CIS Abroad Reviews

Last spring I studied abroad in Ghana through CISabroad. I had an absolutely amazing experience. I learned so much about life and the world around us. Ghana is a wonderful country to learn about a different part of the world that not many people choose to visit. CIS works as a middle man between your home university and the university abroad. They set you up with a pre-depature orientation to let you know what to pack and prepare for. Also, the site directors (who are AMAZING!) take you on a week long orientation once you arrive in country. It feels like a mini vacation to help you adjust. They are also there to teach you about the culture and daily life. CISabroad puts a lot of work in to make sure you are prepared and have a great experience abroad. I highly recommend studying abroad in Ghana.

Do not hesitate to make your choice whether to go abroad or not, the answer is always yes! Experience new traditions within a new area. Any questions or concerns there are always onsite people to help you and support you if you get homesick.
Going abroad enables you to be the cliche annoying person saying "When I was in Spain.." more than you actually think you are. It gives you the lifetime friends you never thought you would ever have and lets you become and wanderer!

CISabroad was amazing from the beginning to the end of my program. They were always there to answer my questions. They did an amazing job pairing me with my internship. I learned more than I ever thought I would. Plus, it was extremely hands on!

The best part about CISabroad is that it is cheap! It was actually cheaper for me to intern and take courses abroad than it was for me to stay at my home university!

The fact that I was in Europe made it for easy and cheap access to traveling. The only problem I had was that it was not long enough.

My time in Barcelona was one for the books. This was my first time studying abroad and flying on an airplane by myself, and I felt very confident going through CIS abroad. They were very organized and they made me excited and ready upon arriving in Barcelona. The activities and the people made me very comfortable and I learned so much by just walking up La Rambla hearing Catalan and Spanish of the people around me.

My study abroad in Cusco, Peru was nothing short than incredible. I stayed with a host family who had two young boys--Santiago (2) and Facundo (8). They became my little brothers and when I had to leave, four months later, it was just like leaving family. My campus was small; with about 9 students. I enjoyed this because we all became very close and had many wonderful experiences together. There were a wide variety of courses that were available. I chose classes ranging from Contemporary Peruvian Society to Traditional Medicine in the Andean Region--needless to say, I was very happy with my choices. It is crazy how much more one can learn when they are surrounded by the topic they are learning. Even now, I think how crazy it is that my campus was built on a palace of a past Inca king. HOW WILD!! Peruvian dishes are to die for!! While some are on the more exotic side, like guinea pig, chicken is a very popular dish. I looked forward to every meal I had!! The excursions were magnificent--Machu Picchu, the Amazon River, Lake Titicaca, etc. I was visiting places I had never dreamed possible! On a more personal level, I cannot fully articulate into words how much this experience changed me for the better. As I was leaving Peru on my last day, I started thinking of myself--my attitude, thoughts, and actions--I could not even recognize that girl. I was stunned to think someone I was four months ago was a stranger to me. I grew from being this insecure, worrisome, obnoxious girl into an confident, empowered, level headed woman. Studying abroad (ANYWHERE) helps you broaden your horizons and grow into the person you were always meant to be. Cusco, Peru has and always will have a special place in my heart.

Hello,
My experience abroad was amazing. It was my first time being in Europe and since I can remember Paris has always been my dream. It was an undesirable feeling knowing I was accomplishing a dream of mine. The program did a fantastic job making sure we not only felt safe but were safe. The excursions we did as a group was awesome as well. Not many people get the opportunity to go abroad let alone in Paris, France. History is my favorite subject and what better place to see amazing artifacts than here. I gained a new appreciation and love for the history and art of Paris. Everyday was an amazing day.
I think future participants would want to know about the safety abroad which CISabroad did an awesome job doing. We were recommended websites to sign up for to get updates everyday about the activity around us. CISabroad also sent texts making sure we were okay. You also have a webinar to go through that provides additional information. They also should do research on their own or ask their advisors questions about anything they aren't aware of.
This impacted my post-program tremendously. I applied for an Alumni Ambassador position through CISabroad and was nominated for it which I am super excited about. Also, studying abroad made me want to overseas again which I plan on doing next summer. I want to help and encourage others to go abroad.
Some tips would be to get your banking cards situated before going overseas. I unfortunately had issues with that the first week of being abroad. My favorite memory would have to be going to the Versailles Palace. I visited there two or three times because I loved it so much. Such beautiful architecture and history. Also at Versailles, you can go to the garden behind the palace and go canoeing for cheap. That was a wonderful experience.

