IES Abroad Reviews

I had a fantastic time during my study abroad trip to Granada with IES Abroad. I am very happy with my overall experience and there is not much that I would change about it. My Spanish wildly improved after living there for an entire semester and I made great friends who I was heartbroken to leave. I had many great experiences both traveling around Spain and in Granada, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. My classes were interesting and informative and I was able to greatly refine the focus of my major during my time studying there. I would definitely recommend IES Abroad, with its great teachers and directors, to anyone looking to have a great experience abroad.

I studied in London in the Fall of 2016, where I enrolled in 15 credit hours of courses and worked about 16 hours a week for my internship. The IES program gives you the option to choose from some really interesting classes that you wouldn’t normally take at your home school – I chose to take a film production course while some of my friends chose architecture or theater courses. The internship program is amazing as well because IES will put you directly in contact with businesses and organizations that fit your interests and career goals. My internship experience matched my interests perfectly and helped me to grow my business and cross-cultural communication skills.

If I were to do it all over again, I would still choose London – hands down. In my personal opinion, London is the best city to study abroad in and the IES program provides you with incredible experiences and plenty of opportunities. Students get to live right by Kings Cross station, from where you can get virtually anywhere throughout London – and promise me, you will never run out of things to do in London! Ask the IES advisors or professors if you want some recommendations. Due to the way university is organized in the UK (the bulk of your projects and exams are towards the end of the semester) I felt that I had plenty of free time during the semester explore the entire city of London, and to travel around the UK and to other countries in Europe. If traveling is important to you, keep this in mind! The only downside to this program is that it’s difficult to befriend locals because you are living and taking classes with your fellow American IES students.

This fall, I went to Santiago through the IES Semester in Santiago program and had the absolute pleasure of meeting some of the most wonderful people in the world. Many study abroad programs have similar draws—small classes, hands-on learning, fantastic teachers, cultural integration, etc—and don’t get me wrong, my program definitely had all of those. However, one thing that really set the program apart was the type of student on the program, the staff at the study abroad center in Santiago, and the host families. All the students on my program got along fabulously, which was honestly pretty strange. I went abroad in high school on a different program, and there were clashes within the program, as happens when many very different people spend a lot of time together. However, in Santiago, we literally all got along well—there was no exclusion, no cattiness, nothing. The group was comprised of very smart and interesting students, who were laid-back in attitude and all of whom enjoyed nature, and for whatever reason, this made us incredibly cohesive. I can’t stress enough how bizarrely lovely and inclusive it was.
Our cohesion was probably due in part to the incredible staff at IES, who were intentional about teambuilding and introductions from the start. The five women who work at the center were some of the most loving, kind, compassionate, funny and warm people I’ve ever had the good fortune to meet. Not only were they good at the administrative aspects of their jobs, they cared for me and the other students like their own children. I had bronchitis for about a month (immunodeficiency, whaddup), and they worked tirelessly with me to coordinate makeup work and tests while also firmly and lovingly demanding I go take a nap and give myself a break. They are amazing. Again, I can’t stress this enough.
One of the women who works at the center is responsible for housing placements, and she does an incredible job. Each homestay is hand-picked by her, and she is careful and thorough with her reasoning. You get to fill out a form in which you indicate what your desired outcome in a homestay is—whether that’s to be integrated into the family, to spend a bit of time with them, or to have it more as a place to sleep and eat rather than a family setting—and she matches you with people who have similar desires. This eliminates a lot of awkwardness around being unsure on expectations. I wanted to be part of the family, and I ended up in a house where I would spend hours talking to my host mom about life philosophy and experience. She is my second mom (even now she texts me asking if I’m sleeping enough. That’s mom love for ya).
On my program, I navigated a big city after living in rural college towns my whole life. I formed loving and warm bonds with people I never would’ve met otherwise. I explored and grew and learned and laughed and cried and ate too many empanadas, and IES Santiago gave me the space for that. Go. You won’t regret it.

To say that my experience in Cape Town was life changing would be an understatement. My time in South Africa will be forever imprinted in my memory. There is not a single moment that I did not love, waking up in the morning and seeing Table Mountain, looking out at the view from the University of Cape Town, seeing the amazing IES staff almost every day, exploring this beautiful city, and meeting the amazing people in South Africa.

IES ensures that you have a support system while you are abroad. They keep you in the loop with what is going on, they make sure you are safe and healthy, and they always welcome you into the office. They truly become your abroad family.

Cape Town is not just a place I visited or studied. It is a place that changed my life and became a home... and I cannot wait to go back home again soon.

Wow... thanks to IES Abroad I had an absolutely amazing semester in Salamanca, Spain. Upon returning from abroad, many classmates who had gone to other places with other programs mentioned the difficulty of truly feeling like they were experiencing their host country's real culture. In contrast, IES Abroad did a great job of helping me experience an authentic semester in Salamanca through their mentoring programs with local university students, amazing host families, as well as opportunities to explore the culture in Salamanca as well as Spain at large. I would recommend this program to anyone who really wants to feel immersed in a different culture and learn to appreciate it. While it sounds cliche, I have a much more global perspective upon returning from Spain and appreciate the subtle differences of each culture even more. Neither the US culture nor the Spanish culture is better... they are simply different, each with their own pros and cons. To this day, I continue to talk with both American and Spanish friends I made while abroad, WhatsApp my host mom, read El País, and listen to Reggaeton. I made so many unforgettable memories while abroad, and can't wait to visit Salamanca once again.

