you really want to get the most from where you are traveling, I would suggest choosing a trip that only has 1 destination. My favorite memory from my trip was getting to spend New Year’s Eve and day in Rome! We all went together to watch the fireworks right outside of the Coloseum, and it was absolutely amazing!

I never expected to be so impacted by this experience, it is one you will never regret. I took a Marine Biology class and I genuinely feel that is where some of my most memorable moments come from, snorkeling in clear blue water and studying different species in the water is not an experience I get to have here in New York City. The program itself makes you feel welcomed and very safe which was one of my biggest concerns; giving you tips the first orientation on the dos and donts of the city. The biggest impact on my life was not only the culture that is experienced but the different individuals you meet along the way. You take a bit of each one with you, you learn from them because everyone shares a different story. My favorite memory would be going to Capri (free trip, courtesy of the program).
Tip: once in Europe you can go anywhere for a great deal! I got the opportunity to go to Prague and Croatia!

I attended Veritas Universidad which is a small college in san jose. It was a cute school with fantastic teachers -seriously, they were all beyond fantastic, friendly and welcoming. My host stay was more difficult getting adjusted since my host mom knew no English and had a very thick accent that made communicating in Spanish difficult as well. Every place we visited, Manuel Antonio, Puerto Viejo, ECT, was absolutely stunning and beautiful. They were also easily and cheap to travel to on your own! Our program coordinator, Jess, was really helpful and always available if you needed her. She even went out of her way to drive me to the health clinic late at night after a cat bite my hand. I would highly recommend this program to anyone looking into going to central or south america.

I had the absolute best semester in Edinburgh thanks to CIS. Edinburgh was beautiful, you could walk anywhere in the city in 20 minutes. The public transportation was cheap and simple. The airport was incredible, and you could fly anywhere! I took biology classes, so I had it a little harder than my friends who were business majors. The night life is incredible, and Edinburgh has the most pubs per square mile in the entire world. Through CIS, we even got a weekend tour of the Scottish Highlands, which is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. There's something for everyone in Edinburgh - shopping, hiking, history, pubs, cafes, and more! I would definitely recommend Edinburgh as a place to live, and to use CIS! If you go, take me with you!!!

I loved my experience in Dublin, I though both in my advisors were very helpful. John and Lisa both kept in touch with us through out our experience and were kind and fun when they brought us in the excursions and anything else we did with them. I also really enjoyed the campus of DCU me and the friend I meet enjoyed going to the campus bar and other cafes on campus after classes. It was also convenient because our houses was so close to canous. Lastly I loved the overall experience of being aboard I was lucky enough to meet great people and do some traveling.

I had the absolute best time studying abroad! CISAbroad offers so many excursions and activities - things I actually wanted to do. They also kept us together a lot during the first few days so we could make friends quickly. I thought the scavenger hunt was a good bonding activity idea because you're not just sitting there, you're actually doing something fun. I stayed in Marlyebone Hall and absolutely loved it, aside from London's lack of AC (Luckily I was able to buy a fan!). I was a short walk from everything I could ever want or need, and truly had the greatest experience thanks to CISAbroad.

Amazing experience. I recommend it to everyone! This trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I made a ton of friends and memories I will never forget. The only complaint I have is that sometimes the professors tended to lecture too much at the sites instead of letting us enjoy them. Other than that, I felt that all the places we went were truly amazing and that the trip was unlike anything I have ever experienced.

While it was a well run program, because we were in an English speaking country, I rarely saw the program coordinator. We were located in a fantastic area of the city. School was very easy and met very little so I had a lot of free time. There was not many opportunities to meet local people. It was hard to meet new people and if I hadn’t befriended my flatmates I wouldn’t have had any friends. Edinburgh was a great spot to travel to other countries from. It was very easy to find cheap flights from Edinburgh.

The CIS staff made this experience amazing. Although there were issues with housing and the staff at the school, the CIS staff was always there for us. Also all the excursions were awesome and exciting. We went on wine tastings, to soccer games, many restaurants, and more. They welcomed us as soon as we got to Florence and helped us make it feel like home. Florence is an awesome city to study abroad in and they made it that much better. Great experience overall.