IES Abroad Reviews

This past summer, I took part in a 6 week study abroad program in Madrid, Spain. It was an unforgettable summer that I will never be able to stop talking about. To start off, I was so scared to travel alone. Although I have traveled far with my parents, taking on a new country on my own was frightening. IES, however, sent out detailed plans about how to prepare for the trip and what to do when arriving at the Madrid airport. I made my way through the entire departure and arrival with no problem thanks to them. The classes were challenging but manageable but only because I kept up with attendance and homework. My homestay situation was very nice, and I chose to live with a roommate, which made me feel so much more comfortable. I know a few students on my program who stayed in student apartments and loved it! Additionally, Madrid has one of the largest social scenes in the world, and we made sure to dip our toes into that as well! One of my favorite memories was during the celebration of the Madrid soccer team winning the champions league. The streets were packed with locals singing the team songs! During our IES orientation, the staff warned us about areas to avoid so that we would always remain safe. Me and my classmates formed such strong bonds with our teachers, and on the last day, everyone was so sad to leave. But, I've made connections that will stay with me forever, and I am so excited to encourage other students to have the same amazing experiences as I did.

To begin with, IES covers the very basics that you can expect from a good study abroad program: excellent housing options, great classes with wonderful professors, an opportunity to explore your host city/country, good health services (including mental health counselling), etc. Now, beyond that… IES is incredibly fun! I took part in the program in the Summer of 2018, and we would have classes from Mondays to Friday mornings, meaning we had an early start to the weekend. This gave people who wanted to travel outside of Madrid (or even Spain) an opportunity to travel and have enough time to enjoy the places they were visiting. If , however, you are a student like me who is more interested in learning more about the host city, then IES is also great at helping out with that! There were many IES Madrid organised trips to local museums or famous places accompanied by local tour guides, making our trips more than just a matter of sight-seeing, but also culturally enriching activities. The staff were very friendly and always willing to make conversation or give advice whenever we needed it, whether that was regarding where to do the cheapest shopping or which bars to go to for late night tapas! I spent an incredible 6 weeks in Madrid, and if you can do so too, please go for it!

I had the best summer of my life. The teachers were great and when I got sick one day and I couldn’t come she was very understanding. The program is made so that you’re able to travel on weekends, which was great! There were many field trips (I think every week I had a field trip!) we traveled to a cemetery, an ice cream shop, and so many more amazing places! I loved this trip and highly recommend. Being in Vienna for 6 weeks changed my life and view on travel.

The Beginning Language and Marketing program truly changed my life in the best way! I was very worried about going abroad for the summer, but I learned so much about myself and can't wait to go back out into the world! The IES staff are very helpful from the moment you get in the program. Before you even depart, they send very detailed information to both your parents/guardians and yourself. Once you arrive, the center staff are so helpful and always willing to take you somewhere if you're uncomfortable going by yourself! I had trouble finding a phone that worked for me, but a staff member took me to a phone store, translated the whole conversation, and made sure I found something that would last me the six weeks of the program. There are three classes offered, two marketing courses and one French language course. I chose to take both marketing courses, because I felt that my language proficiency was high enough, but any of the classes are worthwhile! I learned SO much both inside and outside the classroom. Staff take you on mostly optional excursions, but I recommend them all. You get to experiences so many things that you may not have, like having tea at the Grande Mosquée de Paris. Paris is also very easy to get around once you learn the transportation system! The art, culture, food, music, and fashion is truly unlike anywhere else! If you're able to study abroad, I highly recommend Paris and IES Abroad!

Going on Summer abroad in Dublin through IES had to be the best decision I've ever made. The school, the staff, and especially the friends I've made over the 45 days all made a great experience that much better. The housing was the perfect distance to and from most paces in Dublin, as well as just being really new and nice to live in. The people are kind and not afraid to have a god laugh over a pint. I never felt rushed to do my school work and visit everything there was to see on the island. Quality education and teachers, quality program and friends for life. I loved every moment. 10/10 would do it over and over again!

Going to Japan and specifically Tokyo has always been a dream of mine. I am so grateful that IES was able to help me make this dream come true. I did a lot of research before leaving for my trip. I knew that the public transportation would be good. However, I didn't realize how easy it would be until I got there. I was worried about my lack of Japanese reading abilities. It proved to be fairly easy to find my way around and go in trips. I once went to Odaiba three times in one week! Now that I am back I find it odd that the transportation where I go to school isn't as efficient.

Studying abroad with IES was amazing! I had never traveled out of the United States before, and IES did a great job of introducing me to a new country and getting me acclimated to a new environment. They facilitated trips for the group around the Netherlands and to Berlin and helped us avoid staying stuck in our comfort zone in Amsterdam. Our classes were so informative; I had never studied Dutch culture at all, and learning about it while exploring important and historic sites in the Netherlands allowed me to make much more salient connections that I can bring back to my home university. If I could study abroad again I would definitely choose an IES program, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a life-changing time abroad!

The IES Abroad - UK Today program was amazing. Choosing to go to London was one of the best decisions of my life. IES made everything very easy from the start so I didn't have to go into the program with any confusion or worry. In the weeks before I left for London, the IES advisor for my program was excellent with answering my questions or concerns. I have always been a planner and they definitely made it easy. When I got to London it seemed so big and crazy, but IES helped me acclimate to it very quickly and soon the neighborhood felt more like home. The locations of my residence hall and classes were very centralized and easy to navigate. I took two courses with the IES program and had amazing professors for both of them. Both Professors were amazing and had such passion for the courses that they were teaching. My British Youth Culture class is easily on of the best classes I have taken in my college career. Throughout my time in London I always felt safe and like I was able to still be an adult and explore the city on my own. IES gave me the space I needed but also was always there if I needed advice on places to eat, cool sites to see, and how the world cup worked (among other things). I was able to travel through England and Europe with ease over the weekends with the other students in my program, it made it very hard to leave and come back to the U.S..

I did this program in Summer 2018 and can't say enough good things about the program. It was definitely life changing. I always thought it was cheesy when people came back from studying abroad and said this but it's so true! IES staff were great every step of the way as I navigated getting into courses that I needed, getting medication to Germany, and applying for financial aid. The host family with they paired me with was wonderful and quickly become like another family to me. All the stress that goes into studying abroad was quickly relieved by how well they support students.

Picture this: a math nerd desperately trying to learn Spanish who hates cities and is well known for spending her time watching Netflix or re-reading books she's read three times already. Now picture that same girl being asked to dance with a complete stranger in a tango club in the heart of Buenos Aires at 1:00am. Does she say yes?

Before going to Buenos Aires, I never would've even imagined it. I went abroad for the credits and the experience, although mostly I just wanted to finally be bilingual after 18 years of trying and failing to learn. I had no idea what to expect, but I knew that it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was absolutely right!

I spent 6 weeks in Buenos Aires, just the right amount of time to fall in love with the city without getting homesick. I had an amazing host mom who only wanted me to do two things: speak Spanish and experience the city. I couldn't let her down, so I did exactly that! I went out with the other participants, talked with people on the streets, and I even had the chance to do a small internship with CELU - a company in charge of the language exams required for studying/working in Latin America.

I could write a book about all my wonderful experiences, but suffice it to say, it all led to me becoming the type of person who was asked to dance at a milonga early on a Friday morning. My time in Buenos Aires is unforgettable, and I don't regret a thing. Why don't I regret it? Because I said yes! ;)