IES Abroad Reviews

I walked to school every morning from my home stay to the IES center through the busy streets of Granada. I got to see the majestic and beauty that is the Alhambra multiple times and explored the streets in the Albayzín, embracing the Islamic influences and culture. I ate amazing food with my host mom, enjoyed tapas throughout the city, made lasting friendships and learned so much. I could not have pictured a more incredible experience.

Program is set up perfect to build close bonds with others in the program but you must really reach out in order to meet the locals. The EU program takes it's students on several trips around Europe!

I studied abroad at Mountview Academy for the Theatre Arts, and I couldn't have picked a better place to study theatre than London. The school is one of the most prominent theatre conservatories in the UK, and the school definitely lived up to its reputation.

The students were some of the most welcoming and friendly people I had ever met. As soon as they met me, they accepted me into their family with open arms, no questions asked.

Most schools abroad are lecture based and have a pretty manageable schedule, like Tuesdays and Thursdays 11-1 and 2-4 and Mondays and Wednesdays 12 - 3 or something like that. But the schedule at Mountview was 9-6 Monday through Friday every single day. They kept us very busy. The students were all incredibly talented and the teachers were brilliant, many of them still working professional performers. Because my residence hall was so far from campus, I had to make a forty minute commute there and back. This made it a little difficult to stay in touch with my classmates outside of school.

But even so, one of the best parts about the direct enrollment program was the freedom I had. After my first day of classes, IES basically said, "There you go! Have a fun time! Call us if you need us!" and that was that! So I was free to go sight seeing, plan weekend trips like Stratford-Upon-Avon and Dublin. I got to plan my own events and live by my own ambitions.

More than a learning experience, it was a growing experience. I traveled by myself, handled clothes and expenses by myself, provided for all my meals by myself, got lost in the city and found my way home by myself. It was like a rite of passage being dropped in a different city in a different country across the sea and to be able to hold my own. Without a doubt, the best three months of my life.

I learned so much about the culture I was in through the IES Language & Area program. Germans can be very outgoing when you let them open up to you. They are just as curious about us as we are of them from a societal standpoint and some amazing friendships came out of that-- both from the program and just being a local. I also learned so much about ethnocentrism and how the American culture is the epitome of it. Because of that, re-adjusting to the American lifestyle can be a little nerve-racking, but don't be worried about it. Learn to accept the similarities and the differences and help others understand it to.
For the program itself, I could say nothing but good things. The only challenged I faced was in my studies trying to find a balance between both styles of university. However, the work I did wasn't horrible and I still had plenty of free time to go on adventures and wander around. The advisers were fantastic and were always available for questions and concerns.

IES Roma is truly a fantastic program that enabled me to enjoy an amazing experience in the Eternal City. The location (about a 5 minute walk from the Vatican!) is perfectly nestled right along the Tiber River in the historic center of the city. The classes were engaging and relevant, but not over-burdensome in terms of workload; in other words don't expect blow-off classes, but I never felt overwhelmed or unable to take weekend trips due to classwork. Additionally field trips are never lacking as professors will take you to museums, landmarks, and other spots of intrigue on a weekly basis. The city is confusing to navigate, a little dirty, and public transportation is a mess but is generally unnecessary as almost everything worth seeing is relatively close. The program also does a great job of keeping you informed regardless of the occasion. Their are tons of extracurriculars as well, which were great ways to bond with my fellow students outside of the classroom. I played in a soccer league, participated in cooking classes, and dined with my classmates in some of Rome's renowned restaurants at a subsidized cost. The administration is very nice and helpful and they maintain a good balance between keeping you safe and not holding your hand as you experience your semester in a foreign location. I look back on my all-too-brief time in Rome with a fondness beyond words. While the city of Rome in itself is an incredible place overflowing with beauty and history that couldn't help but amaze everyone that has the fortune to visit, I strongly believe that IES is a special program that helped me relish and experience Rome to its fullest.

I highly recommend this program for anyone considering Germany as a study abroad destination. Berlin is the perfect city to experience culture, nightlife, art and academics, and the IES program provides everything you need to enjoy all of these. The center staff is exceptional; they are very friendly, always eager to help in any way, and its obvious that they all enjoy their work.

The program does a great job of walking the line between guiding you and allowing free time. You will be on your own most of the time, but they organize several group events such as dinners and excursions to other cities. You can choose just how involved you want to be at the center for yourself. They start by providing you with all the necessary resources (maps, food info, transportation cards, emergency resources, etc.), and guide you around the city a bit, but then you are really free to explore.

