IES Abroad Reviews

Academic:
The classes are not demanding allowing students to travel often or go out and explore the city. Classes did not take up all of my time with homework or frequent exams/papers, so there was always still more than enough time to explore the city and beyond. I appreciated that many of my classes made an effort to take us on field trips around the city to make real world connections relevant to the course. Each class works to intertwine the history and culture of Vienna and Austria into the subject matter and we often compared our own cultures to Austrian culture. There is a library, computer lab, and printers on site that students are able to use.

Staff:
The staff was always available for us and willing to offer cafe suggestions, travel tips, local advice, etc.

Living:
The location of my apartment was incredible! I was placed in the 6th district central to the U4 line (main subway line), the Naschmarkt (outdoor market), Mariahilferstrasse (main shopping area), and so much more. The location is extremely important when you study abroad because I was always able to drop my stuff off after class and continue my day walking around the city. My apartment houses six of us- a single room for our Viennese RA, a double room, and a triple room.

There were options of living in large houses with spacious accommodations in the suburbs. However, the commute was extremely long and many of those students weren't able to participate in many social events after classes because their commute could be over an hour and a half.

Food:
Austrian cuisine is extremely heavy and meaty. However, there are many options for other types of food. There was a wonderful sushi restaurant next to my apartment I would go to often with friends. The cafe culture is integral to Austrian history, so that is where you'll find great coffee and Apfelstrudels. Many people cooked for themselves and brought lunch to the IES Center because Vienna is pretty expensive.

Social Integration:
I lived with an Viennese RA, I had a language buddy, and I attended many local events. However, I still did not feel integrated with the locals. IES classes are strictly with American students in the IES center away from the University. There is an opportunity to take sports classes through the University and also classes in the University, but they are taught in German.

Culturally, I felt that I sought spots in the city and events only locals would go to and I was able to find some pretty unique spots/events by googling and asking the staff and my RA.

Health:
I was sick twice during the program and I was able to easily access medicine in the pharmacy.

Safety:
Vienna is absolutely one of the safest cities I have ever been to. There was honestly never a moment I felt unsafe or scared to be alone.

School Preparedness:
My home university prepared me with meetings with my study abroad advisor and a larger meeting with everyone going abroad in the spring that included any and all topics that would be relevant to being abroad.

Budgeting:
Vienna is a very expensive city and it's hard to live on a student's budget.
Money was mainly a concern towards the beginning of the program because I constantly wanted to explore new cafes and museums with friends. After about a month of constant spending, I began cooking my own meals and taking lunch to the IES center and budgeting my expenses. I made a list of priorities that I was comfortable spending money on and lessening how often I ate out at cafes.
At the beginning of your program, begin listing what you spend your money on and noticing what you should expect to spend more on and what you should expect to spend less on.

Language:
We were required to take German class three times a week for about an hour and a half each class. We had activities where we were required to go out into the Naschmarkt and use German to order our groceries. The class had an oral, reading, and writing focus. We had a test every two weeks and a quiz almost every class. My German teacher was very kind and willing to help us truly learn the language.

Everyday really does go by so quickly so make the best of everyday. Go out and explore a new street or cafe every single day. In the long run you'll be glad you made the most of your time abroad.

Nanzan University is known for its great international program. They have a wonderful intensive language program that really challenges you to improve your language skills. The program is very structured and have some of the best staff leading it. The program will help you improve all aspects of your language skills from reading and writing to listening and speaking.

My time in Salamanca, Spain wouldn't have been the same without my host family. IES placed me with an amazing host family that really made me feel at home. They took me out around town, brought me out to tapas bars that the locals love, brought me to family events to truly be emerged in the culture, and always were there to help me in any way I needed. They made Salamanca a second home for me.

Choosing to study abroad on the European Union program with IES Abroad was the best study abroad program I could've picked. I have few complaints about the program, and the experience far exceeded every expectation I had- and I don't seem to be alone in this regard. Almost every student on my program shared such a positive experience, and we all long to go back and do it all over again.

Situated in Freiburg, Germany, the European Union semester program takes advantage of everything this quaint little German town has to offer. Students are housed in dormitories or apartments with other University of Freiburg students (mostly German, but some international and some Americans on other study abroad programs) so that you see the typical student life in Freiburg. It also provides the opportunity to practice your German language skills with your flatmates, as German is a required course with the program. Depending on where you live, the dorms are a short walk or tram ride to the city center, and each dorm has a student bar.

