IES Abroad Reviews

I always knew I wanted to study abroad in Madrid, and I have to say it was one of the greatest decisions I have ever made. IES Abroad truly made my time in Spain such an enjoyable one, that I would tell everyone to go abroad through this program. The day I arrived, the IES faculty warmly greeted me, and to my surprise they all knew my name and some background information from where I came from. The faculty truly made an effort to help all students through the tough transition of arriving in a foreign country. IES provided historic tours, intercambios (student exchanges), cooking classes, and great excursions to help assimilate into Spanish culture. With the help of IES Abroad, I felt comfortable enough to explore the city of Madrid on the metro/other forms of public transportation; I embraced the famous siesta, tried some great tapas and even attended a few Real Madrid games! Additionally, IES Abroad Madrid made sure every student felt comfortable and safe and always made their offices open to answer any questions or concerns. It was apparent that a lot of work went into making this the best study abroad experience for all students. If I could do it all over again, I would definitely do it again with IES Abroad!

The IES EU Program is the program to choose if your main goal of studying abroad is to travel and experience more of the world. Not only will you be able to travel an incredible amount with this program but this travel will be essentially free and extremely well-organized, allowing you to hit all of the sites to see and to meet local officials and professionals who can give you great insight into their country. In the EU Program, you take 3 long course excursions to amazing destinations such as Berlin, Prague, Luxembourg, Brussels, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, Athens, Budapest, Bucharest, Riga, London, and Latvia. Everything about these trips is paid for except for lunch and dinner, which the program will sometimes even pay for as well (for Thanksgiving Dinner they rented us out a restaurant). Outside of the trips, Freiburg itself is a wonderful city and a place that you will surely fall in love with quickly. Academics are very interesting and relevant to the hot current events in Europe. By the end of the program, you will undoubtedly walk away with a comprehensive and deep understanding of the project that is the European Union. This knowledge is very useful for anyone interested in international relations and economics, or for anyone who wants to better understand one of the most important political bodies in the world.

Studying abroad in Milan was one of the best experiences. There was a little bit of old Italy and new Italy, and lots of gelato. If you didn't know Italian you were still able to get by. IES does a wonderful job with placing students in beautiful apartments so close to the center of the city and to the program center. The staff was super helpful and was always offering different excursions in Milan to get us to know our host city better. One of the best parts about this program was having an Italian roommate who was the same age as us who worked for IES. She helped us with our Italian, getting around the city, and told us all the best places to go for aperitivo, shopping and all other things. Traveling from Milan to other places in Europe was also very easy because we were in close proximity to 3 international airports and had the train system that brought you almost everywhere in Italy and to many other neighboring countries.

My favorite part about being abroad was staying with my host family. La mia mamma, il mio papa, e la mia sorella. They were wonderful! Even now, back at school, I find my mind wondering about their actions. Oh, I bet papa is cleaning about the house right now, and mamma is worrying over another lost object, while mia sorella is singing the tunes from Moulin Rouge...I was a part of a family, a sister, daughter, and a friend.
When things didn't go my way (travel plans), my mamma would tell me 'we must change fate!" and suggest to me other places to visit, help me purchase my tickets and send me off with a smile. When I missed my family, they made me dinners inspired by my family's traditional meals, gave me sweets to 'sweeten' my life. We sang songs around the dinner table, worked on my Italian as I helped with their english-- As they attended my performances, I attended the 50th anniversary part for i nonni. I was home.
Even now, at my American home, I still think and miss my Italian home and family.

I often shared stories with the other homestay students and we had come to one conclusion: IES offers amazing homestays and kind families. In Italy, I found a family, friends, and a cat (the Family Cat, Tigro). In Italy I had found a purpose and the continuation of my childhood dream.

If you long for a feeling of home, to learn more than you have ever imagined, then I highly suggest being a homestay student in Milano.

As for the courses, if you are looking to experience culture, to live in the center of history, and to be surrounded by music, then this Milan program is for you. The classes within this music program offer an excellent insight into Italian culture and history through the use of music.

I chose this program due to it's courses. As a music student, my fellow students raved of the Viennese musical program for it's musical courses. However, I am not just a musician, I am an artist and a performer. I had found that the classes offered in Vienna, Austria were not tailored to the musical artist, simply musicians. And that is great for those who wish to pursue a life in the orchestra or musical education. However, if you are like me-- a musical artist, someone people don't understand often due to your artistic tendencies (i.e. painting instead of essay writing, performing instead of simply reading) than this program is for you. Unlike the Viennese program, this program in Milan offers courses tailored to the artist. Simply because, that's just how the Italians are. Free to do as they please and free to live. This 'artistic' mindsets lives within every professor and is met within every course. You don't just study a subject, you live it.

My favorite course, and example of this thought, would be Professor Mellace's course: Verdi and Italian Identity. In the course, we did not simply study Giuseppe Verdi's music and his influence over Italian politics and history-- we lived it. Our fingers were able to touch Verdi's original opera libretti, we were able to cast our eyes upon a spectacular performance of Verdi's opera Falstaff at il Teatro alla Scala-- we walked the very steps Verdi had walked from his home in Milan to La Scala.