As far as safety goes, its hard to imagine having felt any safer while I was there. I had some issues en route (missed flights, stranded at Berlin airport), and the staff worked late into the night to contact me and get me to my homestay, doing everything possible to help me. I got a little sick during my stay and visited the doctor (one is located less than 10 minutes away from the center, which is convenient). It was fast, efficient, and free, thanks to the insurance. In the extremely unlikely event that something bad happens to you in Berlin, the center has all the contact info you need provided on a card that they give you.

My homestay was fantastic. I was well matched with my host, who provided a great opportunity to practice German and share interests (in my case cooking and literature), and the apartment was gorgeous and comfortable. Judging by the other hosts I encountered, they have a really good vetting process at IES since they were all awesome people.

The academics were excellent as well. I learned a lot from both of the courses I took, and we frequently visited various museums and historical parts of Berlin to get a well rounded understanding of the topics. The grading was fair, and although I wouldn't say it was easy, homework and papers definitely won't be consuming a lot of your time here.

I really don't think I could have enjoyed this program more. I would highlight the truly outstanding staff, who are always going out of their way to make things fun and engaging. This was especially true of the optional Prague trip we took, which I highly recommend signing up for.

My experience abroad was amazing. I had the opportunity to travel, try amazing food and live as a local. Every day after class I would find a new lunch spot, or try a new thing at my favorites so I had the opportunity to try everything the area had to offer. Some times it didn't work out to well and I would end up with a roll full of anchovies but it was all part of the experience. You can eat peanut butter and drive your car for the rest of your life so go our of your comfort zone! I lived with a host family and I was able to become a part of their family. It was so great to get to see how they went about their normal life and to discover the stark differences but also the similarities.

My time in Granada was simply amazing. Everything in my environment was brand new, the sights, sounds, and even the smells. It was overwhelming at first, however, refreshing and invigorating too. I stayed with a host family and though speaking only in Spanish was rough off the bat, as the weeks passed I quickly improved. I took a diverse group of classes in Spanish that allowed me to gain understanding of the local culture: Islamic Art, Flamenco, a literature class, and a Spanish language class. In the art class we visited various important sites such as the Great Mosque in Cordoba and a three-part specialized tour through the Alhambra. The program's trip to Morocco stands out as one of the experiences I'm most appreciative of. I spent four days in the country and stayed with a local family. The memories I made there are so vivid because I had never been anywhere remotely like it before. My time in Morocco was just a cherry on top of an amazing semester filled with beauty, wonder, and encounters with the other.

I'm still in awe of all that happened during my time abraod that even now it's hard to process it all. I got to visit five different countries, spend time in sixteen different cities, and meet hundreds of new people. I played futbol with Spaniards and shared some great nights at the discotecas with my intercambio. I'm really glad I did the IES program in Granada.

I loved studying with IES. They made our summer incredibly fun and memorable. SInce studying with IES, I have studied with another program in a different location, and I have truly come to appreciate how special of a program is was. The staff truly felt like my own friends by the end of the summer, and they would go above and beyond to ensure we had everything we needed and answered all of our questions. The classes always held my interest and made me truly appreciate Britisha nd London culture. The living situation wasn't perfect, but it was nice for the amount of time we lived there. The trips IES had organized for us to take were absolutely wonderful. They hire the best, funniest, and most interesting tour guides and really aim to make each trip memorable, while still allowing for free time to do some exploring on your own. I never felt unsafe in the city, no matter what time of night, and I felt prepared to handle it if any problems did arise based on our safety orientation at the beginning of the trip.

I could not recommend any other program more than I do IES. They are a fantastic program and made preparation and transitions painless. I would absolutely study with them again if I was given the opportunity.

This study abroad program had everything you could think of to make a great study abroad experience. The staff makes adjusting to a new city easy and fun, starting from the orientation weekend and settling into our housing. the housing is great, a lot of the apartments are near the city center, and close to other student apartments. Throughout the year IES hosts several different trips for students, and throughout both semester I went on each of them. The three city trips were inexpensive and a great money savor. I got to see a lot of different areas of Austria I would not have seen otherwise. The ski and snowboard trip was my favorite because of the deal we got on rentals, and the fact that there was always someone to ski whether you were just learning or experienced.

The best part of the program was the range of academics they offered, since you could take classes at both the IES center and the University of Vienna. The teachers at IES are great because they really try to get you out of the classroom and explore the city. For example in my art history classes we spent most of the time in different museums, and even got free museum passes from them.

Overall Vienna is an amazing city to live in, since there is always something to do, places to explore, and events the city is planning. IES is very good about informing students on the different events being thrown around the city. The public transportation is easy to understand and learn, and efficient. Plus students can feel comfortable about safety, not once did I feel scared to use public transportation at night.