IES Abroad Reviews

This was a life changing experience, as cliche as that may sound. I made friends from all over the world, and would not trade this opportunity for anything. The biggest difficulty I had was becoming homesick about midway through my trip because of the drastic time difference. However, not a day went by that I was bored. There was always something new and exciting to do, which made feeling homesick much easier. By the time I had to leave, I wasn't ready to leave, and I called Australia my second home!

I absolutely loved my time in Nantes. The staff was friendly and helpful, I forged a lasting bond with my host family and made friends I will never forget. The city is so easy to get around in with the public transportation system. It is a charming city, big enough that something was always happening but small enough that I was able to get to know it well in just one semester. It was beautiful, and walkable.

I cannot praise and commend my past semester abroad in Madrid, Spain enough. Upon one week's return to the US, my friends back home already got tired hearing about me boast on and on about the experiences I went through while away for the semester. It was an adventure of a lifetime and I would most definitely recommend Madrid to any student looking to study abroad. Madrid was an endless city--one with tons of historic events, art, culture, and most importantly, a place that felt like home away from home. From day one, I was surrounded by students like myself, by natives who welcomes all foreigners, and by staff members and professors who wanted nothing more than to help fully immerse us into this new world.
My host mom welcomed me into her home with arms wide open and a always a smile on her face. She was amused and excited to learn about my culture and my background and to try and teach me about her way of life and her traditions. Some memories will always include days she came home screaming about something new she found in the city--a new store, a new cafe, or a new viewpoint of the city she couldn't wait to share with me. I loved weekends where her extended family would come over and include me as if I were another cousin in the bunch. Family conversations would escalate for hours upon hours aside a deliciously home cooked traditional meal.
Learning in the classroom in Madrid allowed me to experience a whole new field of education. As a pre-med student, I have always been glued to textbooks, working on science and math problems, and trying to understand things a conceptual sense. However, the classes I took while abroad introduced me to a new sphere of thinking. Taking classes about literature, architecture, and art history not only expanded my critical and creative thinking but also taught me about the history of Spain as a country. Watching movies, reading stories, and looking at art work from historic Spain taught me a lot about the cultural movements of the country and as well allowed me to better appreciate architecture and art as I walked through the city daily.
Of course, learning was not limited to the classroom. I was constantly learning new words by going to the supermarket, to restaurants and to cafes, meeting many natives and further other tourists and study abroad students visiting the city. I took advantage of traveling on the weekends and only left the country of Spain for one weekend! I still can't wait to go back and visit a few other cities I did not have the chance yet to see. The history and culture of each Spanish city I visited varies drastically. From the Aqueduct in Segovia to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the art and architecture of each building design is so different and speaks a thousand words on its own.
Although I am sad that the semester came to an end, I am incredibly grateful for the experience I had while away and hope that students will continue to visit Madrid and see all it has to offer. I am lucky to have the opportunity to speak on behalf of IES and share my experience with other and try to promote this incredible prospect. It is not goodbye, it is see you later, Madrid. I will be back.

Nantes is a beautiful city and I think it's a great place to study abroad if your goal is to improve your language skills. While people do speak English to you on occasion, I found it to be true far less in Nantes than in other areas of France. Living in a host family is a key part of this program. The opportunity to take classes at the local university with actual French students and professors is possible; however, many choose to take all their classes within the program. While I think their curriculum is very helpful in improving your academic French (reading literature and writing essays/research papers) it's hard to improve your conversational French when the majority of people in the building are other Americans who speak French. Speaking French in the school is a requirement in the building but when you're speaking to people who you share a first language with in another language you can get them to understand your meaning through direct translation. So I felt I made most of my improvement in this area with my host family. A lot of the host families have been hosting students for years so they're very understanding and great. The staff members are always open to helping with any problems or misunderstandings that may arise between the students and host families. Overall, I think the experience was incredible and the friendships I made their will last a lifetime. A couple weeks back in the United States and I already can't wait to visit Nantes again!

