CIS Abroad Reviews

This past semester in Barcelona was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Being able to experience and live in a beautiful new city, meet great people and travel around Europe really opened my eyes to what I want out of life and how much I love to travel and take on new challenges. I am so happy I chose CIS because they made all of the pre departure requirements really easy but more importantly the incredible staff in Barcelona were always willing to help and worked hard to make our time in Spain memorable. Barcelona is the best city in the world and I would not change a thing about my time there. From the beach to the lively culture to the incredible night life, I will look back on this amazing time for the rest of my life. Thanks CIS!!

The abroad staff is absolutely amazing! You can tell that they all really love their jobs and the city and they work so hard everyday to get you to love it too!

Studying abroad in Barcelona was the best four months of my life and it hasn't stopped there. By having the opportunity to study abroad for so long, I can take those experiences and positively apply them to my future career and networking.

I had a really great experience in my study abroad program with BIC in Barcelona. The staff was super helpful and supportive with whatever we needed, and also engaged us outside of class. I had a spectacular host family, the Gil Figueria house. I loved the city and the people, and there was never a lack of things to do. I did encounter difficulty meeting locals other than the people that ran my favorite restaurants. But overall, it was the best experience of my life.

The school was a good balance between manageable and challenging and there were many interesting courses to chose from, some of which helped me gain a better understanding for the Catalan and Spanish cultures.

The apartment I lived in was nice, with a dishwasher and a washer/dryer for laundry. It had everything you needed to comfortably live, and was close (10 min) walk to campus.

The staff were very friendly and helpful throughout the semester. We had a few weekend excursions including a trip to Madrid that made the experience even better.

Overall CIS did a real good job and my only complaint was spotty wifi service at times, but other than that it was nearly flawless.

Definitely recommend this experience to anybody.

I took a Drawing class and a Photography class for a month while living in Florence for my CIS abroad experience and these were the best classes to take, never too stressful and the class time and homework were actually enjoyable, it was so beautiful and warm during the month of June in Florence and I enjoyed every second of it. I had class in the morning on Monday through Thursday then had the afternoons to wander, do homework, and go out or make a meal in with friends, and always a 3 day weekend to travel around the Tuscany region, which were awesome excursions, my favorite being Chianti.

Barcelona is a vibrant city where you'll never run out of things to discover. Whether you're exploring one of the historic barrios like El Raval, Borne, or El Barrio Gotic, shopping on Passieg de Gracia or relaxing on the beach along the Mediterranean, there's something for everyone. My days usually involved one of these activities! Barcelona is always buzzing with activity late into the night. Although they speak Catalan, they speak Spanish as well, and more often than not, English. So don't be afraid of a language barrier!

Monday-Thursday I had class. Mondays and Tuesdays were my busiest days but it wasn't so bad. The campus at Bond University was breathtaking. I technically studied abroad in paradise. When I wasn't traveling or studying, I would go to the pool on campus or take the bus to the mall, beaches, and clubs. Surfers Paradise and Broad Beach were two of the main hot spots. I thought school work was pretty much the most difficult because I hadn't had too many assignments but the ones I did required a lot of work and the grading process was very different. Class was not so bad to go to though because the material was interesting to learn about. Traveling was definitely the best part of my experience. I went to Sydney, Melbourne, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Outback.

Waking up every morning to the sounds of my neighbors, the smells of the city, and the knowledge that I was in a different country are a few of the things I miss about Florence. Classes, while often time-consuming, were such a small part of the bigger picture of my fall 2012 semester abroad. I met people I never would have if it were not for this program, people that I still find myself talking to and sharing stories with more than five months after returning to the U.S.. The food, the people, the architecture, the culture....it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Even when I was homesick and lonely, wishing that my boyfriend or family or friends back home could experience this amazing adventure with me, knowing how lucky I was encouraged me to keep going even when the homesickness was almost too much. My semester in Florence is something I will cherish for the rest of my life and I cannot wait to go back.

The people who worked at CIS abroad made my life amazing. If I ever had a problem I could go to any of them and ask for help. They always made sure that I was okay and it was absolutly amazing. I would highly recommend CIS abroad because they were very helpful and helped me adjust to a foreign city.