IES Abroad Reviews

Usually when you visit a country its for a week or two. There is not enough time to register the specific differences between your home country and the country your visiting. When you study abroad, you stay long after the tourists and visitors. You notice what is different. You analyze how people behave and speak. Even stranger, you start to analyze how you behave in comparison to the people of the host country. For me, this analysis began in the very first week. Most other students in my program had some time to prepare for the culture shock of living in France because they lived in dorms or apartments with other Americans. I on the other hand, had no time to prepare. Upon arrival at my home stay, my host family made it abundantly clear that they would not be speaking English with me. The first two weeks were horrific. I made a mistake every time I spoke in French to my family. I felt like I was making no progress and I would never speak French as fluently as others. Rather than beating myself up, I decided to pick myself up and better prepare myself for speaking French with my family. It was clear that my three a week French class for an hour a day would not be sufficient. So, before my host family dinner, three times a week, I would practice how to speak about things that happened during the day, what happened the last weekend, and what I would do the upcoming weekend. It was slow progress but it worked. After a month, I had developed a basic understanding of French and was absorbing new French words and phrases much faster than before. After three months, I had developed an accent and a fluent style of speaking conversational French. All of the mistakes, embarrassment, and hard work totally paid off. By the end of the program, I started to feel more comfortable speaking French than I did speaking English (which is probably why I suffered more reverse culture shock than actual culture shock). Since my semester abroad in France, my life has significantly changed. I am now a double major in French an International Business, applying to Bibliotheques sans Frontiers this summer, and will be applying to a two year program, post grad, to teach English to children in France. The path of my professional career has completely shifted because of my study abroad experience and I could not be happier.

IES provided for me the opportunity to teach at a local middle school in Nantes, France. This opportunity enhanced my experience abroad as I became more assimilated to French culture and the functioning of the French education system. My week consisted of just four hours of teaching nearly 50 students, not including lesson planning. This was a chance to explore a new career path that I had not yet considered, and helped me gain vital insight into my ideal future career.

This program is fantastic for those who like personable experiences and a strong sense of community and culture. Siena is a bit different from larger study abroad cities in that there is little to no English spoken. There were only six students in my program (study in Tuscany) and fourteen in the total IES abroad program. The size of the city itself adds to the feeling of community and closeness to those around you (especially if you're living in a homestay). The IES abroad staff offer resources outside of class for those who desire to be involved in the community, however these are completely optional and depend on the student to actually commit to these activities. I believe that this program can be fantastic for those willing to fully immerse themselves with Italians as well as those who just want a fun study abroad experience with American students. The cultural aspect is really up to the student.

As a participant in IES Abroad's French Studies in Paris Program, I had the best and most valuable experiences as a student, a traveler, a volunteer, and a woman of the world. I had the opportunity to explore Paris, the French Province, and several European countries--such as Belgium, Holland, and Italy--as my location in the heart of Paris provided me with ample modes of transportation within and beyond France. Additionally, the French Studies Center is well located in the Montparnasse area where there is always hustle and bustle with the surrounding businesses, restaurants. and retail. Being thrown into this amazing city and all it has to offer, I had innumerable opportunities to step outside of my comfort zone through local organizations, volunteer opportunities, and field-trips. Additionally, I was able to challenge myself intellectually and socially through the classes I chose to pursue through IES (Histories and Legends of Paris, Sociology of France, Politics and Poetry of Gender in France, The Word and the Image, and French in Context). IES provided a wide array of courses to be taken at the IES Center in addition to the courses at Parisian institutions of higher education. The IES staff and faculty were incredibly welcoming, approachable, and knowledgeable. The relationships I formed with the staff and faculty will endure, for they were instrumental in my success while abroad. I look forward to the day when I can return to Paris and swing by the Center. My study abroad program motivated and supported me in all of my academic, personal, and professional endeavors. My French language skills improved drastically within the immersion program, my knowledge of new and interesting material increased, and I now have experience with professionals in various domains and careers that will help me after graduation as I search for jobs. There is not one thing about my time abroad with IES that I regret--except that I didn't stay the whole year!

Looking back on my fall semester abroad (Fall 2017), I feel so grateful to have studied abroad through IES Tokyo specifically. The staff did an excellent job building community among our cohort, and I am leaving with life-long friendships because of it. Moreover, the trips throughout Japan--beyond the general Tokyo area--were so much fun.

In addition, I was able to gain real-world experience and improve my resume through the Field Placement program. My placement at the Self-Access Learning Center gave me a window into the workspace of an international Japanese institution--unlike a traditional Japanese workspace, everyone here spoke English which provided for a unique and eye-opening placement.

Thank you for opening my eyes to history. You have taught me that world history is not just a series of important dates, but rather that it can be a key resource to both look into the future and understand more about who we are as people. You challenged my understanding of the world and truly opened my eyes to a series of new worldviews. Thank you for everything over the course of the last month and a half, you all made this experience the best of my life.

