IES Abroad Reviews

I am so glad that I chose to go to Freiburg for my semester abroad. As a German Studies major, it was important for me to be able to immerse myself in the language, and Freiburg was a great place to do that. It has a smaller town feel, but is by no means a tiny town. The city itself is beautiful, especially in the Old Town. There are so many things outside of academics to do and experience around Freiburg. The program is great, and the staff at the IES Abroad Center were both well-qualified and more than willing to help if a problem arose. I really enjoyed all of the classes that I got to take while I was there, especially since the topics were taught from the European perspective instead of the American one. The courses challenged me, and since they were all in German, my language ability improved immensely. My roommates were all German students, so I was able to speak German with them as well. It was interesting to see how their lives were different from mine, and I learned a lot from them. I also made some good friends while I was there, and was definitely sad to say goodbye to them. I can't wait until I can get back for another visit.

This program was overall great. I loved Nantes as a city, not too big and not too small, with plenty of students around due to the large University of Nantes. The IES program was great at welcoming us and helping us understand Nantes, and although the classes were not very vigorous and I had very little homework, my french improved a great deal. I loved my host family and my host mom's delicious, traditional french meals. I made some great American friends and a few French friends, however it was difficult to meet French people my age. I loved my time in Nantes and would recommend this program to anyone who loves France and the French language.

Going abroad with IES was potentially one of the best decisions I’ve made—other than the decision to study abroad, of course. The IES Cape Town staff were amazing, friendly, and helpful, especially when it came to registering for classes and adjusting to the difficulty of classes at UCT. They were always willing to listen to me and took my questions and concerns seriously. They were also happy to give restaurant recommendations as well! The activities that IES Cape Town planned, like going to a rugby match, a bicycle tour through a township, and a ferry ride to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela served his prison sentence, helped me to understand more about South African history and helped us bond as a group. I've definitely made friends that I'll keep for the rest of my life, and it's all because of this program. IES Abroad made my time in South Africa even more amazing than I could have imagined before leaving, and I'm so grateful to them for helping me make my study abroad experience so incredible.

Vienna was voted "the best city to live" for years. This actually gives a lot of insight into the city. Not only is Vienna a great city to visit for the beautiful architecture, palaces, and old-school entertainment, it is a place where I have learned to adjust to enjoy everyday life.
Through IES, I have made great connections through the staff and the opportunity to live in Vienna. IES provides programs to meet native Austrians, learn how to cook native food, and many more to truly experience the culture.
The classes are challenging, but not overwhelming. The professors want the students to learn, but they know that study is abroad for the experience of culture, so they are very understanding.
I was very impressed with the program and I would definitely recommend it.

I didn't realize that I would miss Granada, Spain as much as I do. This is one city that I will definitely return to one day soon. There is something about this little city in Andalucia (Andalusia), the southern region of Spain, that evokes a strong sense of nostalgia. It has been almost three months since I departed from Granada, yet I constantly think about my short time there. I felt a degree of liberty, safety, comfort, and ease on my daily walks up and down Calle Recogidas, one of Granada's central and busiest streets, that not every city can provide. This city like so many others has a culture of its own that in certain ways cannot be matched by any other. Its history can be seen in its architecture and its spirit can be seen in its people.

Over the past few months I have realized that I have fallen for Granada. I continue to be fascinated by its history (it is a city that has seen the rise and fall of Islamic empires, and a Spanish dictator) and amused by its intricacies ( random holidays that call for spending long hours in the streets drinking cerveza with friends or watching processions for saints). IES Granada is in part responsible for my falling for Granada. IES staff pushed me to get out, see, and explore Granada in depth. My anthropology class allowed me to personally investigate gentrification in the Albaicyn, a section of the city that has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and my art history course extended my appreciation and admiration of La Alhambra ( one of the most beautiful and fully intact castles in all of Andalusia).

Granada is a city that is loved and has been loved by so many. There's something that must be said for a city that has taken the hearts of many for more than 400 years. Granada is special, and if you take the time to truly to get know it, which means talking to people in the city and learning about why things are the way they are, you may just fall in love. But then again, if your not the type looking for love...Granada is also the perfect place for a one-semester stand ;) ...

GO TO JAPAN! It's an amazing country filled with its own exquisite charms and surprises. Studying abroad in Japan through IES Abroad is the best decision I've ever made. Throughout the whole journey, from applying to being on the program, I've been supported and cared for by my advisors off-site and on-site. I met amazing people, some of whom became my close friends and mentors, and improved my Japanese along the way. Nanzan University was a perfect choice for me as their rigorous Japanese language program pushed me to speak Japanese wherever I go and their cultural activities always promoted more interaction with Japanese locals. IES Abroad also did a great job with arranging diverse and interesting cultural excursions, through which I received much more than I ever expected. Learning about history of how Japan was formed, making soba noodles from scratch, trying out pottery and calligraphy, walking through the Atomic Bomb museum in Hiroshima, eating fresh oysters and other delicacies of each visited city, befriending friends from Australia, Korea, Japan, China, Malaysia...I can't even count those endless times I've made a great memory. Everybody should hop on this train with IES Abroad Nagoya because you won't regret it! Be prepared to eat the weird stuff, use a language 24/7 that is not your own and just immerse yourself in the culture and the people. Good Luck!

