IES Abroad Reviews

IES Abroad truly made my semester the best one of my life. IES was willing to help me every step of the way, from pre-departure to day to day while abroad, and even helped me readjust after I returned home. I couldn't have asked for a more attentive, inclusive, and helpful organization. They made the semester run so smoothly. The HPP program was immersive and interesting, and I came away learning so much. Thanks, IES!

Santiago has a mix of metropolitan and suburban life: you get the metro/bus and walk around the streets a lot, but you also get the quiet residential life. There are strong cultural roots (in their food, national dance, a lot of patriotism), yet also has a very western/European feel to it. In some ways it doesn't feel like the stereotypical South America. Locals are respectful and helpful, and in public places almost no English is spoken (so practicing Spanish is unavoidable!).

IES offers strong staff members that were my support system when things were going downhill; they were encouraging and have had so much experience with students that they always have a viable solution at hand. They're ready for any problem you may have, whether with housing, emotional adjustment, or academic.

Lots of traveling opportunities and beautiful landscapes! Take full advantage of travelling that is so unique to Chile.

Everyone in the program did a home stay. No home stay is 100% perfect, but it makes your experience so much more integrated and you feel like you're really part of a family. IES does a wonderful job coordinating with the host families and making sure you're comfortable with your placement.

Program: Our program director, Eunice, is such an amazing and sweet person. She really genuinely cared about us and wanted us to have the time of our lives. We could email/ call/ text her with any question and she responds ASAP. She gave us tips and advice for anything and everything.
Country: Breathtaking. No other words can describe how beautiful the country is. My friends and I traveled all over the country every single weekend and still could not hit everything we wanted to get to. Will definitely go back.
University: Beautiful campus. Small class sizes. Flexible instructors. No smaller assignments but more focused on papers and exams.
Safety: I felt safe all the time, even at night.

Studying abroad with IES in Granada was one of the absolute best experiences I've ever had. Granada is a beautiful, extremely walkable city with countless things to do and sites to see. IES does an amazing job of helping its students find opportunities to integrate themselves into the culture and everyday life of the city. Classes within the program are challenging and diverse in their subjects. I found that my Spanish improved significantly while abroad through the daily Spanish class, the other classes I took in Spanish, speaking with my host mom, and through daily life in the city. IES also has many amazing field trips around southern Spain as well as an incredible five day trip to Morocco. I made some of my best friends abroad and would not change the experience for anything in the world.

Throughout my college years I was never set on studying abroad. I was always a homebody and choose to go to a college that was close to my hometown. However, last minute I decided to submit my application for IES Abroad Barcelona and follow through with the journey. It was hands down the best decision I have made in my life. From this experience I got to travel the world, meet new people, and learn so much about myself. Barcelona made me feel as home. My program, IES Abroad Barcelona, made me feel at home. The staff and professors at IES Abroad Barcelona will do everything in their power to make sure you are getting the most out of studying abroad. While they still have expectations, they understand that you will be taking time to travel and explore the world. I am so thankful that I had the change to experience this journey. It is something you will remember for the rest of your life.

"What a time to be alive!" was my go-to expression for the fall semester in Amsterdam. My friends probably got slightly annoyed of my repetitive saying, but they always seemed to nod in agreement because this was often times the only way to describe our circumstances. IES Abroad Amsterdam was the best program I could've asked for. The staff was incredibly helpful and encouraging before, during, and after the program. They made my transition as smooth as it could be, were present during the highest of highs and lowest of lows, and honestly just took care of me. I felt safe. I felt engaged with the culture. I felt comfortable. I felt like I immediately had a new family. All of the basics like course registration, housing, residence permits, etc. were made easy so that I could have the fullest experience possible. I truly could not have asked for anything better.

I participated in IES Christchurch, direct enrollment into the University of Canterbury(UC) July-November 2017 and could not have been more pleased! The program coordinator was the most down to earth woman who made the transition into the Kiwi life super easy. All of my UC classes were 20ish students because I was taking junior-level courses. The courses were challenging but very manageable compared to what a junior level Biology course at my home university would require. I had the opportunity to get to know my professors and other students in my classes. Not to mention, the south island of New Zealand is a prime location to study abroad for the outdoor adventurer! I'd go back in a heartbeat!

Studying abroad is incredibly rewarding, specifically if done in Sydney, Australia. Deciding to study abroad was the best decision I have ever made. I truly believe it is the best thing you can do for yourself. I learned more about myself than I ever could have thought, and really grew as a person in general. I gained additional knowledge of the world and became more confident in myself. Being independent for so long and so far away from home enabled me to fully immerse myself in the Sydney culture. The experiences I had are unforgettable.

IES was an amazing program that offered so many opportunities I never would've experienced anywhere else. IES provides each apartment with a live-in Italian student to help make everyone's immersion into the culture of the country easier and more enjoyable. I learned so much from this one student and it really enhanced my experience in Italy. IES also offers two guided trips to places I never would've gone had IES not offered these trips. Both trips were incredible and showed students what Italy is like outside of the tourist attractions. Overall, the staff were very friendly and helpful and the classes were very insightful. I took 4 classes all on different parts of Italian history and it definitely made me more knowledgable and understanding of the country I was living in.

As an international student studying in the US, I had a different approach to "studying abroad". I was already abroad so why would I go? Well, I'm glad I did! For me, it wasn't my first time traveling or staying at a different country for more than a month. For me, it was a great opportunity to be back at a culture that is relatively similar to mine and be back in a city where I can explore every single day and be surprised each time.
With IES Abroad, I got to feel at home in this new city right from the start! Everything was organized so well and a sense of community was already built! I initially thought that having an orientation in a different city than Vienna was a bit unusual and unnecessary --I was so wrong! Being in the same resort for a few days right from the start was the best thing possible to form close friendships right from the beginning. We had nothing to do but sight seeing in Mariazell, play endless volleyball games, hike around and chat for hours, all as a group! I made so many good friends right there and then.
To talk more about the program itself and life in Vienna, I can start by saying that it was great to live in a city with great public transportation, take classes in a magnificent old building -a palace-, and attend great events. As one of the cultural capitals in the world, Vienna had so much to offer. And IES made it much easier and much more accessible. We could get Opera tickets, attend rehearsals, have a Heuriger trip and Thanksgiving celebration and much more. Every month there were at least 2 or 3 events that the IES Staff and RA's (Resident Austrians who were living with some of the students and were in charge of technical things like talking to the landlady/landlord etc. --they were pretty cool and great way to learn more about the Austrian culture and make Austrian friends!) were organizing. These events were great to immerse us into the culture and into the city life without being stressed about organization and other details. There were also a few weekend trips organized by IES that were simply amazing! We had wine-tasting in Wachau (one-day trip), skiing in Salzburg and weekend in Graz! We had a really cool and friendly staff who would organize dodgeball trips, tell us cool places to go for a weekend, give advice on restaurants and always send information on events happening all around.
I really enjoyed my time in Vienna as well as all across Europe --I went to many trips with my friends from the program! I definitely recommend going to Vienna for a semester, learning German with amazing professors, get immersed into the culture with organized trips, travel to many countries that are only 2 hours away and just enjoy the cafes of Vienna!