IES Abroad Reviews

I enrolled in the European Union program in Freiburg to gain a better understanding of European culture through the Political Science and International Relations lens and have the ability to visit famous European cities that were also relevant with our studies.
As a Business major, it would seem that my studies were not exactly compatible with my major. However, I was able to fulfill some of my major requirements while still being able to take some Political Science and International Relations classes that I thought were very interesting and could diversify my academic background.
The semester when I studied, the Fall of 2016, could not have been a better time to study abroad. With Brexit and very similar elections occurring in nearly every major European state coupled with the US elections, the subject matter was relevant to everybody and we had plenty of material to discuss in class and when we visited the different bureaucratic cities.
The relevance of the material we study in class were extremely relevant with the current events and that was vital for me as there was the study aspect in my study abroad and also in practice, as I was able to combine the two together and gain a better understanding for European political culture.
As this program is geared towards Political Science and International Relations majors, there were times where I felt I was out of my element, as I did not possess the foundational knowledge of the subject matter we would study. However, it was still very beneficial for me to study different subjects as a Liberal Arts student.
The program did a fantastic job of balancing class work with our travels, as the professors had a great understanding of our time constraints as our schedule had us outside Freiburg almost every two weeks.
With my college tuition and the study program expense being equal, it was fantastic to be able to visit these cities without paying more out of pocket.
Freiburg is also a vibrant, university-driven town to be in, and in close proximity to France, Switzerland, and other European states.

I had a fantastic experience studying in Barcelona with IES Abroad. After completing a backpacking trip through Europe with friends, I picked Barcelona as the city I would choose to return to, to study abroad, if I would be lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend a semester there. I'm so glad I picked Barcelona because it really helped me increase my Spanish language skills, and allowed me to experience so many places nearby. IES Abroad helped such a big city like Barcelona feel smaller, by setting up opportunities to volunteer and places to visit. I signed up for the intercambio program which helped me meet a local who I am still in contact with today. To have a good time in Barcelona I think you need to be adventurous, open to learning about a new way of life, excited to practice your Spanish, and able to function on little sleep. I never felt homesick during my semester because my host family made me feel at home and I knew the semester would fly by! I highly recommend staying with a host family, and going on day trips to nearby cities such as Girona, and Sitges. I recommend avoiding touristy places and speaking Spanish with as many people as possible. I enjoyed the small class sizes of my IES Abroad classes and my teachers. I chose IES Abroad because everyone at my study abroad center assured me that they had a very well-developed program, and were on top of things. This allowed me and my family to feel good about choosing to study abroad with them. I had a great experience in Barcelona and hope you do as well!

IES London is a well executed program. They have though of just about everything to make the students feel comfortable and excited about their study abroad experience. I stayed in a dorm style room with a random roommate, who luckily turned out to be a great friend, and a shared kitchen with the floor. The place was all up to date and a maid came to clean our rooms once a week. We were also located near the biggest tube station in London so getting places was very easy. The classes at IES were interesting and a lot of the times were not held in an actual class room. The instructors would take the class around the city to give us an in person view of the building or the exact spot where a monumental event happened. This brought the information alive and was far more engaging than reading about it in a book. I planned my class schedule to allow me to have a 4 day weekend, leaving a lot of free time to travel to different countries and to also explore the great city of London. The city has so much to offer you and you'll only regret it if you don’t go and see for yourself.

My semester with IES Abroad European Union was an invaluable opportunity to learn and grow. As a student of International Relations and History, I was able to explore my passions within a practical context in Europe. One of the biggest advantages of studying abroad with IES Abroad EU is that you learn just as much in the classroom as outside of it. Within our multiple field trips, I visited 12 countries across Europe, and engaged in meetings with EU officials and academics from a wide variety of fields. Some of my favorite memories include visiting the European Commission in Brussels, hiking in the Alps, and bonding over the cold in Latvia. Moreover, the base city of the program, Freiburg, is a gorgeous and quaint town. It is easily accesible, due in part to the excellent tram system, and will quickly make you feel at home (and it also has a great selection of restaurants). Additionally, the IES Abroad Staff are some of the most attentive and caring people I've ever met, and they would always make sure that everyone on the program was doing well. My semester abroad was a big leap for me - a push to try something new - and I'm immensely glad I did it!

My time in Freiburg was the greatest time of my life, and I highly recommend this program. Freiburg is the perfect city, because it is the right size to feel comfortable and very safe. One of the best parts of the program is the travel included in the curriculum, where you get to travel to eight different cities. The IES center staff do an incredible job planning the trips, providing suggestions and tips for each city and exposing us to unique speakers and experiences. As someone who had never traveled outside the United States before, having a structured form of travel was very beneficial and made travel a lot less overwhelming for me. For a personal example of how helpful the center staff is, I cut my hand while in Freiburg and needed stitches. A staff member scheduled an appointment for me with a doctor that speaks English to remove my stitches, which was incredibly helpful and made a stressful and scary situation much easier. This program and this city is one you will not regret experiencing!

