IES Abroad Reviews

Study abroad was a life changing experience for me. I have always known that I wanted to visit Germany, but I did not know how much I would fall in love with it. Everywhere you look you see something different and full of history. The more time you spend in the area, the more you notice the little things full of meaning that are often overlooked. Leaving Germany was like a bad break-up and I would do anything to go back.

While Berlin was amazing, the icing on the cake was the IES Abroad-Berlin staff that made the experience so much better. They were very helpful in helping me with question about coming back to Germany to continue my studies in Biochemistry or pursue a career in Medicine. The teachers that I had were invested in helping us learn more about their culture and more about Germany as a whole. I would not trade this experience for anything as it helped me decide that if I had the opportunity to study or work in Germany, I would take it in a heartbeat.

As a winter sport athlete, I was worried that I wouldn't get to study abroad and get that experience in my life like my of my friends. IES Abroad gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to study over the summer so that I could still have an international experience. The administration in Salamanca are actually amazing, and each of them provides so many opportunities to immerse yourself in the language, the culture, and in just cultivating friendships. I definitely was pushed out of my comfort zone with this program because I didn't know anyone going into it, but it was so worthwhile. I met so many new people that I still talk to everyday and getting the opportunity to better my language skills has proved invaluable to my career development as well as my own personal goals. I can't thank IES Abroad enough for giving me the Study abroad experience that I dreamed of. I have definitely been more inspired to try new things since coming home, especially stepping out of my comfort zone. My Spanish classes are much more interesting and I love being able to practice the skills I learned abroad in those classes.

I have no idea where to begin. I was pleasantly surprised by how great the IES abroad staff were. They always responded to my emails fairly quickly and they provided me with the all the information and materials to ensure I was prepared before I got to my destination. I thought for sure I was going to have to figure out all of it on my own, but there was no such problem. I was fortunate enough to attend the six week study abroad program in Sydney, Australia. I consider it the best decision of my undergraduate career; my only regret is not staying for a whole semester if not a year! If I had time I would for sure choose another IES program and travel down under again.
Once I arrived in Sydney I received the best welcome from the IES staff and enjoyed every second of my orientation. I was lucky enough to have arrived during the start of the VIVID festival and for our Arrival Dinner we ate on a cruise in the middle of the Sydney Harbour looking at all the VIVID lights. Throughout the rest of my six weeks my group went on several excursions which included a couple of national parks and a four day field trip to Central Australia where we explored the Outback. Our trip to the Outback is one of my favorite memories from my trip. No words can describe what it was like to sleep under the crystal clear stars in our swags.
As for academics, I took two different classes: Leadership Across Cultures and Australian History/Politics. I definitely enjoyed the history class. I've never taken a class where I could literally walk around the city and know exactly the backstory behind a particular building or area. We even went on field trips during our class where we could see first hand the contents that we were learning about.
I think about my study abroad experience every day and it has given me a whole new perspective on my life and the world. I wish everyone could get the opportunity to travel, make lasting memories, and form lifetime friendships just like I did because I know it will be one of their best decisions of their life.

I have never thought about I will be able to go visit Barcelona in a much more meaningful way. Being able to visit my dream city for honeymoon (such a girly dream, but it's true) as a student is way more fun than just a tourist for 3-5days. I get to stay with a homestay that do not speak English, which helps me improve my body language and Spanish quite a lot. I have no experience in Spanish at all before going. But during those two months, I can at least have some small conversation with others. I tried so many things while I am there, food, city life, night life, and more importantly is being able to figure things out by yourself like an independent adult. I also use one of the weekend to go visit Belgium with the friends I made there. However, while having tons of fun there, we also study a lot as well, which is pretty nice for someone want to get some extra credit for school. It's really nice that I can study and play at the same time in a foreign country, and still can be able to get credits. I also made a tons of international friends there as well, I think that enrich me a lot more as a student since I get to communicate with them and know about different culture and opinions. In addition, throughout the journey, I realized that I found myself or discovered a lot of things "about me".
Overall, the whole experience just amazing. Even when I was sick for couple weeks, there are teachers, staff or other resources that you can use. I would definitely go again with IES. LOVE IT!!!!