In Italy, you're not just a student-- you're an artist. It was my favorite part about that country and Milan. If I told someone I was an opera singer, people were amazed-- compared to if I told people I'm an opera singer back in the states, I get questions like: "why?" Well, why not? And that is the Italian way.

If you are looking for more than music-- more than just a cultural experience, better than wonderful--- Milan is for you.

My semester abroad in Dublin, Ireland at Trinity College Dublin was an invaluable experience, filled with wonderful people, extraordinary places, and vital life lessons. With the help of the staff at IES Abroad Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, and the friends that I made, Dublin became like home to me. The staff was always willing to help with any issues I had and share a conversation over a cup of tea.

As a student directly enrolled in Trinity College Dublin, I was able to join clubs and societies on campus, which helped me get involved and make new friends. I joined the Club Swim Team, and we went to Galway for a weekend for a gala (swim meet)! Additionally, I was able to take classes related to my major, Speech and Hearing Science, which gave me the ability to see my field of study in a different perspective. I was able to build relationships with professors and students from all over the world who are teaching and studying similar subjects. It was very beneficial and has given me the courage and confidence to explore postgraduate and professional opportunities abroad.

The program offers in-dept understanding of the EU. All the classes are taught by passionate professors with interesting and diverse pasts. The town is perfect for studying abroad as it is a city that offers plenty to do, while also being perfectly located for traveling across Europe. It is a safe town with a tram system while also having a large train station for long distance traveling. The program offers 3 field study trips that plan all aspects of the trips from the hotel to travel. The field study trips allow students to apply their coursework.

Study abroad. Wow. There is so much to tell and not enough time. Studying in Chile was a great experience that not only built my confidence, but also solidified my path in life. I took classes for my Spanish major, both at the IES center and at the partner-university and I participated in the Health Studies program which allowed me to shadow doctors and nurses in a variety of hospitals in the Santiago Metropolitan area while learning about the health care system in Chile. IES Abroad made it easy enough for me to become immersed in the culture, through my host family, Club Chileno (a group of university students who worked with IES to help us and hang out with us), who were basically my first Chilean friends and the myriad of local staff members who constantly encouraged me to speak only Spanish. My semester abroad was a life-changing experience and I know I will treasure my friendships and the changes that came out of it.

My experience through IES Abroad Milan Business studies was incredible to say the least. The city of Milan is gorgeous that is very modern compared to other Italian cities, but contains the historic "Italian" feel. The IES Abroad Milan staff helped me with all my questions, kept me safe, and suggested great sites and travel ideas. The academics were perfect, as they were not too challenging, but I learned a great amount. There were many classes offered and class size was small, promoting a good relationship with professors. I lived with 5 other guys in an apartment and they became my best friends on the program; I didn't know anyone going into the program. My community assistant (CA) was great too, as he wasn't too overbearing, but kept us safe and answered all the questions we had. There is a lot to do in the city of Milan, everything from seeing beautiful museums, to going to soccer matches, you never get bored.The 3.5 months I spent studying in Milan through IES Abroad was the best experience of my life, and I wish I could go back!

Berlin was not as much a German city as it was a multi-cultural city. It is a place where all nations are represented, including people, food and architecture. There were so many people from all over the world and all walks of life. Every time I was on the U-Bahn (metro) or the S-Bahn (city-train) I would here languages ranging from English (Australian, British, American, Canadian) to Turkish to Japanese to Swedish to Spanish to Serbian. It was remarkable to think that we all ended up in this small space at this moment in time in this specific city.

I also learned a great deal from the relaxed academic environment at the IES Berlin center, which enabled me to fully understand and more importantly appreciate the uniqueness that is Berlin- there is not another city like it. This relaxed and not-demanding workload also allowed for frequent travel within Berlin and Germany, but also to neighboring nations for a great price. It was almost too easy to say "hey let's go to Barcelona for the weekend, it's only 42euros round-trip." This travel was also very important to IES: this independence was fully explained by the program staff. All program health and safety was fantastic in preparation and I always felt safe knowing that my program was very well prepared to handle anything that might happen. This was something that was very important to me.

One thing that is definitely worth thinking about is if you are a pretty introverted person, you may feel lonely at times, even in such a big city. It is not easy being in completely new situations in a new country with people you do not know. Therefore, try to push boundaries and really find out who you are. Being abroad will be the best experience for you to cultivate aspects of yourself you did not even know existed! It is a scary but an exhilarating time!

I was only in Berlin from September 1st -December 19th, but I accomplished a great deal and saw so much of a part of the world I had never been to before. IES Berlin made my time abroad an absolutely remarkable experience that I would highly recommend to anyone! Take the time to see the world as a student. It is something unparalleled.

There are only two words I can think of to describe my semester abroad in Nantes: absolutely wonderful. My main reason for selecting this program is that I wanted to immerse myself in the French language and improve my speaking skills as much as possible. From the website and what I'd heard from friends, the Nantes program seemed quite immersive and had everything I was looking for: a homestay component, courses taught in French and the option of taking courses at the local university. I learned so much while I was abroad. My French improved drastically, and I now have a lot more confidence in my own abilities. Since returning I've read entire books in French, and I can even watch Netflix shows in French as well (without subtitles). I would highly recommend this program to anyone who wants a truly difficult but rewarding language immersion program.