IES Abroad Reviews

IES Abroad: Semester in Argentina was one of the most amazing experiences I have had. I studied abroad Spring 2012 and am counting down the days to go back. The staff, IES center and the city were all great. IES provided a lot of extra activities that were essential to making the program top notch. Some extra activities included, cooking class at one of the top universities in the country, drum class, tango classes, performances by different musical groups, tickets to the opera, trip to Tigre, and the list goes on. IES goes above and beyond to make each student feel comfortable and part of the culture of Buenos Aires. You can use as much or as little of the resources they provide.

I lived in a homestay and I could say that the students on my program all had positive experiences and IES worked closely to ensure we were all were happy. IES cares about what YOU want out of YOUR experience, which I feel is different than many other programs.

I was in the advance program and took classes at IES and at a local university. I would recommend you are 100% confident in the course you choose to take at the local university because it is more difficult then the courses at IES. The teachers at IES are great, fun and very helpful. My classes took fieldtrips to sites we were learning about in class. I also took the service learning course that provides you with an internship. Something unique to IES in Buenos Aires. My internship involved me going into Villa 21 (the slums of Buenos Aires) and working with youth there. Other internships included working at the public hospital shadowing doctors, marketing, promoters, etc.

The center is located in microcentro, which is in the heart of Buenos Aires... right off the avenue 9 de julio- the widest avenue in the world. I would say over the majority of students lived close enough to walk to class from their homes.

There is so much to explore in Buenos Aires and IES does a great job at providing you the opportunities to explore while giving you complete independence.

My semester in Nantes was everything I ever dreamed studying abroad would be except it was a thousand times better. I always thought I would study in Paris but when I learned of the Nantes program, I realized it was the best choice for me. Nantes is the perfect size - not too big, not too small - so by the end of the semester I really felt like I had gotten to know all of Nantes well, something I don't think I would have felt after only a semester in Paris. Still, I never ran out of things to do. I really felt at home in Nantes and like I was living the life of a French student, not just a visitor trying to fit in. People in Nantes are so welcoming and very patient with non-native French speakers so everywhere you go in Nantes, you are getting great experience speaking French.

I think the biggest strength of the program is the homestay. I know that if I had lived in a dorm or apartments with other American students, I would have spoken so much English. Living with a family, though difficult in the beginning, was the single greatest thing I ever did for my French speaking abilities. The families that work with the IES program are all very experienced in hosting American students. They welcome the students into their homes and treat them like family. I was invited to my host brother's wedding while I was there. I know many other families took their students with them to their vacation homes during breaks.

Another wonderful thing provided by the IES program is the French assistants. Several French graduate students work for IES and plan events for the students in the program, run the conversation club, and hold office hours for help with homework. They are a great resource because they are also students so they give awesome recommendations for things to do and see in Nantes and how to be successful as a student in France.

Nantes is a beautiful city, full of so much culture and history and conveniently located for travel around France, especially to Paris and from there, the rest of Europe. It's a great place to spend quality time learning French in a non-threatening environment. I would feel so much more comfortable living and speaking French in Paris after my semester in Nantes. I have visited Paris several times and of course it is as incredible as everyone says it is but I am so glad I got to know another part of France and expand my knowledge of French culture and language in Nantes.

Honestly, I could talk about my wonderful experience with the IES Granada program forever- I had the best time of my life during the semester I was studying abroad in Granada. I think that there are a few things that sets IES programs, and especially their Granada program, apart from other study abroad companies.
First, the support staff at Granada is AMAZING. The professors are so dedicated and enthusiastic- you can't help but be inspired! They really take the extra mile to make sure that your study abroad experience in the very best that it could be. I always felt that if I ever had a problem (be it with culture shock, housing or anything) I could come to anyone on the staff and they would do their best to help me.
Second, IES makes it possible for students to take classes at the local university and to do internships. I regret that I did not take advantage of this opportunity myself, but I do know people on my program who got to were able to explore a wide variety of interests, including wedding planning and photography! IES does a fantastic job finding opportunities that their students respond to and helping them have these amazing and unique experiences.
Third, they really encourage you to be involved in the community. Throughout the semester there were numerous presentations on extra-curricular activities and volunteer opportunities in the community and they highly encouraged us to participate. I took a tango class at the local university, for example! It was a lot of fun. They also provide fun one-time-only classes (cooking, wine tasting, etc.) and Open Mic Nights for IES students which really encourages a sense of community within the group as a whole. Almost all of my classes took field trips or made an effort to show students hidden gems in the community, which really helped make Granada feel like home.
I actually ended up staying in Granada for 2 weeks after the program ended- I just couldn't bear to leave. It truly is an amazing place. People were friendly and always willing to help. I raved so much about my time there that my cousin is actually studying abroad there now! For more information about the daily going-ons of life in Granada, please feel free to check out the blog that I kept while I studied abroad: http://buenviajegranada2012.wordpress.com/

I absolutely loved my semester in Nantes France. Nantes is really beautiful and very typically french. I really wanted to go somewhere where I could improve my french everyday and Nantes was perfect for that. I lived with a host family that was so welcoming and willing to help me practice. Having dinner with them every night really helped with my vocabulary and my comfort level with the language. I still keep in contact with them and know that I can visit them anytime I am back in France. IES Nantes also conducts a weekly conversation group where a lot of French students come to practice their english. The conversation group is great because so many people participate (americans and french) and it allows you the opportunity to make French friends. Me and my friends met a group of french students that we ended up hanging out with almost every weekend.

