IES Abroad Reviews

I absolutely LOVED my time with IES. I felt very taken care of during my whole experience with IES. First of all, I was put with the loveliest host families who had had a lot of experience with exchange students in the past. I also know that my requests were fully taken into account when they placed me with my host family family. For example, I said I really wanted to have siblings and feel like a part of the family, and for my second homestay I was put with the most loving family who had three children! I absolutely loved it and the homestays were my favorite part of the whole program. I also felt like the staff of IES really cared for their students and I liked how this program was very small and only had 15 students. We all became very close by the end and it very cohesive and fun. There were many field trips planned by IES and I felt like all of them were very well planned and VERY fun. Lastly, the week trip to Peru in between Argentina and Chile was phenomenal. It was so nicely planned and just a wonderful experience overall. I recommend this program whole-heartedly!

Studying abroad in Buenos Aires is one of the best things I have done for myself thus far. I am a Global Studies and Spanish Studies major, so I took classes such as Argentine Poetry & Literature, Environment & Society in Argentina, and Argentine History. The instructors at the IES institute were patient and supportive in the classroom, and the other IES staff was helpful with keeping our grades, safety, and home stays in-check. They offered activities from tango shows and soccer games to trips to the North of Argentina and volunteering in the community.

In my program, we all stayed with host families. I stayed with an older woman who lived alone, who I was fortunate enough to get to know very well and spent a lot of time with. It was nice to not only have her as a companion, but to also practice my Spanish. Although she hated cooking, she whipped up some pretty awesome things each week for the two of us!

Although Buenos Aires has some crime, like many other big cities, I did not experience any problems. IES prepped us with a week's worth of presentations about how to stay safe and what to do in an emergency. I followed all the steps on how to stay safe and didn't have any issues. However, those who didn't pay attention to rules had issues with pick-pocketing and such. Pay attention to the safety guidelines!

Also, I was fortunate enough to make a group of friends through IES who I would study with, hang out day to day with, and with whom I would travel around the country with! We made it to Mendoza, Iguazú, El Calafate (part of Patagonia), and Colonia, Uruguay together. All of which were great experiences!

IES made my study abroad experience in Rome amazing. I loved the location of the center and the opportunities they provided us with. I got to visit so many historic sites during classes and I even learned how to make pasta at a cooking class. The classes were interesting and really focused on the culture and history. I absolutely loved the field trip weekend to Tuscany. The housing was definitely a cultural difference, but the Italian Student Companions were a great option. They made adjusting to living in a city in Italy much easier.

Most everyone that comes back from a semester abroad says that they have found their new "home" or their "favorite place," and at first I thought it was drab and clique, but lets face it, they're right. Studying abroad in Vienna, Austria truly fostered a love, appreciation, respect and longing for the culture, the people, the food, the language, and everything in between, but mostly the food. Sometimes I even dream about the Wurst and Käsespätzle. Through IES Abroad, I found life long friendships and professional relationships with my peers, IES Abroad Staff and Faculty, and also Viennese locals. Exploring the city, traveling around Europe and assimilating to a new culture with my new travel buddies not only strengthened our bonds, but also allowed me to gain some personal perspective and introspection. The IES Abroad faculty and staff were a huge foundation of comfort for me. I, personally, went abroad with a lot of emotional baggage still looming over my head. I thought leaving the states would help that burden, but in some ways the distance just made it more insulting and daunting. After reaching out to the IES Abroad staff that weight was lifted off of my shoulders and they did everything they could possibly think of to help me in my personal situation. They made my problems their problems in order to insure that I had the chance to have the abroad experience I had hoped and dreamed about. No issue was too small or too large for them to take action and, to the best of their abilities, resolve. I can definitely say that I came home more confident, more loved, more appreciated, and more cultured; all thanks to IES Abroad, my peers, my experiences, and my new home, Vienna. If I could do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing, and if that's not a testament to an amazing program, I don't know what is. They say "home is where the heart is," and as clique as it may be, Vienna stole mine. See you soon, Wien.

IES made it so I could travel abroad and experience a new culture. It was so much fun to experience London through sightseeing and living in the city. I got to see all the major sights and experience a few that weren't so common, while also interning at a really cool British company and take classes. My internship really let me experience the field I'm interested in. Although the classes weren't very stimulating for me, it was still fun to experience how British professors taught.

I wouldn't trade the experience for anything!