One of the best decisions I've made last semester was choosing to do the IES Paris Business and International Affairs Program. Of course I was nervous before embarking on this journey, knowing I would spend the next few months in a new countries surrounded by new people. However, IES quickly eased my fears. I was placed in a homestay in the center of Paris, allowing me to practice the french that I had been attempting to learn for so long. My classes were engaging and helped me to immerse myself in French culture. I have to say that one of the highlights of this program was the team behind IES Paris. They were friendly, approachable and truly cared about our well-being. One of the organizers helped me find an amazing internship with a French start-up. In addition, one of my classes took us on a field trip to the World Trade Organization in Switzerland for a day . They truly go above and beyond! In the end, as cliché it sounds, Paris is what you make of it, so take advantage of this incredible city! I'm happy to say I've made some life-long friends and I've learned a lot about myself in the process. This program really allowed you to take initiative and formulate your own experience whether it's through your coursework and field trips or your own explorations abroad.

I cannot think of a better place to study abroad than Granada. It is a beautiful, safe, eccentric city and you get to live right in the center of everything!

I have done two study abroad programs and IES definitely sticks out in my mind for their thoroughness, fun experiences in Granada and various other cities, attentiveness to students, and the way that they foster great relationships among the students throughout the whole semester. From the beginning of the semester, they set up great activities and excursions to meet friends early on. They really gave us the chance to ease into living in Spain. I liked the small to medium size of the program and that I knew a lot of people in my program by name.

A favorite memory of mine was the trip to Morocco. It was a true bonding experience as we spent the few days with the same small group of students and this was most of our first time experiencing a culture so different from that of the United States. IES planned everything so we just got to have fun and did not have to worry about a thing!

Another couple of highlights from my semester abroad were my homestay and the faculty at the center. My host mom was so loving and I loved having the chance to be more immersed in the language. Overall, the professors at the center were great as well. While the classes themselves were not always super interesting, most of the professors were really committed to getting to know the students as individuals. The course load was manageable, obviously the work picked up around midterms and finals but in general I had plenty of time to enjoy my abroad experience.

I cannot recommend studying in Granada through IES Abroad enough, when I look back, I know those months spent in Spain will be regarded as some of the best in my life.

My summer spent down under was nothing short of perfect. The IES program was absolutely perfect for me since i was a collegiate athlete and was not allowed to miss a semester. When i got there the nerves ran high put from the second i met our advisor Kate at the airport, i knew there was nothing to worry about. She was so welcoming and happy, really made me excited to get to orientation later that day. Our RA was amazing and helped us get to know everything we needed to know about the city in just the first couple of days. The apartment, Adina Hotel, was impeccable. I couldn't have asked for a cleaner and safer place to be. We were also right near central station, making traveling and exploring an easy walk away.
IES field trips were really amazing and taught us more about the culture then we would ever have learned in a classroom. These field trips took us to all the places you think of in Sydney like Botanical Gardens, Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Royal National Park . But theses field trips took my class and i to places I probably wouldn't have gone on my own like the Hyde Park Barracks where we got to sit in the "dorms" and explore what it was like to be a criminal living there. The craziest IES field trip of all was the Outback. I would have never thought to camp in Uluru for 5 days alone. I was scared and bugs and mice and dingos! Looking back, this was an awesome week filled with new experiences and learning about aboriginal culture. My favorite part about this field trip were the stars.
Overall, my experience was so amazing. I made awesome friends, learned an awesome culture and also traveled on my own on the weekends, before and after, the program.

This program is a great way to learn so much about the birth place of psychology, the Austrian culture, other European cities, as well as learning things you never knew about yourself. In only 6 weeks, I found great friendships I never expected to form and have grown a deep appreciation for Vienna that makes me constantly wish I could go back. My study abroad experience in Vienna was the best 6 weeks of my life!
The IES Abroad staff and facilities are wonderful and very inviting. The staff are always ready to help in any way they can with all sorts of things from helping us find secrets spots around the city to letting us borrow a hair dryer when ours didn't work. They also do an excellent job of getting you accustomed to the culture and life in the city when you arrive and being a support system until the day you leave! The classes and teachers were great as well. I never felt overwhelmed by the amount of work (the teachers totally understand that you are there to experience as much of the city and country as you can) and taking the beginning level German was more helpful than I had imagined. By the time I left I found myself understanding basic German being spoken around town.
Most importantly, the city of Vienna is absolutely amazing and I felt right at home within the first day of being there. Like always, there are some cultural differences you have to adjust to but it is a very laid back city and it doesn't take very long to feel right at home! There is so much to do right there in the city and there are lots of amazing cities in close proximity that you can easily visit on the weekend. While I was there, my roommates and I managed to travel to Salzburg, Hallstatt, Prague, Munich, and Budapest all while still finding plenty of time to enjoy our home city of Vienna!