The IES staff is very helpful with everything and very caring. I felt completely comfortable coming to them with anything even if it was just to talk.

With all of the public transportation it is really easy to get around and pretty cheap too if you buy the student transportation pass. It is also very easy to travel around Europe from Nantes. It only takes 2 hours by train to get to Paris and the Charles de Gaulle airport.

Overall I had a wonderful experience in Nantes and would go back immediately if I could. You can't go wrong with IES Nantes.

Mention Vienna to most Americans and they think Italy. Mention Austria to others and they gush about koalas. These people are missing out on knowledge about one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Studying abroad in Austria was such an amazing experience. I find that everyday, I look back on my experience and smile about one thing or another, whether it is the new language I learned or the amazing people I met, not only from America, but from Austria, Chile, France, Italy, and Germany.

This was my first experience in Europe. Vienna itself is a gorgeous, clean city with easy to navigate public transportation and some amazing museums and buildings. In terms of travelling, Vienna is that wonderful border right between Eastern and Western Europe. Its citizens speak German, but they are pretty fluent with English as well. Crime is low and politeness is high.

In Vienna, I learned more about living on my own, away from my usual support systems but still supported. The important message to take from abroad is not the classes you take, although they can really add to your trip and teach you a lot about the culture, but to learn to survive in and accept a culture that is different from your own. With the resources provided by the program, it is an easy thing to do. I would highly recommend the teaching internships offered, where you go into Austrian schools and learn firsthand about the average life of a person who may not be too much younger than you and come to understand the similarities and differences between your life and theirs.

Ich vermisse Wien!

I chose Nantes because I wanted a smaller city than Paris where I wouldn't be overwhelmed by tourists, and I chose perfectly. IES is the only American study abroad program there that I know of, so I really learned how to speak French like a native!

My host family was definitely one of the best parts of my stay. We had dinner together every night as well as some lunches, and they included me in conversations and made me feel like a member of the family - I felt so welcome, and I still talk with my host sisters on Facebook over a year after my trip!

Nantes is small enough that you can find your way around fairly easily, but large enough that there is always something new. As president of my class, I found a lot of small concerts for us to go to, crêperies to visit, or festivals to attend. There was a kind of farmers' market every Saturday with homemade goods and homegrown vegetables and fruits, as well as clothes or toys to buy as souvenirs.

The public transportation system in Nantes was such a big help! The tram lines are pretty centrally located, and there are buses to go all over in between. I definitely wasn't used to that and it was awesome! It was kind of a pain applying for the student monthly pass, but it's worth it for the convenience once you have it.

Travel tip: if you plan on taking a lot of weekend trips, consider buying an SNCF carte pour 12-25 ans. It automatically gets you at least a 25% discount on TGV tickets, and sometimes as much as 60%! I think mine was around 50 Euro and it easily paid for itself within two tickets.

I hope your stay in France is as memorable as mine - make sure you take pictures because you will love looking back on them and reminiscing :)

IES Barcelona Liberal Arts and Business wasn't named the #1 study abroad program for nothing. So many course options (take classes at UAB - you are placed with kids studying abroad from all over the world), field trips, and student activities around the city are prepared for you.

Even if you don't speak any Spanish (I had taken French in high school), getting around Barcelona is not too difficult. The subway and bus system are amazing, so you can travel from one part of the city to another with ease. The food in Barcelona is also simply amazing. It is the most cosmopolitan city in Spain, so you won't be stuck with just traditional Spanish food. Catalan food is French oriented, but there are also Asian restaurants, Irish pubs, German food, African cuisine, you name it and you can find it.

I recommend taking out a student loan (or borrow money from family if possible) in order to have spending money for travel and eating out (eat out as much as possible, there is no city in America where food is as good as in Europe). I had a $6,500 student loan and spent about $3,000 on snowboarding trips to the Pyrenees and Alps (16 days riding in Europe total). The rest was spent in Barcelona mostly on food and going out with friends. Depending on your style, I would also suggest under packing clothes and buying some new threads in Spain. If you go for the Spring semester, the after Christmas sales begin in January and last all month and you can find great deals on just about everything.

One thing not to do is stay in Spain. Travel to as many countries as possible (Paris, London, Berlin, or any northern city in January/February will be cold -- check the weather before you travel) and eat as much new food as possible (especially Jamon de belota in Spain -- the expensive stuff, its worth it).

