IES Abroad Reviews

IES Abroad Milano was an incredibly fulfilling experience. Unlike other more touristy areas in Italy (Rome and Florence) where it is common to speak English, you will actually have to learn a little Italian to get by--I found this challenging and exciting to learn another language--the Italian courses through IES are superb. I recommend this program to anyone who is looking to learn a foreign language (after all, languages are a great way to make your resume stand out!). Additionally, IES provides wonderful housing accommodations--dorms, apartments, or a family stay. I chose to live in an apartment which was in the trendy neighborhood of Brera--all apartments will be in the center of Milan. If you choose to live in an apartment you will most likely have a direct roommate and other apartment mates unless you request a single room for additional cost. There will be an Italian CA who will live with you and they are all young and nice and a great resource for immersing yourself into the culture. In terms of Milan as a city, there is a lot of art and culture--the Duomo, apertivo, and the Last Supper are musts. The metro systems are very reliable and affordable (22 euros a month). Milan is also the financial and fashion capitals of Italy, so it is a great place to study business or fashion. All professors at the program are also affiliated with other Italian universities. The rest of the staff is also helpful for travel recommendations, making doctors appointments, and anything else you may need. Plus, the program typically has three to four trips per study abroad session. During my time, we went to Venice, Verona, Padova, and Parma. I cannot wait to visit Milan again!

I spent the best four months of my life in Milan, Italy this past semester. I wish I could go back every day. I miss the coffee, food, music, art and people. I arrived in the middle of January and immediately began orientation. The first week or so was spent exploring the city and learning more about how our schedules were going to work. I felt like I was getting tons of attention and was constantly being checked upon, so that made the whole first week a breeze. IES offers trips throughout the semester and I went on the Venice/Verona/Padua trip and got to see some of Italy's finest art. We travelled by train. I found the transit system in Italy to be straightforward as long as you could read signs you could get anywhere. I really enjoyed using the metro system in Milan. I lived about 15 minutes away from the IES center where all the classes were taught and the location couldn't have been better. The city center and Duomo (cathedral) are located about a 10-minute walk from the center. We began Italian courses after two weeks of arriving. It was an intensive so the information being taught was dense and somewhat familiar. I would recommend taking some Italian before visiting Italy. I had one semester and have been singing in it for years so I had a basic understanding of how everyday language was used. I enjoyed Signora Francalanza's Italian lessons. About a month in is when we got to select classes. I was in the music program and I had great options. I ended up going with History of Italian Opera, voice lessons, and an art history course on Leonardo Da Vinci. I thoroughly enjoyed each of these and really loved studying with the voice teacher: Patrizia Zanardi. I would go back again just to study with her. She was absolutely incredible and if you are serious about studying voice while abroad, she is the teacher for you. I sang several arias throughout the semester and got to sing at the place where Verdi is buried in Milan. UNREAL. Also, the art history Professor Regonelli was an absolute joy to be around. For that class we got to go see the Last Supper at the end of the semester. It was incredible being able to learn about a masterpiece and then walk literally 5 minutes to see it in person. I will never forget her class. Throughout the semester, I traveled a decent amount. I visited Ibiza, Florence, Venice, Lugano (Switzerland), Rome, Athens, Paris, Frankfurt. There are so many opportunities to do so because many times there are three-day weekends. As a music major, I was able to go see 4 different shows at La Scala (one of the world's finest opera houses) all thanks to a professor who was able to get us free tickets. The director of the program is extremely personable and was so happy and eager to listen and help whenever. I asked if it would be possible to join a local choir during the semester and he put me in touch with the local Jazz School. I worked with 20 local singers and Maestro Giorgio Ubaldi and performed in several concerts throughout the semester. With the group I sang at an expo for healthy living and in one of Milan's premier auditoriums as an opener for a famous Italian singer. It was absolutely one of the highlights of my semester and I made 20 new friends and colleagues along the way. There is so much that can be said about Milan, and I am so incredibly blessed to have lived here for a semester. I will be back someday. It is home to me. There's nothing better than being able to immerse yourself in a different culture and soak up all the beauty that this world has to offer. I still keep in touch with my IES friends, both from the states and from Italy. I can't thank the IES staff enough for making it the best experience of my life so far!!!

The course structure in Oxford is slightly different from that in the States. In Oxford, we have lectures and tutorials, two kinds of "courses". Lectures are literally open to all, whether you're a student or not. Undergrad lectures are usually 50 minutes long. They are not discussion-based. Professors talk and leave, at most leaving 10 minutes for questions.

Tutorials are one-on-one. At the beginning of each semester, the program director in Oxford, Naomi will talk to students individually and decide what each of them wants to do & with whom, and introduce the student to a professor for supervision.

I lived on campus like most of the visiting students did. My room is literally 2 minutes' walk away from everything, including the college library, dinning hall, gym, and even a college bar! (yes, it's legal for college students to drink in the UK.)

The nearest IES center is in London, so unfortunately I did not go to many events they organized for students. But IES sent faculty to Oxford every term to catch up with us. Whenever there was a attack or something in London, they would send send emails, messages, calls to confirm our safety. They are really doing a great job!

I highly recommend this program to you. I wish you would love Oxford as I do.

I had such an amazing time in Buenos Aires, Argentina studying Spanish through IES Abroad. At first it was kind of tough to be so immersed in the Spanish language and culture so much, but IES helped make the transition easy, my host family welcomed me with open arms, and encouraged me throughout the semester. I learned so much about South America and I really improved my Spanish along the way. I also had amazing opportunities to travel all around the country and to see everything that Argentina has to offer!