The city of Freiburg itself is very young and student friendly, with cheap prices, great restaurants, and a bustling nightlife. Typical student activities included going to the Münster markets for lunch for a bratwurst, going on runs in many of Freiburg's parks and lakes, talking for hours at beer gardens, hiking up the Schlossburg with a gorgeous view of the city, and frequenting regular cafes, bars, and clubs. It lives up to its name as the "greenest city in Germany"; the city is very eco-friendly, most food is organic, and clean. It also lives up to its other title as the sunniest city in Germany; the cold and snow at the beginning of the spring semester only lasted around March and the city came alive with outdoor cafes, beergardens, and trips to the park. To top if off, I always felt safe in the city, even in the middle of the night. It is easy to travel from Freiburg, too- the Kaiserstuhl neighboring area offers many hikes and wineries, the Black Forest is fun to explore and has great skiing in the winter months, and it is only a short train ride from large German cities and the Basel and Frankfurt airports for easy weekend trips. After returning from the many field study trips, Freiburg quickly felt like "home."

The academics at the European Union program are very interesting and subject specific. All my classes were European focused, including one on the history of Europe, migration patterns, and regions that exist within Europe, in addition to the required EU Seminar and German language course. This program does not require prerequisite knowledge of the European Union itself, as the Seminar course ranges from beginner to intermediate EU studies based on each student's prior knowledge or experience with European studies, so that every student eventually has the same level of basic understanding of the EU institutions. Our accumulated experience was rounded out with the Model EU capstone project at the end of the semester, where students prepared the whole semester representing a member country in various council topics. It was a lot of work, but every student was still talking about the Ukraine crisis, EU border control and immigration, or corporate tax avoidance until the day we flew home.

The selling point of the program are the field studies unique to the program. In one semester, we visited 9 countries and 10 cities- more travel than I could've hoped to do on my own. The administration is very transparent and clear about the program trips, and students didn't have to worry about logistical planning for any of the trips- IES found accommodation, city tours, transportation passes, travel to and from city to city, and meetings and events, on an organized schedule given to us at the beginning of the trip. On every trip, students went to meetings at institutions, think tanks, or other organizations. Students were split into three groups based on your school major and interests, and attended subject specific meetings in each city (for example, I am an International Affairs major and was in a group that focused on international politics and foreign policy; our meetings included going to the French Foreign Ministry in Paris, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, and meeting with experts in Prague on the Czech Republic's government transition from communism to democracy). It is the perfect combination of classroom experience and real world experience- and provides students with an unparalleled understanding of the EU institutions and a richer travel experience than if I had organized travel on my own.

My study abroad experience was extended with an internship at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. This internship program is offered through the IES program, and I interviewed with staff members in Freiburg after submitting a written application. Seven students including myself had the opportunity to intern with a parliamentary member at the European Parliament for the month of June, and we took a complimentary course during May on cross-cultural communication and working in foreign environments. The internship program was a fantastic experience, and provided me with valuable work skills, an increased understanding of EU institutions and policy-making, and forced me to examine my own culture and how I present myself in foreign environments- all while exploring a new home in Brussels. I highly recommend applying to the internship program, which is also offered in Freiburg if students would like to intern at other organizations.

All in all, I couldn't imagine studying abroad with a different program. For me, this program had everything I was looking for- a program focused solely on European matters, a way to practice my German language, and a chance to cross off many places on my travel bucket list- and I was lucky to meet some of my new best friends in the process. Although it is subject specific and may deter from "traditional" study abroad experiences, you only need an interest in travel and trying new things to enjoy this program. In conversations with other students from my home university who studied abroad, I seem to have had the most enriching experience. No other program provides you with hands-on learning, a hybrid of classroom and real world experience, and extensive travel quite like the European Union program with IES.

My four months in Granada were some of the best months of my life and not for all the reasons you would expect. Of course Granada made it rather easy for me to become part of a new culture, not merely understand it, learn a new language, not solely speak it but love it, make new friends but also keep the bonds that bound. I loved coming home everyday at 2:30 to eat lunch with my host family. Yes, you do eat things like paella and salads always with corn and tuna but I also simply loved watching the different way my host mom cut an orange or picking out the words I didn't know in a long stream of her Spanish. I loved silly things like using Whatsapp and my long walk to school, trying a different way everyday. I loved getting lost in the mountains behind the old Arabic quarter of the city but never feeling lonely because of the Alhambra watching me. The IES Granada program gave me the tools to explore on my own, speak a beautiful new language in order to ask for directions when I got too lost and then even understand the history of the streets I was discovering. One of the best surprises of studying in Granada was not solely the free tapa with a drink but the way it facilitates conversations and mistakes in language and then correction, it facilitates the Spanish culture and a passion to share. The IES school is located in a mesmerizing part of the city, you will never leave the terrace once the sun is out but you will never want to leave the city once you study with IES Granada.

Growing up, I was able to travel with family and it sparked a wanderlust that blossomed into the best decision I ever made - to spend 5 months on my own in Australia. I ended up choosing IES because of their program at the University of Sydney, their mid semester trip, and the housing arrangements. The staff both at the US center and at the one in Sydney were very easy to communicate with and helped me along every step of the way. While in the city, I felt extremely safe knowing that I could easily contact the program directors if an emergency came up. Sydney has everything to offer - great food, arts, sport, scenery, coffee, activities... Getting to explore this incredible city never got dull, and it really did become a second home to me. I cannot wait to go back there some day soon.

