Program Reviews

IES Abroad does a fantastic job of offering authentic experiences with the host country’s culture and educational system while catering to students with experience in the American education system. Orientation is in-depth for culture shock, language (whether or not you speak it), educational system, and so many opportunities to make friends with international and local students. IES offers a few faculty-led trips within the host country/surrounding area, which are incredible. They do a great job of picking cities with a rich history and that would be difficult for students to plan a trip encompassing the maximum number of highlights with enough time to enjoy the city. The staff also book tours of the cities with professionals who are always willing to speak at a lower level of fluency with students and explain concepts and events in several ways to that students all understand their point within the host language (if different that native language). Professors are the same and students can tell that professors genuinely enjoy both the subject they are teaching as well as interactions with students from all over the US and are very interested in comparing their experiences to students’.

My experience with IES Abroad Milan this spring has been nothing short of remarkable. The program offers a perfect blend of academic rigor, cultural immersion, and community outreach, providing students with countless opportunities to grow both personally and professionally.

One of the highlights of the semester was the community outreach programs facilitated by Professor Resnik, particularly our involvement with the local soup kitchen and Don Bosco High School. These initiatives gave us a chance to engage directly with Milan's local communities, broadening our perspective on service and making meaningful contributions to those in need. It was a humbling and rewarding experience that complemented our academic studies.

Beyond the classroom, the program organizes a wide range of activities and field trips that allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in Italian culture. From exploring Milan's art and architecture to discovering smaller towns and historical landmarks, every trip deepened our understanding of Italy's rich history and vibrant present.

The staff at IES Abroad Milan went above and beyond to ensure we were supported throughout the program, whether through academic resources, cultural events, or personal guidance. This holistic approach, combined with the exciting city of Milan as our backdrop, made for a truly unforgettable semester.

My time in Vienna through IES Abroad was the most influential experience I've had in my college career. I had the opportunity to meet life-long friends, explore new cities, immerse myself in new cultures, and take courses that challenged my worldview and helped me grow into a more compassionate and well-rounded individual. The people I met in Vienna are some of my closest friends. Our time traveling together cemented a bond that I will cherish forever. IES: Vienna also sponsors trips and provides information to aid students in traveling both in Austria and across Europe. IES: Vienna provides a space for its students to take academically rigorous courses that are designed to interact with the city of Vienna itself. My classes took trips to museums, parks, churches, and monuments to explore Vienese history and culture. IES guided us every step of the way through pre-departure, our time abroad, and as we transitioned back home. I would recommend the program to anyone looking to study abroad!

I had the time of my life this summer in Dublin. I was with other students from my university, but got to interact with the IES staff and students from other colleges during my time here. My classes were relatively easy, engaging, and the homework wasn't too bad. I wish I had had more guidance for our final projects but office hours helped clear that up. Stephen and Mark from IES Dublin were phenomenal. They were kind, informative, and happy to help in any way possible. I also liked the proximity of my apartment to city center. It was easy to walk around. I do wish my apartment was closer, since it was about a half hour LUAS ride to get to class every morning. And the area of our apartment was a bit sketchy. The cleanliness of the apartment was disappointing. The communal kitchens weren't cleaned despite being promised, and very little was actually provided despite what was advertised. But my personal room and bathroom was great and the city itself was wonderful. I loved our scheduled excursions as a group. I do wish the dining options provided were more dietary friendly though. But overall, my time in Dublin was incredible. I had so much fun traveling, making life-long friends, and getting immersed in the culture. Thank you IES!

I believe that despite the intense academic rigor and the overall stress caused by so many new aspects of living in Japan, that IES made it so much easier than it could have been. Their initial overview of customs and helpful services was invaluable; just having a consistent place to study or chat with like-minded students was a very nice offering to have. With all of that being said I feel that IES is a wonderful way to get acquainted with living in Japan, but be aware that there may be costs or attributes to your living experience that are surprising.

In one of my classes they asked us to think of some of the best choices that we have made in our life, and what immediately came up for me was going on this program. I was nervous coming in because I knew nobody else but my concerns there were quickly put to rest as IES did a good job of hosting social events and tours that allowed us to naturally meet the others. In the end I ended up traveling with them to multiple places and believe I made some lifelong friends Along with the social aspect of things, IES did a good job at pairing people with the type of internship in the fields that they wanted. With regards to prepping for the program, IES did a great job of hosting info sessions and walking us through the VISA process. Overall a 10/10 experience.

I had an overall fantastic experience with IES abroad Madrid with the exception of the Internship course. The actual internship that I had was fantastic, the company was great and I benefitted greatly- however the weekly class, or "seminar" as they called it, might have been one of the biggest wastes of my classmates and I's time. The professor was outright rude to his students, and the actual content on the class was not useful or novel. For example, one of the assignments we had to complete was to create and submit a CV and cover letter in spanish. This sounds like a great idea in theory, except that all the students had to submit a CV and cover letter in english and spanish to even be admitted into the internship program- essentially wasting all of our time. It was also ridiculous that we spent 8-15 hours a week at our internships yet that only accounted for 15% of the grade, while the one hour of class where nothing new/not common sense was taught accounted for the other 85%.I also want to highlight that the seminar was on friday mornings, while no other IES classes were held on Fridays. While I truly believe that IES should be able to schedule classes on fridays if they would like, I also feel that if that is the case, the class needs to be a worthwhile expenditure of time. By having a professor that treated the students as if they had zero common sense or critical thinking skills, many students felt as if their time was completely wasted and the friday morning class was not only inconvenient, but pointless. I heard similar feedback from my peers who also were enrolled in the internship course, so I know my sentiments were shared among others in the program. So while I did have a great experience, this one aspect put a damper on the overall rating I would give the program.

Studying abroad through IES Study London was the best decision I've ever made! I had never thought about studying abroad because I was such a homebody growing up. Being away for 4 months felt like something I could never do. IES Abroad does a great job of helping you along the way, but gives you enough room to grow and to do things on your own. I would 100% recommend this program to anyone. London is also an amazing destination with SO much to offer. If you are hesitant about studying abroad, just do it! The memories you make will last a lifetime!

The academic program at IES Barcelona was awful. To this day I am still fighting a grade appeal. One of my professors didn’t respond to any emails throughout the entire semester and didn’t put in any grades until three weeks after the program had ended. She provided absolutely no feedback throughout the entire semester and provided no feedback or comments whatsoever on any of the assignments. I was upset and complained to IES multiple times during the year and after the program ended. They denied my grade appeal decision with absolutely no valid basis. Apparently IES thinks it’s acceptable to have unresponsive professors who don’t respond to emails, cancel classes frequently, provide no feedback whatsoever and put in grades three weeks after the program ended. Horrible academic program and horrible IES academic advisors. I have never witnessed such an inadequate professor and even more inadequate academic advisors in my life. I am never recommending IES to anyone and instead I am encouraging all younger students in my clubs/organizations on campus to not apply to IES.

IES Abroad Madrid was by far the best experience I've ever had. I have not a single complaint. I met people that I'm confident I'll be close with for the rest of my life, learned more in a handful of months about other countries that I haven't throughout all my years of education at home, visited sights I never knew existed, and just had an overall unbelievable time. I have no regrets and strongly encourage everyone who is able to take the leap on the opportunity this is. It will change you and your perspectives on life in the most rewarding ways possible