IES Abroad Reviews

Before I went abroad to Madrid, Spain, I had many reservations about what my experience would be. With only traveling out of the United States two times beforehand, I thought that living in Europe for an extended period of time was always going to be challenging. I was afraid that not only I would react poorly to my new surroundings but also I would not enjoy being away from home for so long. However, as I adjusted to life in Madrid I found that the reservations that I had were simply doubts. Throughout my time abroad, I was able to become immersed in the city’s culture by eating at various restaurants, visiting many important monuments and public sites, and learning about the historical significance of Spain in my program’s classes. Most importantly, I met a wide variety of people who were kind, generous, sympathetic, and open. Through study abroad, I was amazed by how I became more aware of the world around me as I was able to make life long friends and have many memorable experiences. I am incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to have studied abroad in such a beautiful, dynamic, and encapsulating country.

My experience in the IES London Theatre Studies program was nothing short of life-changing. As a theatre student, I needed to make sure that wherever I studied abroad was preparing me for my future career. London was the place that I could live and work surrounded by the industry that I am studying and IES Abroad was the perfect way for me to do this. Academically, I got loads of hands-on practical experience by attending productions, going backstage and doing workshops with professional artists working in London. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in the entertainment industry or the performing arts in general. On top of academics, the IES community will always hold a special place in my heart. The administrations genuinely cares about the well-being of their students and I felt like I could personally connect with them. I wasn't just a number in the program, I was treated as a complete human being and was given a community that helped me thrive and live up to the best of my potential. After returning home, I am confident that London is somewhereI would love to move to long-term after graduation, and I wouldn't have realized that if it weren't for my semester studying abroad with IES.

I loved my study abroad experience and I loved the area. Freiburg is a medium-big traditional German college town in the Black Forest. This means that there were a lot of typical German traditions with a mixture of a feeling of open-mindedness. Freiburg is amazing also in the sense that it is a city with a lot of environmentally conscious policies and goals, which means that people have the right of way above cars and cyclists in the downtown area.
I learned a lot about myself when I was away from my support group and family that feels way different from college. I felt like an adult which is incredibly exciting. I also learned to be more open-minded because I got to see the many ways that Germany tries to help its future through the development of different renewable energies like Biogas and how there is a cab service that is free for women after a certain time.
The academics offered where tough courses that challenges students in their ability to understand and retain information in german. The academics offered where tough courses that challenges students in their ability to understand and retain information in german. That being said the spacing of everything was weird because of where they decided to place breaks. That made it so that Midterms happened 2 weeks before the final and most teachers did not give prompts for the final until the week before the final essay was due which was terrible. Everyone in the administration was very nice and very good at giving us helpful tips on how to feel less homesick and trying to get students out of their dorms and explore the general area.

I was absolutely in love with this program. Each member of the faculty was continuously super helpful and helped us get through any practical or personal issues we faced when there. They also made a clear effort to get to know each of the students and do all that they could to make sure we were comfortable, well-informed, and happy. I loved each class I took. Studying international relations, I feel as if these classes I took at IES honestly gave me a deeper engagement in many ways my own home university's classes lack at times. The faculty and staff also organized more than enough activities to help us get acquainted with Paris and experience the city in a way we most likely would not have been able to do otherwise. From my French classes to my personal conversations with the faculty, as well as my homestay placement, my proficiency and comfort in the French language grew immensely. I can honestly say that my months with IES were the happiest months I have experienced in university and the only regret I have is not being able to stay for the full year.

This program is absolutely amazing! It is focused on experiential learning which was so invaluable. We visited hospitals, clinics, and social justice organizations on a weekly basis in addition to our courses. We had two larger trips during the semester that led us all around southern Africa. I felt so immersed and exposed to reality of Cape Town. The courses were community health-based and I could not speak more highly about the staff. It truly felt like a family in such a tight-knit program.

Great organization in the most beautiful place in the world!