As a health policy and administration major, I was very excited to see that there was a program that aligned with my academic goals. To begin with, he IES staff were absolutely incredible. As someone who has an ongoing medical condition, they were always extremely helpful in helping me find doctors and working through all of that kind of stuff. The living accommodation is smaller than traditional American style dorms, but it has everything you need. I also would recommend on going on any of the field trips that IES provides. It is very organized and takes a lot of the stress off that comes with planning a trip.

Academically, being able to learn about public health in London was an absolutely incredible experience and I loved hearing the perspectives from my professors. Living in the city of London is amazing. You are very centrally located and there is always so much to do- no matter what your interests are.

This program also gives you the opportunity to take a class at Oxford. While you do have to catch a very early train, and spend most of your day Friday in class and traveling to and from Oxford, which limits your ability to travel some weekends, it was definitely worth it! I really improved my writing and critical thinking skills. The Oxford class also doesn't start until a few weeks into the program so you still will have the opportunity to travel and I was still able to find time to travel after I got home from Oxford on Friday.

Another unique element of this program is that you have the opportunity to participate in a service learning. I was able to volunteer at a cancer support center, which was a very valuable experience to me.

The best part of the study abroad experience was the trip to Jamaica. We got to observe in clinics around Jamaica and also got to see a lot of the country. We were able to go to Blue Lagoon, the Blue Mountains and a few local beaches. We also attended lectures at the University of the West Indies. Even though before going to Jamaica, nobody was ready to leave London by the end everyone really enjoyed the trip to Jamaica and found it worth while.

Overall, I would recommend this study abroad program to anyone who is interested in public health!

I enjoyed a thought-provoking and adventurous semester abroad in Paris, France this past fall semester of 2016. I am grateful to the IES program for opening the door to daily social and professional life in Paris. I am especially pleased with the internship coordinating that was done throughout the program to help me attain and sustain a three and a half month-long internship with a prestigious modern and contemporary art gallery in the heart of the city. Not only do I plan to return, I hope to live a large portion of my life in France after my incredible experience there!

London, my choice city, is anything but ordinary. Walking on the popular Holborn street in London where I took most of my classes I heard just about every language except English, an indication of diverse cultures. While I was there I visited many cities on weekends including Cambridge, Brighton, Liverpool, Stonehenge, Stratford Upon Avon and Canterbury, thanks to the IES staff who organized these well planned trips on weekends. The courses that I studied in London, including one at Oxford University, immersed me in the health care world of the United Kingdom (UK). A lot of the courses challenge you to find solutions of the modern day health problems, which are mainly Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs). My program also included a service learning section working with Healthwatch Tower Hamlets. This organization acts as a liaison between the National Health Service (NHS) and their clients. I was able to visit hospitals, clinics, day centers and mental clinics in London and to see the approach the U.K. takes in providing healthcare for its citizens.

The study abroad program included a 10 day trip to Jamaica. In Jamaica we were placed at the island’s leading tertiary institution, the University of the West Indies. The program included visits to health clinics in both rural and urban areas in the capital Kingston. This experience gave us first- hand experience in comparing and contrasting the health care services in both UK and Jamaica. Professionally, my study abroad experience has made me more diverse in my field as a Health Management major. Health is global and this experience exposed me to the different health care systems employed by European countries .

Absolutely loved my program. With the program visited 12 countries. It is a lot of traveling, but the semester is built the way that you don’t get tired or exhausted. Freiburg itself is a safe picturesque city. A lot of good places to go out, weather you want to go hiking or to a nightclub. If your level of German is low or non-excitant, it is not an issue. Pretty much every country we went to and in Freiburg, Englsih is widely spoken, so it was very easy to navigate and live there. IES stuff is incredibly caring and attentive. They helped me and any student who needed help or advice. Living situation is very nice. All buildings are located in safe area, close to a grocery store, downtown and IES center. Even not being a political science or related majors, you can definitely benefit from this program. There is a good variety of classes you can choose from.

My semester abroad was more than I could have ever hoped for. I spent my semester improving my german, making new friends, immersing in the culture, and learning how to navigate a new country. I was supported by the IES staff and faculty the entire time I was in Freiburg. If someone got sick a doctors appointment was made available that day for the student. I personally had a medical issue and I was able to recipes antibiotics and the medical attention I needed the day I asked for help. IES planned trips for us: one was to Venice and Padua, and another one to Berlin. I attended both trips, although both optional, and they were very fun and exciting. The trips were a good balance of planned activities and free time for us to do what we wanted to.
We didn't have class on Fridays which allowed for travel and exploration of Freiburg and surrounding areas. The classes were exciting and informative, they were taught at a level of German that was easy to understand. The individual classes had various excursions pertaining to the class.
The social aspect was very fun, we had 32 people in the language and area studies program and I got to know each of these people on a personal level. We spent most of our time together cooking, exploring and immersing in the culture. Our living situations were all slightly different, no room was identical. But everyone had a shared kitchen and bathrooms for the apartment. We also had a few people do home stays.
Overall my experience was incredible and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is confident in their German skills and want to see a smaller town aspect of Germany.