Program Reviews

I always wanted to study abroad and heard of horror stories from people about bad providers. However, this story was not true for IFSA-Butler Ireland. They took amazing care of me and made sure that I was having the greatest time of my life. They hosted amazing events and awesome trips to Northern Ireland and Western Ireland. There office was always open and always had a pot of tea ready for students. I would recommend non-stop IFSA-Bulter Ireland!!

First, I participated in this program when it was at Fudan, and was a more general language and culture program, but this seems to be the current incarnation of it. My third day there I was diagnosed with acute appendicitis, and had to have emergency surgery, alone, thousands of miles away from home. I was terrified and overwhelmed. The resident director, despite having a large group of students under his charge, stayed by my side that whole first evening when I was in pain and when I went into surgery. He eased my mother's fears over the phone. He came everyday to keep me company in the hospital while I recovered, and made sure that I was incorporated into the group when I was discharged. I was so touched by the personal attention and care the staff showed toward me and my family. It inspired me.

Otherwise, the program was pretty good. The language class was challenging and always in the target language. My chinese improved significantly. The culture classes were interesting, but sometimes tended toward really long lectures (one on Friday afternoons). Still I learned a great deal. The trips, especially to western China along the Silk Road were transformative. How else would I have had the opportunity to see the Dunhuang caves, or talk to a Kazakh gentleman in Chinese about American politics?

Overall, I have no regrets at all about participating in this program. It was fantastic and I highly recommend it.

I studied elementary education in Northern Ireland in the fall semester of 2013. The program was through Stranmillis University College, part of Queen's University Belfast. Prior to this, I had studied abroad MANY times (Literature in Context course in Ireland, language school in Japan, monastic Buddhism program in Taiwan) and this was by far the best-run program.

The accommodations were wonderful, each person had a single room complete with a bathroom. It was quiet, which is important to me. It included breakfast and dinner at the dining hall, which was only steps away from the dorm where we all stayed.

The excursions we went on as a group as part of the program were top-notch. We went to the Northern Irish coast to see the Giant's Causeway and the rope bridge. We went to government buildings and historical sites. They took us out for great meals. Beyond things planned by the program, there were also all kinds of opportunities to get involved socially with the community at the school. I personally became extremely involved with the fencing club (a sport I had done before for many years) at Queen's, and I made many lifelong friends there.

As an academic program, I found it to be very worthwhile. We were given training and background on the Northern Irish curriculum before being assigned to our schools. We worked with a master teacher, just as we would have in the states. We had tutors assigned to us to guide us as we worked on our projects. I felt like I learned so much and it really broadened my international perceptions of education in general.

I really can't say enough good things about this program. If you're wondering if you should go to Northern Ireland through IFSA-Butler, the answer is definitely yes!

I studied at University College Cork through IFSA Butler in the spring of my junior year of college. There simply aren't words to describe how wonderful the experience is, and that is coming from an English major! IFSA offered unparalleled support as we entered the country, teaching us useful slang phrases and giving us tips on how to best amalgamate ourselves into Irish university life. I made some of the best friends of my life studying abroad at UCC with IFSA Butler, and came away a different person. If that alone isn't enough of an endorsement, I decided to go abroad again, to UCC, in the spring of my senior year. It is a truly beautiful experience, something all university students should consider. I had the time of my life!

IFSA Butler was supportive and welcoming throughout my abroad experience. I really appreciated having people at IFSA to call when I had questions or concerns during my application process. Once abroad, the London staff fulfilled many roles for me. They acted as my academic advisors-- alleviating my concerns about exams and assessments, answering questions about reading lists and content, and checking in on my progress throughout the semester. They were event organizers, planning weekend trips to different parts of England. They functioned as a family away from home, too -- hosting holiday parties and meeting for tea on campus. They knew my name, my courses, my travel plans. IFSA was more than just a study abroad program because in addition to coordinating my study abroad logistically, they also supported me personally.

