IES Abroad Reviews

I have never traveled overseas alone before. As a graduate student, I had grown comfortable with the routine of things, from classes to rotations, and weekly exam reviews along with work obligations. But one day I woke up and realized that after I graduate, I wouldn’t have time to learn what life is like in another part of the world like I could as a student. As someone who has always been curious about other cultures and as a strong believer in bridging gaps in communication between different populations, I wanted to be able to really learn from life across the world and then use that knowledge to direct my own career in the future. While my university does offer a plethora of classes that can educate people about different cultures, I knew that there was a clear difference in learning about it and learning within it.

I spent weeks looking for internships that could apply to my interests while also providing the security that I wanted as someone studying abroad alone. When I discovered IES Abroad, my entire life changed. From the beginning of the application to when I arrived back in my home state after my 8 weeks living in Milan, Italy, the staff was there 100%. They helped me get my documents together for school and were very organized in helping all of the study abroad students get acquainted with the schedule and their expectations of us once we arrived. In addition to a class focused on cultural differences, society, and economics, they offered a free Italian language class, which was SO helpful when it came to my internship site and when I travelled to other places over the weekends (which they let us do!). I wanted to explore the Psychology field as it isn’t really discussed in my program, and they partnered me with a psychologist who had just created his own psychology company. It was so educational and enlightening, and my former boss and I still talk to this day! They have an incredibly vast array of programs and subjects that students can choose from, and they even give you the choice of interviewing with your potential boss while studying abroad before you even arrive in your study abroad country! I really liked that they were committed to helping me find a good fit from the very beginning.

In terms of location, I was in the HEART of Milan, in a gorgeous apartment, with three other American students and one community assistant (a native Italian college student). It was so safe and secure, which was something that made everyone so much more open to exploring their surroundings and really immersing themselves in the culture. They also provided everyone with a student health insurance plan that was included in our tuition fees. In terms of pricing, IES is one of the most affordable internships I have seen, and it definitely had the most coverage in terms of securing a placement geared to the student’s needs, safe and convenient housing, optional trips within the IES program (which were also SO much fun), health insurance, and weekend travel opportunities. I will forever be grateful for IES Abroad and the amazing staff that helped me learn so much about the world and so much about myself this past summer. A piece of my heart will always be in Italy.

If you're thinking about studying abroad but feel like there are so many reasons not to-- trust me, DO IT! Take a chance on yourself. I promise you, you will not be disappointed.

Throughout my whole two months interning abroad in Cape Town, South Africa my experience was an adventurous and challenging one. I was able to expand my cultural knowledge on and learn information about different types of townships and their history. In addition, I grew on a personal note by learning how to be more patient and adaptable to a more laid-back work environment where the main priority is based on sustaining and building relationships. On a professional level, I gained more practice with my communication skills, self-motivation, adaptability and computer skills. I definitely did experience a lot of moments when I would feel homesick, but to help overcome these moments I would just hang out with friends and call my family. And of course, when it was time to leave to go back to the States I was not ready. However, I do know that I will be visiting again!

Cape Town was nothing like I expected. The city was completely surrounded by mountains. I climbed Lion's Head and rode a cable car in order to reach the top of Table Mountain. Both times, the views at the top left me breathless. I am not much of a hiker, but hiking up at least one of the mountains is a must!

There were many cultures that came to reside in Cape Town and so many different cuisines to try. I enjoyed Cape Malay food the best, and I highly recommend going to Bo-Kaap, a former township in Cape Town. I was also able to visit Robben Island, one of the prisons that Nelson Mendlon was incarcerated in. It was an eye-opening experience because one of our tour guides was imprisoned on the island and spoke a little about his time there. The rich history in Robben Island and in South Africa as a whole was taught to my peers and I through a course and overtime during our time there.

My internship placement taught me so much more about not only South African culture but also the culture of neighboring nations. South Africa is known as the Rainbow Nation, and I understood the label once I started at my internship. There were so many clients from different countries that came to South Africa with the same sole purpose of bettering their own lives and their families. I was able to learn so much through the people I met and the places I saw.

I participated in the Dublin Summer Internship program in the summer of 2019. I interned for a small startup company called Restored Hearing. My co-workers and supervisors at my internship were some of the friendliest and most receptive people I have ever encountered. I definitely developed many of my professional skills, but I also progressed as a person. This experience was a great opportunity for me to see the world and decide how I want to live in it. The time I spent traveling around Ireland and Europe was absolutely life changing and I made many great friends along the way. This experience influenced me to change my ideas on what career path I want to take. I actually plan on going back to Ireland for Graduate School and pursuing a degree in international business.

During my program, I completed a research project in the folklore archive of the Chilean National Library. Through this internship, I was able to further narrow down what sort of career path I wanted to take and what kind of work environment I want to be in. The placement process for internships was a little last minute (within a couple weeks of the program starting) because IES was going through staffing changes, but ultimately, everything ended up working out and the program went smoothly.