It was so bittersweet to leave the place that became my home in more ways than one. I’m so grateful to have had the experience of watching as, day-by-day, a place that bagan feeling so unfamiliar and big became a place filled with loved ones, favorite cafes, and memories at every former. It was a semester filled to the brim with café con leche and tinto de verano, sunset picnics and spontaneous weekend trips, Spanish conversations that varied wildly in their successfulness, and so many new beautiful friends. Granda is an incredibly beautiful, authentic, and culturally and historically rich small city. It has everything you could possibly want in a study abroad location but it’s also small enough that you can walk almost anywhere. All of my classes at IES were interesting and the professors were very passionate about their jobs. I also took a class at the local university and the IES staff was extremely supportive in finding a class and professor that fit well with my interests and abilities. IES was also wonderful in organizing several weekend trips. The trip to Morocco was a one in a lifetime experience – I was able to meet a family through a homestay as well as so a variety of Moroccan youth. I would absolutely recommend this program to anyone and everyone.

I would highly recommend the IES Abroad European Union program, especially for students interested in politics and travel. Although this program is based in Freiburg, Germany, it is unique from other programs because it includes three separate excursions incorporated into the class throughout the term. These excursions consist of trips to many important European Union institutions, and include a rigorous schedule of academic meetings, balanced with time to explore. Locations for my semester included Berlin, Prague, Brussels, Luxembourg, Sofia, Budapest and Athens. For the third excursion, you are allowed to choose between 3 offered locations for you trip, so you can customize the program to fit your interests.

One of the things I enjoyed most about this program was the wide selection of course options. There were courses from topics ranging from politics to law to economics, and all the classes tended to be grounded current events.

Freiburg is also a perfect town in which to study. It has a vibrant student life, due to a local university, in addition to proximity to Switzerland and France, which provide great weekend trips. It has a bit of a city feel, but is quite small and has a lot of charm. It also has lots of local hiking and winter sport opportunities!

However, I would say that this program is geared more toward politics (and economics) majors, rather than toward people trying to gain an advanced handle on German. Although German classes are offered at several different levels, most people from my semester came to the program with little to no German experience and were less focused on the language learning aspect. I came into the program with 3 semesters of German and was very serious about building my proficiency while there, although did not feel ready to sign up for the IES Freiburg language program, which offers classes in German and involves enrolling in the local university. While I found many opportunities to practice German with locals, it was easy for other people in my program to insulate themselves from the German locals and students, and just interact with other people in the program.

Participating in this program really helped build my independence and my confidence in being able to travel alone! I felt confident navigating European trains and public transportation in many different cities.

I had a great time studying abroad in Vienna! I was able to take courses in both English and German and really improve my language skills. The program requires you to take at least one German course and there is a 2 week German intensive period. I really enjoyed the classes because most of them incorporated field trips around the city which was a really cool way to learn about the history and culture of Austria. IES is pretty strict about attendance, there is an attendance policy and a required German class on Friday mornings. There are ample travel opportunities though and I was able to engage in countless cultural experiences and events. IES provides a very safe environment and provide you with the resources you need to thrive. Vienna is a great place to live and learn and if you want a structured program with German language learning opportunities, this is the right program for you!

My semester with IES was one that I will never forget. I had such an incredible time getting to explore a new country and with the guidance of the IES my adventure was even more meaningful. IES does an excellent job of balancing your life as a student and your life as a world-traveler. As an Irish Studies student I was given the opportunity to study Irish history and culture in depth. I was so excited to learn that this was an option on my program as one of my main reasons for wanting to travel to Ireland was to learn more about my family history. We went on countless field trips to museum and galleries. The best field trip was when we spent the day exploring the northern part of the country as we were studying the complex history of the area. The staff at IES are always planning ways to get you out of the classroom and into real life experiences. Many of my favorite memories of my time abroad was on trips planned by the thoughtful IES staff.
You still have classwork that needs to be done but the staff are not only there to help you academically but to support your adventures. I can’t count how many times my professors at IES helped me to plan a trip or even recommendations of things to do in my host country. From the minute I got off the plane I could feel the support of the IES staff as they met us at the airport, directed us where to go and met up with us as soon as we got settled. I know I was nervous to move to a new place but after a few days of adjusting it truly felt like home!

What an amazing program IES is. They provided the support that I needed to make my family feel comfortable to send me overseas for 5 months and for me to go abroad by myself! The initial contact with the staff in Chicago was so helpful and I never even formally met them. The staff in Vienna? Blew me away. So knowledgeable, so helpful, so welcoming. The staff was always looking for ways to help- giving us tips on where to travel, hosting a cooking class to learn how to cook authentic Austrian food, showing us all the cool local places, and having an answer to any question we had! They made my experience comfortable and easy by providing wonderful housing, hosting classes in a palace(!!), providing knowledgeable and pleasant professors for my classes, and hosting trips to travel with the IES staff to some places around Austria for some really unique experiences. They even had a networking event to allow students to meet past alumni who were back living in Vienna! I know I would not have had the same experience if I had simply gone on my own as an exchange student, and I benefitted all the more from it. I definitely recommend going with IES if you are looking to go abroad!

I absolutely fell in love with Christchurch, and am so happy I got the chance to study abroad there! It's the most perfect little city, and definitely provided the atmosphere I needed to grow as an individual. Eunice, our program director, was the BEST, and really helped us get acclimated to life as a kiwi. We also got a chance to go to Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands, which wouldn't have happened if not for IES!