I studied abroad in the fall of 2016 with this program and chose to live in a dorm. I had been to Japan before several times and had previously done an internship, but this was my first time combining both of those experiences being a student living on her own while studying Japanese. My favorite part of this experience was participating in the field placement where you get to experience working in a Japanese company for once a week throughout the semester. Although it is not quite like an internship, you get exposed to Japanese business cultures so it was a very invaluable experience for me. My goal coming to this program was to obviously improve my Japanese skill and become fully proficient, but unfortunately I did not meet my goal. This university you will be integrating yourself with is a foreign language school, so most of the students speak English fairly well if not fluent. In addition, all of your classes except the language one will be taught in English, so you really have to take the initiative to practice Japanese. Many people did improve and I myself was able to challenge my Japanese skill, particularly by taking the challenge of presenting more advanced topics in Japanese for the first time. I'm glad I got to study abroad on this program and I can't wait until the day I get to return.

I was nervous, like many other students, before I went abroad. When selecting a college, a big thing to me was choosing a university where many students studied abroad. I was so enthusiastic about all of it until about a week before I left. I started to panic about what I would miss at school, if I had made a mistake going abroad, what if I had no friends abroad, what if I actually hadn't been learning Italian, what if I actually hated pasta? I won't say that all of my fears immediately vanished, but over the course of the semester, I had an absurdly overwhelming positive experience that I wouldn't trade for any frat party, any experience in America, any semester. I saw things I never knew existed, things that everyone knows exist; I met people who were kind, people who were mean, people who taught me things about myself, people who taught me things about the world, people I forgot in a second, people I will never forget. The only way to get this feeling and to get these experiences is to take the plunge yourself. Trust yourself, trust your desires, get away from the things you know and out of your comfort zone. You'll thank me and yourself later.

I knew before I even started applying to college I wanted to study abroad. I picked IES because it came highly recommended to me and I wanted to be in Barcelona. Picking IES was the best decision I made. Your program truly defines what your experience will be like. IES made all the pre-departure paperwork easy and were helpful answering the 100's of questions I had. Once I got to Barcelona, they continued to be helpful. IES offers different actives such as bike rides, cooking classes, and tours of different neighborhoods. This gave me the opportunity to meet friends and get acquainted with my new city.
I decided to live in an apartment which was provided through IES. This was the perfect situation for me because I have already lived in an apartment independently before. I had to do all my own cooking but I loved it! I ended up getting to know the local shop owners. I would get my groceries from various markets. I even had a little fish shop where they spoke no English! It was challenging but I never felt more accomplished or proud when I placed my entire order of fish in Spanish!
The friends you make abroad are friendships that last a lifetime. One of my favorite memories that I think about often is going to get gelato between classes on Tuesday afternoon, strolling through the Gothic Quarter. It's little moments like that that I cherish so much.
Getting homesick is part of the experience, but everyone is going through the same thing, even if it's at different stages. When I lost my iPhone, the front desk woman helped me by calling the cab company since my Spanish was not strong. When I was sick, the study affairs office made sure I saw a doctor. Whatever question I had, IES was there to answer it.
I loved that my professors really brought the classroom into the city. Many of my classes went on field trips around the city. When my parents came to visit, I was able to lead them around and tell them many different fact about the city I didn't even realize I knew. It became my home. I grew to love certain neighborhoods, a favorite running path, and a favorite cafe to study (Organic's - right down the street from the IES center)
Studying abroad is something everyone should do. Of course it's a little scary but so worth it. I learned what it means to be a global citizen, I traveled to different famous European cities, ate amazing food, and I made incredible friendships. IES was organized and helpful from day one, which helped make this the best semester of my life.

I really couldn't have imagined my experience without going abroad with IES! IES provided so much support and opportunities for all of us during the semester. My friends who also studied abroad at Nanzan (but not with IES) were always really jealous of all of the incredible performances we saw and field trips we went on as a part of IES! Furthermore, the upper levels at Nanzan for Japanese studies are incredible, I learned so much and my Japanese improved dramatically. Would DEFINITELY recommend this program, and I do!

Choosing this program is such an incredible investment in your life and future! :)

This program was such a great experience for me, and I am so happy that I chose it! The staff and teachers were very friendly, helpful, and welcoming, and the classes (I took the art history and literature courses that focused on gender studies) were interesting and incredibly relevant to Dutch culture. I learned things specific to Amsterdam and Dutch history by reading Dutch works and visiting countless museums. I enjoyed how many of our class sessions involved some sort of field trip, either to a museum, park, or other place.

We went on some fun day trips throughout my six weeks, as well as a weekend trip to Berlin, and we had lots of other time to travel on the weekends. I was lucky to study abroad with a great, kind, open-minded group of students and made some great friendships. We had lots of free time to explore the city however we liked, and IES Abroad always helped us find places to go if we asked for help or advice. They made sure we knew the neighborhood's grocery stories, pharmacies, and home goods places so that we could feel comfortable right away.

The housing was nice - a studio apartment with a small kitchen and bathroom - and located very close to the study abroad center. It was a bit farther from the city center, but we could take public transportation, bike, or if we had a bit more time, walk to nearly anywhere in the city. I felt safe in the city, and loved the entire vibe of Amsterdam. We didn't have much interaction with local students or residents, however, but if I'd had more time, maybe I would have ventured out more past the friends I'd made with IES.