IES Abroad Reviews

There is no better place to study than the capital of Spain, the adventures are endless! Why would you study anywhere else in Spain when you could study in the heart of the country!? I have great things to say about my whole experience. IES Abroad is such an amazing program! The whole process from start to end was smooth and easy. They were very good at communicating details that were needed and made sure that we had all the proper resources before departure, during our stay, and upon arrival back in the USA. The program itself was amazing. I improved my Spanish while learning so much about the culture and history. The entire faculty was amazing and supportive while I was there. We went on various field trips as a program, and there were also so many other opportunities to get involved outside of the classroom. There were cooking classes, free tours, flamenco classes, and many other exciting events that we were able to sign-up for! I would highly recommend this program if you want to improve your Spanish, while being surrounded by the Spanish culture. IES provides with opportunities to interact and learn with Spanish students, and volunteer in schools helping teach English to elementary schoolers (one of my favorite memories! Overall, this experience was everything that I hoped for and then some!

I could not have asked for a better four months of my entire life. I grew as a person through immersing myself in a new culture, living completely on my own, planning all my own trips, creating friendships of a lifetime, and so much more. You can not go wrong studying abroad in Sydney. What a friendly, diverse, and simply AMAZING city in every aspect. I would do anything to go back and have another four months in the best and most beautiful place on earth. IES supported everyone so much with academics, health related issues, apartments, etc. They were the backbone and helped in EVERY WAY.

I can't thank IES Rome enough. The administration was honestly so helpful with everything and everything. Knew everyone on my program (100+ students) by name the first day. They were so understanding with any question and were available 24/7. The professors were experts on their subjects and I learned more on this semester abroad than I do at my home institution - which is saying a lot! The apartment I was assigned to was in an amazing neighborhood right next to Vatican City and wasn't touristy at all. I lived with 5 other IES students in a building that was all Italian families, it truly felt like being a local. Overall, IES Rome made the transition to living and studying abroad so seamless, allowing me to have the most fun I've had in my life. I had the option to travel every weekend but I stayed in Rome more weekends that I traveled because there was so many news places and neighborhoods to visit in the city (and with my new Italian friends) that I felt guilty for leaving. IES made me feel so confident exploring the city on my own by being available 24/7.

Everything from the city itself, the social aspect, the food, the local people, all the way to the professors and faculty at the IES center made my entire experience in Milan unforgettable. Not only did everyone at IES care about each and every students' happiness and enjoyment, but they really made sure that we all received exceptional educations and authentic Italian experiences outside of the classroom.
IES did a fantastic job to integrate the real world as much as possible and give their students exposure to all that Milan and Italy could offer--shopping, fashion, the financial district, etc. I cannot recommend this program enough!!!

"Granada" translates to "pomegranate" (just to make sure the title of this review makes sense!). My experience in Granada was unique, challenging, inspiring, thought provoking and something I cherish so deeply. I experienced ups and downs as studying abroad challenges you to leap out of your comfort zone. I definitely was thrilled to be doing this, but it was definitely a bit overwhelming at times. One of the reasons I found IES Abroad Granada to be such a great program was because of the staffs commitment to understanding students' individual experiences, meeting them where they are at, and supporting them the best they could. The staff of this program in Granada radiated kindness and made a genuine effort to know each student. The warm and empathetic attitudes of the staff created a very positive environment that felt optimal for personal and community growth. Additionally, the IES Abroad Granada program includes many trips and participating in these adventures broadened my perspectives and also helped me to develop and strengthen relationships with those around me. During my semester in Granada, I lived in a homestay and this was a major highlight of my experience. Not only did it greatly help me improve my Spanish skills, but it also made me feel like I truly had a second home. It was also a very positive experience getting to know my host family and others from Granada as I was building relationships in a different language. An aspect of this program that I found very beneficial is that each student is paired with a student who attends the University of Granada and are encouraged to get together and help each other improve their language skills. Overall, the IES Abroad Granada program provided me with amazing opportunities to learn and grow in a setting previously unfamiliar to me. It led me to build meaningful and lasting relationships and it gave me experiences that I continue to learn from even while I am back at home. Lastly, the city of Granada is a place of jaw-dropping beauty and amazing history, and this program helped me to get to know this place like it was my home.

This program gave me the time of my life. I was able to live in the formal East side of Berlin with a former East German. I learned so much and the professors were great to work with, in fact my GPA went up while I was abroad and I was traveling around Europe. There is even an option of taking courses at Humboldt, which is one of the coolest things that this program offers. Plus I was able to make some really great friends in the program and outside of program. All and all this program is awesome and it was a great step for me to improve my German.