I had the opportunity to spend an entire academic year in Granada. The two semesters were different in their own ways, but the whole experience was nothing short of amazing.
IES Granada does an amazing job of choosing interesting courses that take advantage of all the city has to offer. They offer a great crash course to culture and life in Granada as well as to its incredibly rich history. It is difficult to put a year into a blurb, but I will try.
A day in the life. My amazing host mother (with whom I stayed all year) made sure breakfast was ready by the time I showered and dressed. Then it was off to class - we all had grammar in the morning. By the second semester, I took advantage of time between that and my next class for a coffee, hopefully with a friend but sometimes to get a head start on homework (much to the dismay of the locals - you are not to mix eating--pleasure--with work!).
After morning classes, lunch at home was definitely a priority because host mothers always make the best everything. Lentils out are never as good as lentils at home! Siesta became sacred. It took a while to get used to, but that time of rest is precious. It definitely got to the point when it was a struggle to get through my 4pm class twice a week because I needed that break!
I took most of my classes at the IES center with some at the local Universidad de Granada, too. That was a great way to challenge my language skills and meet non-Americans. Regardless, all my courses were in Spanish.
IES did an excellent job of offering suggestions for things to do. There were organized events as well as listings of other ways to get involved more. They offered a very supportive audience for our flamenco dance class, too! The trips to Morocco, Cádiz, Córdoba, Sevilla, Ronda, Cabo de Gata, Málaga, etc were informative and so much fun. I was able to get involved with the Universidad de Granada choir and meet friends through that. Each time I go back, I still hang out with them.
I took advantage of IES's internship offering, too, and had an internship in the cultural diffusion office at the Biblioteca de Andalucía where I did translations as well as work with cultural events. I was able to help with translations of other publications, as well.
I very much appreciated that my year there was a year of normal events and activities, just elsewhere. The night scene and the tapas and leisurely strolls and hikes were absolutely an essential part to that, too. Everything had its own Spanish and, more importantly, Andalusian flair.
My time there had its challenges, absolutely. It is tiring learning a new language and cultural differences. The closer I got to the locals, the more those differences came to light. People thought my life was like the movies and sometimes I just wanted to not have to charge through old ladies with umbrellas stopping to catch up in the middle of sidewalks. It can be a real challenge to join well-established social groups, so making local friends had its challenges. The university system was an adjustment, too, but, again, these all pale in comparison to my overall experience.
I never thought I would try my hand at directing--in Spanish--or dance in the middle of a plaza trying to learn Sevillanas. I never thought I would tour around Andalucía with a choir or be called 'half Spanish.' I never thought I would fall in love with a culture, a city and people the way I did. To this day I call my host mom and friends every so often and I do not think I will ever have to stay in a hotel there.
The Alhambra is an obvious draw to Granada. It is stunning and you can never go there too many times. Buying cookies from the nuns at a convent around Christmas is the whakiest, coolest business transaction you can find anywhere. You cannot go wrong with shoe shopping. Flamenco is everywhere. I went there looking for immersion, not really knowing what that would mean.
Long story short, my year there was amazing and I think I found out what an immersion experience is.

Barcelona is an amazing city with so many things to do! From the beautiful beaches to historical landmarks and architecture everyday can be an adventure! The staff is very helpful, providing great advice and excursions to make the most out of your time abroad. My weeks consisted of morning classes at the IES center, followed by delicious lunches (plenty of restaurants around the center), exploring the city in the afternoon, and having a typical Spanish dinner with my homestay family (one of my favorite parts of my day). The weekends offered plenty of time to travel to nearby cities like Sitges, or plan a trip to a nearby country with your friends. The most difficult aspect of living in Barcelona was maintaing a budget, but this can easily be done with some planning!

I spent two consecutive semesters in Barcelona, both times with a host family. I still consider my time abroad as the best year of my life. The city itself is magical-- after traveling around Europe, I realized if I hadn't studied abroad in Barcelona it would have been the city I would most have wanted to return to.

IES is also a great program- the professors made the classes fun and memorable and the staff was always willing to help. Coming from Penn State, it was a nice change having staff and faculty actually recognize and remember me, and I will always value the relationships I formed with my professors and the staff.

I could not have asked for more from my host family, they were hysterical! They dressed up for halloween and my host dad always had a joke ready. They always made room for me, too, like when they had a big Christmas brunch in between semesters and invited me- they even gave me a gift! When my family visited, everyone came over to eat and even though not everyone spoke English or Spanish fluently, we had a great night.

I was rarely homesick, but it was difficult to adjust between semesters-- I had already lived there for three months, so I was over the "first-month-abroad-let's-go-out-every-night," but all the Spring students were just getting started. I also missed my friends from Fall, but I still made really valuable friendships with people I met during the Spring.

I took classes at UPF, a local university, and stayed after class one day and asked a bunch of Catalan girls if they wanted to get lunch and they were so accepting and friendly! I don't think I would have made my Spanish friends if I had only taken classes at IES.

It's difficult to describe any experience abroad in a few paragraphs-- go to Barcelona and see for yourself!