Nantes was truly an ideal place to study abroad, especially when it comes to what I was looking for, which was a moderate sized city that would allow me to use my French as much as possible. It was big enough that there was always something to do, but not so big that a lot of people spoke English which was great when it came to having to use French and practicing my skills. I also knew that IES Nantes offered a home stay option which turned out to be the absolute best part of my trip. Living with a family gave me the opportunity to really understand what life in France means, but also gave me a chance to form connections that will last for the rest of my life. The IES Nantes center does an incredible job at matching students with families, and is so helpful if problems do come up. The center staff was also helpful with other issues as well, anything from locating important places like the post office or the doctor, to having a band-aid if you needed one on the spot. The classes offered were very interesting and taught at a reasonable pace, and the instructors were very adaptive to student's needs and issues. IES Nantes also offers an option to take classes at the local university which is a great opportunity to experience class with French students and take a class that is taught at a standard pace that is not adapted to American students. All classes in France are focused around large tests and papers rather than smaller assignments, which is important to keep in mind. There is less work to do on a daily basis, but you are expected to keep up with you classes and do work individually. Overall the program was amazing and I had a great semester!

Living and studying in Paris was an absolutely amazing experience. I lived in a homestay with the most genuine french woman who helped me really improve my French. (and she was an amazing cook!) The staff at IES were always ready to help, almost too ready at times. From time to time their oversight of our daily lives was overwhelming, but it is understandable that they wanted to keep an eye on us in the semester immediately after the attacks on Paris. Overall, my experience was so great! If you are fairly confident in your French abilities, I would suggest doing the French Studies program, as the business program is completely in English. Had I done French studies, I'm sure my language abilities would have improved much more than they did in my very easy French course and with my host mom. Work load for classes heavily depends on what course you take, however it is low compared to regular college. If you have trouble making friends, this isn't the study abroad program for you. There is a short orientation upon arrival, but the staff doesn't make much of an effort to introduce you to others in the program (besides a lackluster awkward 20 minute ice breaker session) before you have your first weekend in Paris.

Originally I was interested in studying abroad with a group of students who studied at my college; however, stepping out of my comfort zone and traveling solo proved to be one of the best decisions of my entire life. With the tram system, the Deutsche Bahn railway system and biking, it was so easy to explore the city and beyond its borders, Without having traveled alone before I gained independence and confidence in traveling and managing daily life on my own. Despite being a city, Freiburg feels small and community-oriented, allowing for easy mobility and connections to be made.

Regarding academics, the 4-module system helped me manage my time by focusing intensively on one subject at a time, and we had field excursions in the Black Forest, France and Switzerland, which enabled us to apply our new knowledge to the real world around us. With only 20 students in our program, connections were made quickly and new opportunities opened up, (which I learned to always take advantage of, because for some, this is a once in a lifetime experience!)

As I am the youngest of three daughters, I continually looked up to my two older sisters. In my eyes they were risk-takers and I admired their abilities to grasp any opportunity within reach for an adventure. While only in high school, my sisters shared their study abroad experiences from Kenya, Africa and Glasgow, Scotland, and I was since inspired to study abroad. I will always remember the car ride to the airport, the day my parents were about to drop me off for my 5 month adventure. I couldn't talk the whole ride because I was holding back tears, tears of unknowing-ness, excited-ness, but mostly last minute nervousness and fear of walking through the gate; we arrived at the airport early and had time to sit, and I seriously contemplated turning back and going home. As I hugged my parents goodbye, the tears started streaming but I knew that not stepping through security would be the biggest regret of my life. Scared every step of the way, I remembered the times in my youth when I wanted to quit a sport or stop ice skating, for example, because of fear, but my mom told me me to "put my big girl pants on". Although in those moments those were definitely not the words I wanted to hear, my mom encouraged and continues to encourage me everyday to become stronger and more independent.

In each challenge I faced while abroad, I reminded myself of her words and thought about the things I would miss out on because of fear. If I had not taken that step out of my comfort zone, and if I had turned back from the airport, I would have never experienced another culture and world unknown to me. The experiences I had traveling were unforgettable and I was able to frame each challenge or mishap as an obstacle that I was determined to overcome.

To be honest, I was extremely nervous about going abroad. I have traveled to 30 countries around the world with my family since I was a kid, but this was different. In the days leading up to my departure, everyone asked me if I was excited to go, and I really wasn't. For me initially, studying abroad was something I had to do because everyone did it their junior years. I was so nervous and dreading the day of my flight.
Once I got to Milan and met my roommates (after talking them on Facebook) I felt comfortable. We took a tour of the city the first day and already were planning our first trip. I met lots of people in my classes where we were all within 6 degrees of separation. 10 mutual friends on Facebook from all different walks of life.
Classes started and I felt at home. All of my friends from high school and college were still at home for winter break but I was so busy I didn't feel left out. Weeks flew by and almost every weekend we were traveling to a new country with a new language and new food! Classes were different than courses at my home college, but the professors were kind, understanding and were really passionate about helping.
After just a few days I was comfortable managing the streets and metro alone, knew where the grocery store was, and kind of understood when the cashier told me how much I owed. My Italian picked up quick thanks to the three weeks of intensive learning at the beginning of the semester. Soon enough it was Easter break, and at the end of the program, I didn't want to leave! Milan became like a second home, I learned a lot, and made new friends from around the US and around the world.
I was nervous and dreading my study abroad, but now I wish I stayed even longer!