I can't recommend IFSA Butler more highly. Really amazing staff, service, programs, and support throughout the process. I'm sure other programs offer similar services, but I don't think they could possibly offer such wonderful, caring people. You're resident advisors will become your friends, and you'll be sad they can't go out with you. Lynne and Andrew are bomb. I wish I could do it again. Make sure you go on the adventure weekend in Wales, one of the most fun times I've ever had.

My semester studying abroad in London with IFSA Butler was such an amazing experience. First of all, IFSA is a really great program. They were extremely helpful both before departure and while I was in London. Their orientation when we first arrived in London was very informative and helpful for adjusting to British culture (and the time change!) I would highly recommend doing a program with IFSA! They also organized a lot of weekend trips for free for their students, and they would visit campus occasionally just to catch up with their students. They were all so nice!

As for Queen Mary itself, I loved it! First of all, the accommodations were very nice, especially for London. I lived in a flat with 4 other British students. We each had our own bedroom and bathroom, and then shared a kitchen with each other. It was also very nice to be able to live on campus and have a 3 minute walk to class every day as opposed to having to commute. Queen Mary's campus is also a short 5 minute walk from 2 tube stations that will take you to Central London in about 15 minutes. Campus is also across the street from a Sainsbury's (grocery store) which I went to almost every day. Some people are a little concerned that Queen Mary is in East London; however, I never felt unsafe in the area. It is an up and coming area, and as long as you are smart, you will be fine!

Finally, classes at Queen Mary were very different than what I was used to in the states. I took 4 classes and each met for a one hour lecture and a one hour long seminar (discussion) once a week. The classes I took had some of the best teachers I have ever had. If you have a choice, take British Horror with Matt - he was, by far, my favorite teacher. I also took some history classes and an architecture class that were all very interesting. The classes were also different from the states in that there was no homework. The grades usually depended on 2 or 3 papers and maybe a test depending on the class. Also, the grading scale is much different, so don't be freaked out if you get a 60 or 70% on an assignment! As one of my teachers put it, "80 is the mark that God would get." Overall, I would highly recommend this program. I had an amazing time and I hope I am able to go back soon! And, one last piece of advice - schedule your classes so you have either Friday or Monday off. Then, you can take longer weekend trips! I didn't have classes on Friday, so I left almost every Thursday to travel somewhere!

One weekend after midterms, I needed to get out of Lima for a weekend. Semana Santa was over, and things had quieted down overall, but I was still ready for a solo trip and a little alone time. I settled on a little town called Churin, a popular weekend getaway for natives of Lima, but basically unknown to tourists. The town is known for its natural thermal baths and abundant trout. So Friday morning, I went to downtown Lima, bought a bus ticket for 20 soles, and set out on a 5 hour bus ride northeast of Lima through the mountains. Though they're currently working on building a highway, right now it's more of a dirt path on the side of a mountain. In places, I thought we would surely fall off the side. But we didn't, and we arrived in the tiny town of Churin in the afternoon. The whole place was only a few blocks, but they were lined with small hostels and restaurants. I spent a very relaxing weekend sitting in mountain hot springs, speaking Spanish, and eating delicious food.

NZ was a dream, and I still can't believe it happened. IFSA really made it the awesome experience that it was with the amazing excursions and incredibly nice, helpful staff. People from other programs were always jealous to hear about all the things we were doing and how responsive our student coordinator was, and I felt bad that they didn't have as great a support system as we did. It was such an awesome semester, and I hope to go back someday (and I know I can reach out to the IFSA NZ staff members when I do)!

IFSA Butler is a great program for those who want freedom while they are abroad, but still have some planned fun. The London staff are very friendly, and want to help you when you are in need of assistance or advice. However, this semester the communication between Cardiff and myself was disrupted by IFSA being the "middle-man". I hardly received any of the emails I was supposed to from Cardiff so I really didn't have a whole lot of information about what I was supposed to do once I got here. Their communication on my behalf to Cardiff at first was great, but right now I am having an issue with the lack of communication to Cardiff about my housing arrangement past Christmas even though my plans were set to stay beyond that all along.