IES Abroad Reviews

I went to New Zealand by myself, without knowing anyone else. I was a little worried at first but I ended up having a phenomenal time! I did a home stay and made a bunch of local friends, whom I went out with on weekends and showed me around the suburbs as well as the city. I traveled with some of them to Middle Earth to see the set of the Hobbit. I lived in Lynnfield right along the coast of the ocean. I went for daily jogs on the beach and saw the most beautiful sunsets that I have ever seen. I even took holiday in Melbourne with my host mum! By the end of my stay, my friends even threw me a Halloween Costume going away party. It's been two years and I still keep in touch with them via social media. And I actually made one of the best, closest friends I have to this day over there. She lets me stay at her house whenever I come back to visit, and we send gift packages back and forth to each other whenever we get the chance. I met some of the most inspiring, wonderful, caring people abroad and they definitely enhanced my life. I did get homesick, but my Kiwi friends helped me out so much and stood with me through it all. It was truly an amazing experience that I would do over in a heart-beat.

I worked five days a week for Sportsfile, photographing Irish sporting events as well as assisting with photoshoots. I loved the Irish culture and the people I worked with most. I still keep in touch with many of my colleagues and have formed long-lasting relationships. The staff at IES Abroad was brilliant from start to finish, helping me with paperwork and expediting the process in order for me to get the best internship possible. I truly had no problems with the IES administration or my employer. Highlights included experiencing hurling, the Gaelic sport, from the sideline numerous times as well as assisting in a shoot for Adidas and Under Armour; the trip to Northern Ireland and exploring and living in Dublin.

I knew I would enjoy spending six weeks in Australia before I even got on the plane, but nothing could have prepared me for how awesome the experience actually was. Every weekday for six weeks, I spent the morning attending class in Sydney's CBD and then I was free to explore for the rest of the afternoon and evening. It is virtually impossible to run out of things to do in Sydney -- no matter what you like to do in your free time back home, there's probably an even cooler way to enjoy it in Sydney. The lecturers were interesting and the classes required just enough work to make you actually learn about Australia, but not so much work that you have to spend the whole trip doing homework in order to pass. The program included day trips to the Blue Mountains and Royal National Park, both of which were fantastic, and a 5-day excursion to the Red Centre, where we got to see Uluru, Kata Tjuta, and Kings Canyon, which was definitely a highlight of the experience. The staff in Sydney are extremely friendly and provided plenty of helpful advice about navigating the public transport system, buying food, and almost anything else you could think to ask about. As cheesy as it sounds, the IES Sydney Summer program really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will completely change your life.

IES does a great job of screening and matching host families (I still keep in touch with mine and really couldn't have asked for a better match) and supporting you throughout the whole semester. They guide you through getting a phone, using the metro, and so much more! The semester was rather short (like 16 weeks or less) which wasn't ideal but the broad range of course offerings helped me secure credit for both of my majors. The Paris center is on a cute market street and the city offers a lot for students (think museums for free with your student ID!)

After a good amount of consideration, I decided to apply in the fall of my third year of college for a semester in Ireland. I chose IES because of their direct enrollment program at Trinity College Dublin, and am so glad that I did! Trinity is famous for its academic excellence and history, both of which were important to me. I wanted to really make the most of my time abroad, adding to my academic credentials as well as having the time of my life. IES made this possible, placing me in convenient and comfortable housing, introducing all of the program members to one another, and helping us adjust to life and class-work in a new country. Between the IES staff and the program-members, we formed a close-knit, supportive, and adventurous community. We were all encouraged to take full advantage of this adventure, travelling all over the country, including on program-run field trips, and learning about all of the exciting opportunities available in Dublin itself. I fell in love with that city, and with all of Ireland, and really have to thank IES for making my study abroad experience so wonderful.

IES Abroad Vienna’s Music program was an AMAZING experience! There is no city in the world that has classical music like Vienna: concerts and operas every night with the best performers in the world, along with student tickets and cheap standing room tickets!! The music classes offered at the center (which is in a palace!!!) were awesome and I grew so much a musician and as a singer working privately with a teacher from the prestigious Music University. Also, the most amazing student services staff that always made me feel comfortable and taken care of! Unfortunately, homestays aren’t much of an option, but I loved living with friends in apartments and learning how to live independently for the first time!!

This was absolutely the best time of my life without a doubt. I had an internship where I was able to learn a lot about my major but also about doing business abroad. I gained so much self awareness that only studying in a different wouldn't have provided. I received a lot of great insights about the city from my co-workers and constantly explored the city. The actual seminar part of the program was great, it was twice a week and really made you think about not only your internship and experiences but other people in different industries experiences and internships. The IES staff was great, when I got sick they took me to the doctors and helped with all of the insurance which really made the whole process easy. London is a great city to be in and I would choose the city and IES ten times out of ten.

I had an amazing time through this program. There were dozens of internship options to fit the needs of each and every student selected. I had the opportunity to work with an amazing Italian ceramist, where I was able to truly immerse myself within the Italian work culture and gain invaluable professional experience!

The staff and courses were also great. The day trips and programming offered a unique way to explore the city and live life the Roman way.

As a full year, direct enrollment student at TCD I was put into college housing with other international students. I lived in Rathmines, about fifteen minutes walking distance away from the IES centre, so it was always nearby if I need it, although I only went there a couple of times toward the end of the year. Most of my experience abroad was independent of IES' programming; since I was the only full year, I wasn't as involved with the center as the people who had orientation there. When I did need help, the staff there were great.

Classes at Trinity are very different to classes in America, most of all in terms of grading. It was uncomfortable to adjust to the concept of one assignment determining your entire grade for a course, but it did change the way I approached coursework. The professors at Trinity were amazing and I enjoyed all the courses I took there.

Living in Dublin was incredible; it has all the charms of a historic town and all the perks of a big city. The major difficulty with living there was in the general cost of everything. The exchange rate from the dollar to the euro is bad for the dollar, and Dublin is expensive on top of that. Budgeting is important for living there, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

If you're looking to immerse yourself fully in a different culture, then Salamanca is the place for you. Very minimal English is spoken amongst the locals, comprised mostly of university students. This gives you the greatest opportunity to learn a second-language!
Additionally, everything is within walking distance, so you don't have to worry about public transportation in the town. If you're looking for a challenge, sign up for a home stay and test your language skills with a family.