I loved that this program really gave me the full experience. It includes so many field trips that they organize for you and you really get to see all the amazing views and locations that are essential to getting to know South Africa. It taught me a lot about the disparity between communities, the effects of the Apartheid, the beauty of the country's landscapes, the history of their culture, and so much more. This program focuses especially on the health care and development of South Africa's system and you get to experience it first hand. Shadowing at the hospitals and clinics showed me a lot about everyday patient-doctor interactions they face and how they may approach a problem. This can really open your eyes to a lot if you compare it to the health care system of the US.

The IES Beginning Language and Marketing program in Paris, France was an awakening experience both in my education and my personal growth. It was a six week extravaganza of learning about the global business world and French culture where each day provided new learning opportunities and fresh experiences. There are three courses typically available for the summer program (unfortunately for my year, there were only two after a professor mixup occurred): Global Marketing, Luxury Brand Management, and French for Beginners. You're supposed to pick two out of the three. I was only able to take Global Marketing and French for Beginners due to the mistake mentioned above, but that did not dampen my experience with this program at all. Each course was paced fairly and never once did I feel overwhelmed with any of the assignments or the marketing group project I was asked to complete. IES makes sure you have a balance in your time dedicated to studies and time for exploring Paris and all it has to offer. The two often mix as some homework assignments are to go out and experience French culture in a way you might not think about (like visiting McDonald's and seeing what's different on the menu compared to the U.S. menu). Overall, the educational adventure of this program is top notch and enlightening in fun and unexpected ways.

On the personal side, I had many of the same fears that students who have never studied abroad had. I had never lived alone before, traveled alone before, and I didn't know a single person in the program. Everything was new from the experiences of getting situated in my apartment to every single person I met. It was nerve-wracking fun, and to get past these initial fears, I simply did not entertain them to a deep level when applying for this program. I only let them come out once I had stepped foot on French soil, but even then they had subsided now that I was face-to-face with this land I had only read stories about and saw in movies. Overcoming the hurtles of stepping out of my comfort level to talk to strangers in my second language (I had taken French for four years previously) which I had never had the opportunity to truly practice, and navigating a new city's unfamiliar transportation system, I discovered a different side of myself that would never have come out if I had not studied abroad. It's IES's job to make you as comfortable as you can be living in the city you choose to explore, but it is a personal responsibility to truly take care of yourself and make the efforts to reach out and dive into the culture firsthand. It was an unforgettable experience, and one that I beg each person considering studying abroad to fully participate in because it is absolutely life-changing. You will never regret studying abroad, but it is very possible that you will regret not taking this opportunity when you have the chance right in front of you. There is too much life out there to experience to remain comfy in your own surroundings, so go out there and live it.

I benefited from being able to live with a host family (which was one of the reasons I chose this program) and I enjoyed all of the opportunities to go to different events hosted by the program (such as museum tours, visiting les Arenes, Avignon, and Aix-en-Provence). I just wish there was a little more information that was available before orientation to better prepare us for our experience. I still had a great time and learned so much about the history of France. I would highly recommend this program to students who want to improve their French language skills.

Travelling to New Zealand, a country on the other side of the world, was more than just a far-away country with new accents and foods. I wasn’t just on the other side of the globe – I was upside down and backwards. From navigating the airport and making my way to my new school, to walking on the other side of the street and greeting “Kia Ora!” to everyone I met, little things added up to create an upside down and backwards world. Going to New Zealand with IES, though, gave me a steadfast support structure and people to help me navigate everything new. Our program director was there for any and every question I had, and the other people there with IES were instant friends.

Going abroad with IES gave me an invaluable entry into Kiwi society that I would not have been afforded otherwise. In both New Zealand and during an IES sponsored trip to the Cook Islands, the IES Christchurch program gave me the opportunity to converse with local figureheads about social, economic, political, and environmental issues. Moreover, our program director from IES took us on amazing trips throughout the semester to a wildlife sanctuary, showed us hidden highlights of the city, and brought us to a Marae. (A Marae is a Maori community meeting place, and you have to be invited to a Marae by one of it's members in order to visit. Once there, we got to learn about Maori songs, language, art, traditions, and modern day culture.) All of these trips were just a few ways that I was welcomed into the Christchurch community that I would never have glimpsed if I hadn't gone with IES.

If you had told me a few years ago that I’d be studying abroad in Japan, I wouldn’t believe you. My application process was surreal: I’d looked up a countless number of photos, blogs, and reviews of study abroad in Japan, and I couldn’t believe that I was applying to go to a country so different from my own. When I applied and found out that I was accepted into IES Abroad’s Nagoya Summer Program, I was ecstatic: I was going to Japan! I had a new perspective about the photos, blogs, and reviews that I’d seen and read. I would gather my own memories and photos just like those in the past who’ve studied abroad have done.