I always knew I wanted to study abroad, even before college. I was torn between Australia and Italy and in the end, I decided that traveling to Europe seemed easier to do after college than traveling to Australia so I took the opportunity and chose Australia. It was hard to decide between all of the different programs, but Bond offered a schedule that fit my timeline much better than the others (Bond "spring" semester is January through April and other unis were February through June/July). CIS provided an amazing orientation experience and gave the perfect opportunities to make friends. I loved going abroad through a program instead of doing an exchange because I knew I'd be able to meet people in a similar situation of knowing nobody while in a program. I absolutely LOVE Jackie Chapman (Gold Coast site director) and she made everything so easy and smooth. Go on every excursion they plan!! They're all things you would've planned to do anyways! Studying abroad with CIS was the best thing I've ever done and I miss it everyday. I made the most amazing friends while abroad and I wouldn't have wanted to do anything differently.

My introduction to the city of Sorrento itself was incredible, being so close to Naples allowed me to travel to 5 different countries 15 different cities and 1 island, during my 7 weeks. That experience alone was an education. However, I was there to study the history of the Italian American mafia, it educated me on the economic and systematic issue of such organized crime. My favorite place was actually right there in Sorrento called Regina Giovanna, it's a cliff view with absolutely nothing in-between you and the horizon, you are on the literal edge of Italy and it is the most humbling, beautiful, and breathtaking experience. I miss it every single day.

There are going to be difficult times, but as a person who has never been out of the country, this program was perfect. I never felt unsafe or like I couldn't get a question answered. Thailand is amazing and I definitely recommend that you go, especially if you are even considering it. You will definitely always be able to find someone who can answer your questions. More people know English than you think.

If you are considering studying abroad in Prague, Czech Republic, I highly recommend you place it at the top of your list. Many people oust it because they think they want the popular hot spots like Rome or Paris, but I strongly disagree. While these places are fine cities, they aren't as livable as Prague is (plus, Prague is waaaaay cheaper). Many people don't even know where Prague is, and this is why I debated sticking with it. I also had the mindset of wanting to go to a tourist hot spot city, and thought Prague was random and ultimately wouldn't be that fun. I was wrong. Choosing Prague was the best choice I could have made for several reasons.

Like I mentioned earlier, Prague is cheap. Very cheap. Of course no one chooses to go somewhere strictly on how expensive or inexpensive their grocery bill will be, but given the costs of studying abroad, it really is a nice bonus. Another way it's cheap is by its traveling costs. The Czech Republic is very centrally located and landlocked, making it inexpensive and very affordable to travel to surrounding and close countries. Though bus rides tend to get lengthy and uncomfortable, you can travel to almost any European country by bus for dirt cheap (this is the way to go. You will soon realize that 14 hours on a bus is nothing).

Another reason Prague is great is because of it's sheer size. Prague has a population of 1.2 million. This means that there is always lots to do. And since everything is so cheap, you can afford to do more for less. Given the size, you would imagine you would feel unsafe. I had one encounter that I was uneasy about, but other than that I never felt unsafe, even when I was alone in the city. Leah, our coordinator for the CISabroad program, was another reason I never felt unsafe. She was such a great guide and made sure that we always had access to her if we needed anything, and she showed us around and made us feel at home. Safety is an important factor when choosing where to live, and it also helps put your parents at ease. Prague is overall a very safe city.

Finally, Prague is a beautiful city. It's landscape is something I never grew tired of, and still miss to this day. The city is so beautiful, and my friends and I would often walk around just to explore and find beautiful new places. We could spend an entire Saturday walking around the city with no plans in mind. We were still tourists after months of living there, and it always seemed just as beautiful as the first day we arrived.

For all of these reasons and so many more, I hope that you choose Prague and fall in love with it like I did. Studying abroad was the best experience of my life, and if I could do it again I would in a heartbeat. I fell in love with the city and Europe itself so much that I am choosing to go back next year, and hope to someday work there. Wherever you choose to go, you will surely love it, but Prague is a definite recommendation.