I studied abroad in Santiago, Chile during the spring semester. Being the only student from my university on this program, I was incredibly nervous going into the experience. However, the decision to study abroad with the Santiago program was the best decision I made. My program included 21 students from various universities across the nation, allowing me to meet people I would not have met otherwise. They were all welcoming and kind and created a wonderful foundation for me throughout the semester. The professors and program director at IES: Santiago were wonderful. They were willing to listen and help solve any problems that came up. I learned a lot during the semester and my Spanish improved greatly. Between the new experiences in a foreign country and travelling, I was kept busy and involved. After returning to the US, I would not trade this study abroad experience for anything.

The IES program in Amsterdam was the most incredible thing I could have ever imagined. I know that always sounds cheesy to say, but there is no other way to describe it. I made some of the greatest friends I could have ever asked for, I was immersed in the culture, and I even learned some Dutch. But one of the most valuable things I gained from this experience was broadening my views of people, culture, and the world. The Dutch way of life made me appreciate every walk of life, every detail of every activity I did, and opened my mind to so many different ideas and lifestyles.

When I found IES Abroad Madrid-Language Area Studies; this program fit every tiny criterion I had. So without further thought I started the application process. From being accepted to applying for a student visa, my IES Abroad counselor, John Colhouer was extremely helpful in answering my most confusing to most simple questions I had. From the start I felt the IES Abroad staff was fully supportive and invested in me. As a jetted off to Madrid in the start of January, I was welcomed by Spanish students and assisted to the hotel where orientation began. The IES Madrid Abroad staff was very helpful from the beginning. They had a true interest in each student and wanted to make sure each student succeeded. While abroad I lived with a host mother; she has three sons who had already left the house but we saw them frequently. I made sure to go on all the trips IES offered because on the trips I met more study abroad students in the program I hadn’t spoken to before and on each trip we had very good tour guides who knew the histories and past times of the regions. I also got involved in a one-on-one program set up by IES Abroad Madrid. I would meet up with a Spanish student once a week and we would speak 30min. in Spanish and 30min. in English. Throughout the semester Tamara and I became good friends and would hang out more frequently. IES Abroad Madrid-Language Area Studies is a focus on the culture and language of the region. Therefore, all of my classes were taught in Spanish by Spanish professors. At first it was challenging but as my language improved throughout the semester I noticed a change in the way I could take notes and complete assignments. I started only thinking about class in Spanish instead of trying to translate constantly. IES Abroad Madrid was the perfect program for me. I loved how many different activities were held for us and the opportunities were amazing. I recommend IES Abroad Madrid-Language Area Studies as a perfect abroad experience!

The decision to study abroad was, for me, sort of an agonizing decision. I'm sure lots of people decide when and where they're going to study abroad before they even pick their college, but in my case, I barely got my forms submitted in time because I was debating it for so long. Part of the issue for me is that I'm an athlete (I run track and cross country), so that going abroad would mean missing a season of track. The other factor was something I'm sure a lot of people struggle with in making this decision: I didn't want to go all the way back to square one and feel like a freshman again for a semester, not knowing the area, not knowing the university, and most of all, not knowing any people. The prospect of leaving the comfort zone I'd built around myself at Ithaca College, and missing what had the potential to be a great track season almost overcame my strong desire to experience a different life for a while, to explore the world and myself.

But it didn't. Pretty suddenly, it just sort of became clear to me that this was an opportunity I couldn't let just float on by into the land of what-if. I decided to go to New Zealand, and I am so extremely grateful to my past-self for finally reaching that decision.

New Zealand is an incredible place. Virtually any town you visit, whether it's the tourist havens of Queenstown and Rotorua, or the tiny town of Glenorchy (I don't know if there's a single stoplight in that place), there is something amazing nearby. In places like Queenstown, it's rather obvious (when you fly in, the airplanes land in a freaking valley between giant mountains, and you're never far from them in town). But even a metropolis (for New Zealand anyway) like Auckland has beaches within a short run or bus ride, and the mighty beachside cliffs of the Waitakere Ranges and even more beautiful beaches like Piha and Whatipu within a 35 minute drive. Similarly, in the other big town, Christchurch, the awe-inspiring Port Hills are a $3.50 bus ride away. There is so much to see. My best advice would be to join the tramping club (that's what they call hiking in NZ) - they organize trips all across the country and allow you to see places it might be hard to get to on your own. If you are a person who can appreciate the beauty of this world, New Zealand is seriously an ocean of possibilities. There's so much more to say, and I could go on forever, but I think the most important thing is that I'm so glad I took the leap.