Chile is also an amazing country to travel to for its natural landmarks alone. Things like the Atacama Desert and Patagonia are just a short plane trip away and the Andes Mountains are visible at any point in Santiago! IES also took us on field trips to several places around such as La Moneda (the main government office) and Valparaiso!

The program was also relatively affordable compared to other summer study abroad programs, and IES does give financial aid if needed.

Overall I had a fantastic experience, and I would encourage anyone who is interested to take advantage of the opportunity to work and study abroad!

I didn't really know what to expect when going into this program because it was my first time ever going abroad. I was super nervous about safety concerns abroad and the community in general. IES Milan was super helpful and everyone was super welcoming. I was placed in an internship that aligned really well with what I wanted to do. The staff in Milan were also super accommodating to people who wanted to change internships. The accommodations that we received in Milan were also very nice, we were placed in safe neighborhoods that were close to the inner city. Everything in the city was extremely accessible and I had time to travel to other parts of the country which was really fun! I didn't know anyone going into the program but I got close to my roommates and traveled with them making lifelong friendships.

IES Abroad Nice was one of the best decisions I have made in my life! I have never had the opportunity to live and become so submerged into another culture prior to this summer. I have always lived in Michigan and while having the opportunity to travel to various places, I have never been gone from home for so long. Walking to class every morning (even though we had class at 9 or 9:30 everyday which is super early for me) by all of the pastry shops and walking to the Mediterranean ocean after class to sunbathe was literally a dream. In addition, the credits from my classes transferred back to my home school, so I got course credit which was really amazing. This program is super unique, too, because you also get the chance to live in Marseille (another town in France) and to travel around Morocco with the other people on the trip. I got super close with all of the other students as well as the director or the program, and look forward to returning to Nice very soon!

About 13 years ago, my family and I moved to the United States as refugees. Growing up, I've always wanted to work for a non-profit that focused on refugees and migrants. That is why I chose Global and International Studies as my major, and it's been the best decision. Getting the opportunity to go to Spain was unbelievable for me. As an intern at Bienestar y Desarrollo Association, which is Spanish for Welfare and Development Association, I received a very warm welcome since the first day, and never felt like I did not belong there. As the first non-Spanish speaker to be hired as an intern, it was an honor and I also never felt like an outcaste or out of the loop. Co-workers who did not speak English would still greet me and make me feel very comfortable. That is what I appreciated the most. The work environment was very comforting, which made communicating much better and easier. I was never scared to ask for help or anything.
Through all the professional work, coffee breaks, and simply speaking with other co-workers, without a doubt, I grew both personally and professionally at ABD. As an intern, in many places, you can end up having to do the same task for a very long time, which gets very boring and tedious. However, I was given various tasks, and that allowed me to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone. Some of the things I had to do were new to me, but was very educational. It was interesting because the tasks mainly depended on the project that was being created at the time or the main focus, and so my responsibilities include, but not limited to, searching for possible funding opportunities in the EU, possible partners for collaboration, assisting with creating projects (Food Relations and COOLtoRISE), and proofreading/revising documents. Also, because the work environment was much more relaxed as opposed to the US, where everything is more scheduled and at ABD, it was more at flow, I was able to find my pace and work comfortably. I was able to get a lot of tasks completed. I am very proud of all the work that I did, and I hope that my work was very beneficial and helpful to the organization. The two months I spent in Spain were definitely amazing and Barcelona will always have a special place in my heart.

I didn’t want to be that person who said study abroad changed my life, but now that I’ve studied abroad......

This summer (2019) I had the incredible opportunity to travel abroad with IES to Amsterdam. Making it to Europe has always been a dream of mine, and when I saw the immerse and customizable curriculum that IES has to offer, including a course on Intersexuality and its history in Dutch medicine as well as a gendered approach looking at 17th century art history, I knew this program was right for me.

Since pre-departure, the IES Staff made the process incredibly easy — consistent emails and working alongside the study abroad office kept me ahead of schedule and prepared for in advance of boarding my flight.

This communication remained if not flourished as the program began and I was starting my summer in a new country. The summer went by quick (sad), but by the end I can say that I left with a completely new cultural perspective, an expansive amount of knowledge, a ton of new experiences (and photos!), and of course 20 new friends.

I thank the IES Abroad Faculty for the incredible experiences I got to live out this summer, and hope that the many prospective students of the program have an amazing time in the upcoming semesters!

I learned so much on this program! I now know more about the Chilean health system than I do about the United States system. I got 60 hours of hospital observation, including seeing many surgeries and the birth of a baby! All of my experiences in the hospital were completely in Spanish, which made it very intimidating at first. However, by the end I could understand everything happening around me and I loved it! I also made friendships that I know will last for the rest of my life. The IES Abroad center staff was so kind and genuinely cared that we had a great time, and I loved my host family. The city of Santiago now feels like a second home to me, and I can't wait to go back some day. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to improve their Spanish, learn about medicine, and have a summer full of adventure!