My time abroad was so fulfilling, and I owe it all to IES Abroad! The staff was so helpful whenever I had any questions, which was a lot of the time. They took time out of their day to help me solve problems, and they always had smiles on their faces! I was placed with an amazing homestay family who truly became my family away from home. The staff did check-ins with me to make sure that I was happy in my placement, and I always felt comfortable. Everyone was very passionate about helping me maximize my time in Paris, and I am so grateful for that. We went on cool trips, and you could even win some extra events in the center. I personally got to go to cooking classes and opera shows which are usually expensive. I loved my time abroad and I would recommend IES to anyone looking to study in Paris!

Being in the IES Abroad Madrid program was truly a unique experience for someone who hadn't travelled much in her life, and suddenly was given the opportunity and funds to travel Europe! Madrid was absolutely perfect for me as a city girl because I felt 100% safe there, I had a great home, three dogs and delicious food every day (shout out to my host mom!), access to quick and easy transportation, and I lived a short 15 minute walk away from my school. Being in this program exposed me to being a true 'madrileño' due to all the events IES hosted, and all the resources they gave us when it came to exploring night life or traveling. I miss Madrid every day, and it will always feel like home to me.

I wouldn't have wanted to study abroad with a different program! IES Abroad was there for me before, during, and after my abroad experience. The IES staff truly cares about their students and helping them to succeed during their abroad programs. Before leaving for Sydney, an IES staff member called me to make sure I had all aspects in order before leaving. For example, this staff member made sure I had the right amount of my medications to take with me, as well as offer health resources while I was in Sydney. While in Sydney the on site IES staff member always went above and beyond to help the students in my program. No matter what we needed, she was always there for us. IES also a few activities planned for us during the program so that we could meet all the other students. One of the events was a surfing lesson which was awesome, and something I definitely wouldn't of done otherwise! IES also made the transition to a different type of university seem very easy and seamless. Sydney itself was an amazing location to live. Even though it was a city, there was beach very close by, which I loved! Being in Australia gave me the opportunity to travel to places I never would have otherwise like Bali and New Zealand. I immediately felt at home in Sydney and always felt safe. Some useful tips I would tell future students would be to pack LIGHT and to seriously make a budget and stick to it!! You'll thank yourself later.

The EU program was excellent !

I learned so much about International and specifically European Politics and Government structures, that I had no idea about before. We also got an in depth understanding of the European Union and how it relates to the United States as well. '

I loved living in Freiburg. I am so happy with my decision to study abroad there. The people, the nature and landscapes, the opportunities to have fun, and places to eat were more then I could have ever asked for.

I also loved all the traveling that we did in our program. I got to see so many different countries and learn about each country from actual locals and politicians and professors. You can't beat getting that knowledge, it is something I would never be able to learn had I visited these countries without the IES EU program. I love traveling , but learning in depth about what actually is happening in that particular country makes it much more memorable. IES EU was a great balance of engaging academics, and still gave us enough freedom to travel and have fun.

I made videos/vlogs throughout my entire study abroad experience. Check them out at the IES EU youtube channel or on the student blog pages on their website. I talk about my first week, traveling to germany, orientation, and a lot of info on our excursions.

Barcelona offers anything and everything that one could possibly want in a city in which to spend a semster abroad. I fell in love with the culture, the people, the food, the architecture, and grew so much more comfortable with the language. My favorite aspect of the city is the countless neighborhoods to explore that all have extremely different vibes. The public transportation made for seamless exploration and felt extremely safe as well as easy to navigate. While in Barcelona, I never felt unsafe or uneasy about my surroundings. It's prime location makes travel throughout Europe easy and manageable.

IES exceeded all expectations. The pre-departure information IES provided answered all of my questions and calmed any remaining nerves. My family received correspondence before, during and after my journey including information on my re-adaptation to living in the US after such an unforgettable time away. The apartments that my friends and I were assigned to by IES were all in great locations with everything that we could possibly need for daily life. We were all assigned a local student to live in our apartment to teach us first-hand about Barcelona life as well as help us with any issues we may run into.

Above all, IES provided me with all of the resources I needed regarding learning to live in a country so dissimilar to my own. IES is located in the heart of the city, and provided us with excellent class choices, study spaces, and academic resources. My favorite part of the scholastic aspect of studying abroad was the relevancy of the course material. I felt that I learned material in class that would help me to thrive in my time abroad as well as further understand the beautiful country of Spain.