Going abroad it’s hard to know exactly what to expect; however, IES Abroad makes the process easy and smooth. I was able to accomplish all my goals and interests while abroad. I was able to take 15 credits that transferred directly to my home institution and participate in an marketing internship while living with an amazing host mother and traveling most weeks. I loved being able to live in Barcelona and travel to other countries around Europe and Morocco. IES offers multiple field trip options for those who are a little nervous traveling on their own. Through out my time abroad, I had the opportunity to travel and dive into the Spanish and Catalan cultures which is exactly what I was looking for. Study Abroad is your journey so choose wisely and go with a program that fits your dreams, I know that's why I chose IES Abroad.

Since returning to the U.S., looking back on my time in Ireland feels like remembering another life. It was an absolutely whirlwind of 4 months, filled to the brim with experiences I may never live again but I will be eternally grateful for. Study abroad is this bizarre period in which it’s so easy to get caught up in the fantasy of it all – oh, I’ll spend my birthday in Paris or take a quick weekend in Madrid to try real paella and then meet some friends of a friend in Edinburgh? Easy. Book a RyanAir flight and do it. It will teach you invaluable skills like how to adapt as well as a deep appreciation for how special all of these places are.

I chose to study in Dublin, Ireland because ever since my family took a trip to the Emerald Isle when I was 9 years old, it’s been a mystical place that I was sure I’d return to. And it’s true, the people are some of the best and most friendly you’ll ever encounter, you’ll learn to appreciate great beer, and you’ll leave practically able to quote Yeats to any passerby. But, as with any life-upending experiences, it is a mixture of highs and lows. Be ready for rain, and lots of it. Dublin can sometimes feel small and grey but there are so many adorable cafes and museums tucked within its winding streets, you’ll never be short of a new place to explore.

However cliché and pretentious it may sound, study abroad does change you. It gives you a perspective of yourself and your life that would be almost impossible to understand by staying still. Whatever your experience abroad, I can almost promise you’ll come out the other end infected with what they call the “travel bug” and soon be itching to get back on a plane and keep exploring.

My semester studying abroad in Quito, Ecuador was a life changing experience. I had no idea what to expect going into my trip but somehow it still managed to surpass all of my expectations. Never had I imagined that I would travel with such ease around the humbly small country and see all the history, the green, the ocean. was ecstatic to have the opportunity to take all of my classes in Spanish, this being the reason I chose a South American country, along with living with a host family where English was not offered. This pushed me to achieve the immersive semester that I wanted filled with endless practice and both language and life lessons that will stick with me. I was thrilled to form a great relationship bond with my host family and never doubted my welcome or felt a lack of comfort and love from them. I always felt like a part of the family. I was pleased to find the balance between school work and free time was just right in order to get the full study abroad experience. I was able to take classes both at my study abroad center to form long lasting friendships with my fellow exchange buddies, but also get the experience of attending classes at Universidad San Fransisco de Quito to mingle real time with local students. I feel incredibly blessed to have formed life-long relationships, gain invaluable skills and experiences for my future, all while traveling the breath taking bio-diversity that Ecuador has to offer. Not only can I say that I have traveled to “La Mitad del Mundo” (the center of the earth), but within only Ecuador itself I was able to visit the Amazon, The Galapagos Islands, La Laguna de Quilotoa (a lagoon inside of a volcano), all around the city of Quito, and much more. I am already planning a trip back because I feel lucky to say that I have found a second home within Ecuador.

By choosing to study at IES Abroad in Barcelona, I was privileged to have a once in a life time experience. I was able to meet new people, travel to so many new places, and immerse myself in new cultures. I was able to gain so much more independence and become a more self-reliant person. Not only was this time in my life the most fun and exciting, but it was also a time for educational growth. The classes I took at IES were manageable, but very educational. My teachers were also wonderful and set up the classes in a way that was easy to learn.

Although I was able to travel to many other wonderful countries in Europe, I am so grateful to have picked Spain, as it was the perfect place. There is so much to do and so many beautiful places to see. Even though my apartment was one of the further ones from the IES building, I ended up living directly across the street from Camp Nou, the football stadium, which was amazing! Some of my other favorite places in Barcelona are the beach and Bunkers del Carmel where you can get a beautiful view of the whole city!