What I loved the most about studying abroad through IES is the support system that I had from the minute I was accepted and even now as an alumna. I remember feeling butterflies (a bit from excitement, a bit from nervousness) when I thought about my upcoming study abroad trip, but my advisor sent me a weekly newsletter and answered all of my questions (no matter how small or unimportant they seemed to me!).

The minute my plane touched down in Nagoya, two IES staff members greeted me in the airport. This was such a relief for me, as I had never been in a foreign country before--let alone one where the native language isn't English! The staff members were so polite and helped me and two of my fellow participants to the hotel that we'd be staying in for the weekend. On the train ride there, we introduced ourselves and talked about various aspects of American and Japanese culture (in a mix of Japanese and English) and just our initial reactions at being in Japan. It was comforting to have them there with me, and they assuaged any lingering fears or worries that I had about being in a country so far from home.

My first weekend in Japan was an orientation guided by two IES staff members. They gave us emergency resources, talked about some cultural differences and difficulties that we might face, and organized a traditional Japanese meal for us. It was a perfect transitioning weekend that helped me and the other participants become comfortable with our new home for the next 6 weeks.

I won't lie and say transitioning to life in Japan was easy; being in a foreign country for the first time, especially when you don't speak the official language fluently, is tough. Tasks that I wouldn’t give a second thought to in America like doing laundry and buying groceries were challenging. My advice to overcoming these challenges is this: observe how your Japanese classmates carry out their day-to-day lives and never be afraid to ask for help.

My time in Japan was short, but I felt like I had seen a lot and learned a lot about the places that I visited. Because of IES, I was able to see my host city in a new way, through several different cultural events like the community Tanabata celebration and the TAO drum performance. I also explored more of Kyoto than I ever thought I would; Kyoto is such a historically and culturally rich city with an abundance of shrines, temples, and historical landmarks, and our weekend field trip to Kyoto allowed us to visit a handful of the most famous landmarks in a short span of time. Although I was extremely tired after the trip, I'm glad that I had the chance to see so much of such a beautiful city. IES Abroad field trips supplemented an already incredible study abroad experience by helping me to see more of Japan, both geographically and culturally, than I ever thought possible.

One aspect that I loved about IES is that they organized these field trips and events, but the time commitment was never overwhelming. I still had free time so I could hang out with my new friends and go to karaoke or a local ramen shop, or plan small field trips of our own to museums and castles.

As far as academics go, Nanzan University provided a rigorous and highly beneficial language learning environment. We had classes 5 days a week, around 3 hours a day with a 15-minute break in between, and then homework on a daily basis. What I loved about Nanzan was that they provide so many opportunities for international students to interact with Japanese students, both inside and outside of the classroom. Every Friday, our sensei would invite Japanese students to our class and we would start off the class by having conversations with them for 20-minutes. There were also daily events such as the Japan Plaza where you could go and get homework help or just informally converse in Japanese, and other frequent events such as Coffee Hour where you could converse and play games with Japanese students. They also organized several field trips (some just for international students, some for international and Japanese students) to various places such as Shirakawa-go, a beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site nestled in the mountains, and even a sumo championship held in Nagoya! The environment that Nanzan University provided was so inviting and fun.

If you attend, I highly recommend staying in the International Student Dormitories. For the girls dorm, you’re guaranteed one Japanese roommate, plus up to 2 other roommates from anywhere in the world! The dorms are more like 4-bedroom apartments with a shared bathroom area, kitchen area, and common area. The guys dorms are single rooms, but there is still at least one Japanese student on each floor, so you won’t lose the opportunity to converse with native Japanese speakers, even when you’re settled in for the night.

Despite only being in Japan for 6 weeks, it felt like a lifetime because of all of the incredible people that I met and places that I saw. Overall, I highly recommend studying through IES Abroad if you’re looking to get the most out of your time abroad and explore every nook and cranny of your host country, with the support of a genuine and caring staff.

IES makes everything easier for your study abroad experience. They provide you with all the necessary information to succeed without being overbearing. They are there when you need them but give you space to do your own thing! I was able to travel to three different countries in my six weeks and see so much of England! I would highly recommend this program if you are independent and are looking for a life changing experience!