I studied with IES Abroad Rome for the full academic year during my sophomore year of college and had the time of my life. IES was easy to work with both pre-departure and on-site. Before arrival, any questions that I had were answered promptly and thoroughly and the whole experience was very nice. The on-site staff in Rome were all wonderful. They are kind and dedicated people who are committed to ensuring that students have the best experience possible while they are abroad. All of the professors that I had the opportunity to study with were amazing. They were all very knowledgable in their field and made the classes both informative and enjoyable. My homestay was also amazing. It was located in the center of Rome, very close to the IES Center and with easy access to anything that I could possibly need. All of my classes involved field studies that took us all over the city and allowed us to see the things that we had been learning about in person. It really made the experience immersive and helped me to gain a deeper appreciation of my host country's history and culture. Overall, I had an incredible experience with IES Abroad and would recommend them to anyone wanting to have a truly fun and enriching experience.

This program was more incredible than I could have imagined. I loved the life and energy in the city of Santiago, and lived a 5 minute walk from the IES center. My classes and professors were fantastic and taught me so much about culture, medicine, and helped me to improve my Spanish greatly. I loved being able to shadow medical professionals in the public hospital- I even befriended some surgeons and got to play tennis with them on the weekends! The program allowed a lot of weekend time so my friends and I took advantage of every opportunity to travel and explore all of the amazing nature and experiences Chile has to offer like surfing in Pichilemu, skiing in the Andes, sand boarding in the Atacama Desert, summiting a volcano in Pucón, and hiking through Patagonia after my program finished. I made some incredible friends, both from in my program and from the class I took at the local university with Chilean students. My abroad experience was the greatest experience of my life and I learned so much about culture, medicine, Spanish, travel, and about myself while in Chile with IES Abroad.

I had the amazing opportunity to study and intern abroad in Milan through IES. I absolutely loved my experience in Milan, and the IES team was extremely helpful in preparing me for my time abroad. I especially appreciated how easy they made the pre-departure experience. They helped with all preparation aspects, from the visa process to packing for 4 months away!

While there, I took classes in subjects I was interested in that helped me learn more about Italian culture and contributed to my major. Through my internship, I expanded my cultural awareness and developed skills I know will be beneficial in future work experiences.

I also had the opportunity to explore the city and other parts of Italy through field trips IES planned. Whether it be taking cooking lessons, touring historical sites in Milan, or flying to the south of Italy, I will remember these experiences forever. I am grateful that IES planned them because I would not have been able to do them on my own, and they made my abroad experience even more amazing.

The apartment I lived in was also great. It was in a safe area and was very secure. The Italian student living with us, called a CA, was extremely helpful and helped me adjust quickly!

An amazing opportunity for self-growth, adventure, and a wider sense of the world. IES Rome gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in Italian culture and encouraged me to use my language skills. I became quite familiar with Rome and grew to really love the city and its thousands of years of history. Having a home base in Rome additionally allowed me to travel to many different places in Italy including Cinque Terre, Venice, Amalfi, Florence, Milan, and San Gimignano. It was an incredible 4 months and I am so happy and grateful that I was able to have such a once-in-a-lifetime semester.

My study abroad in Rabat, Morocco was unlike any academic or cultural experience I'd ever had before. In a city rich with religion, language, and life, the history and culture of Morocco were embedded into every corner, every view and every interaction I had. Along with taking relevant courses on North African politics, North African cultural identities, and media in the Middle East, all taught by Moroccan professors, my study abroad experience was enhanced through the opportunity to participate in a part-time internship with a local organization. Also, through my experience living with a host family and the relationship I cultivated with them, I was able to experience what felt like a much more authentic reality and integration into Morocco. IES Abroad Rabat also did a fantastic job of hosting weekly cultural events and organized numerous group trips to different cities and regions across Morocco; some of my favorites included Chefchaouen and the Sahara Desert! This experience not only allowed me to further explore academic interests in North African post-colonial politics but also develop personal ties in the exploration of potential career paths that could take me back to Morocco.