the best part about studying abroad was all of the traveling I was able to do and all of the adventures I was able to have. I had more free time than I ever have had in college which led me to a lot of traveling and adventures. I did everything I could from hang-gliding across the dessert, beach and city, hiking with penguins in Patagonia, horse back riding in the driest dessert in the world, ice picking my way to the top of an active volcano and skiing in the Andes Mountains and just like soo much more. It was great that there were so many cultural events like carnivals, festivals, concerts and parades that were so much fun to attend. I lived with a host family which i think was a great choice, i was able to practice my spanish all of the time and all of my meals were made fore me (breakfast in bed everyday, like seriously, who can complain about that?!). Day to day life was great, the weather was like perfect all the time, it never even broke out my winter jacket! Traveling was really easy living in Santiago, its the center for absolutely everything and there are cheap buses to EVERYWHERE. Even airfare was super affordable. The one thing I did not like was how expensive day to day life was. Food, day to day transportation, drinks and clothing are all pretty expensive. Although taxis were unbelievably cheap. Overall it was an amazing experience and I could not have asked for a better staff who was always willing to help and always so patient with my awful spanish skills. I definitely recommend this program and especially recommend taking classes at the local university to really meet more Chileans. I was not a strong spanish speaker at all and still kept up my GPA.

I studied abroad in Paris at the IES Business and International Affairs Center in the fall of 2014. The teachers and staff at the center were so knowledgable, personable, and helpful that they made me want to visit the center even if I didn't have class. In addition, Paris as a city was absolutely incredible. The city gives you so many opportunities to explore French culture, food, history, architecture, art, and nightlife. The program also gave us the opportunity to explore other cities outside of Paris which was amazing. This was by far the best decision I have ever made, and if I was to do it again, I would go back to the same place and people in a heartbeat.

Everything about my experience in Santiago was absolutely fantastic! My center staff, my host mom, and my peers were all quite helpful and collaborative! My host mom helped me with my homework and speaking skills, prepared all my meals, integrated me into her family, and in general, really took care of me. I did not come into the program knowing anyone, but my group ended up becoming really close because there were so few of us (only 25!). It was difficult at first to communicate solely in Spanish as I had never been fully immersed before, but it quickly became much easier (and almost second habit even!) to the point where I came back home and realized that I had begun to think in Spanish! I think this program definitely helped me develop a lot, both on a personal level and on the level of improving my Spanish skills. I would highly recommend it to everyone!

One great thing about this program is you can make it as easy or challenging as you want it to be by taking as many classes at the German university as you want (at least 1 per semester).

Another awesome thing is the IES staff. They were so incredibly helpful in any and all situations--you just have to ask!
Freiburg, as a city, is really easy to get around either public transportation (tram, bus) or by bike.

When I landed in Madrid's International Airport in the Summer of 2011 for a three-month study abroad program in Spain's capital, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was nervous, jet lagged, and literally and figuratively shaking in my breeches. All of that fear and anticipatory anxiety washed away when I made it to the arrivals gate and was greeted by 3 smiling faces, directors of my program all waiting to wish us a happy "bienvenidos." I was lucky enough to be placed in an apartment near the university with a native 24-year old and a fellow American student. We were within walking distance of our daily classes at the beautiful Universidad, the metro line, and a handful of markets and shopping centers.

The professors were all kind, supportive and enthusiastic and the course load was more than manageable. The program directors were always available for questions and assistance and accompanied us on a few wonderful weekend excursions to cities around Madrid.

The program was structured such that we had classes 4 days a week until the early afternoon and were free to explore the city and surrounding countryside on the weekends.

My fellow students and I attended various elective classes such as dance and cooking. And set up our own weekend excursions to wonderful cities like Granada.

The program allowed me to experience the culture of Spain in an authentic study setting, enhance my language skills, and meet people from all over the world.

Day in the life of an IES Vienna student - Take the flawless public transportation to your school which is a palace in the heart of a clean and safe city. Go to class which usually consists of a German lesson and then a few other classes that involve cultural awareness enhancing field trips to Freud's apartment and a hydroelectric dams in Slovakia. Grab lunch at a local supermarket with fresh and delicious sandwich options unless you opt for a tasty falafel stand and eat it in one of the many parks of Vienna that provide ample viewing of the endless sights and scenes of Wien. Go to another class that is taught by a friendly and eccentric Viennese psychologist. Perhaps take the bus out to the furthest district of Vienna for an afternoon hike amongst vineyards and wine cellars in the hills. Come back into the city for an evening public opera viewing in the streets of Vienna. Grab a beer with some fellow students before you take a stroll along the Danube admiring the tasteful and legal graffiti that is confetti along the canal. Head home while the street musicians make their way into the public. Make a family dinner with your fellow IESers and talk about your upcoming weekend trip to Prague since it's all of a few hours away.