Program Reviews

I loved my trip to London and stay with KEI! It was amazing housing and a trio of a lifetime. London was a great place to be able to study abroad. I traveled here with one of my roommates but we had separate rooms while abroad. My KEI rep while in London was amazing, Susannah brought us to many locations and was always there for any of us while we needed in London. Being in London it was a great place to be to be able to travel to other locations which was amazing!

Studying abroad in India was one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made. I learned so much both inside and outside of the classroom. While at Symbiosis University, I took Religion and Rebellion, Development Economics, Hindi (language), and Contemporary India (history). My favorite parts from the classroom experience were the unique personalities of the students and professors, as well as the implementation of the Indian culture into each lesson. One example of a unique personality was my professor who did not own a cell phone or a watch, so he would check the position of the sun in the sky to determine the time. Outside of the classroom I had the pleasure of talking with people about their life experiences, religious beliefs, and cultural history. I also had an opportunity to travel extensively throughout the subcontinent on the weekends. Overall, my experience challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and become more independent.

Through this program, I was able to travel outside of the United States for the first time, I was able to travel alone for the first time, and I was also able to go somewhere where no one knew me for the first time. This pushed me way out of my comfort zone in the best way possible. I made so many new friends, made new connections, and saw so many things that never would have been possible had I not taken this trip. It showed me what I was good at, what I liked, and really showed me what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. This trip also gave me the opportunity to understand what I really love about East Africa and Kenyan Culture.

Along with amazing opportunity to study like the Irish, I met the most amazing friends that I am still in contact with to this day! I had the opportunity to hold a baby sheep out in the country, taste the most amazing ice cream I have ever had, set my eyes on the beautiful Cliffs of Moher, as well as meet locals that I plan on going back and visiting in the future! Not only did I get to travel all around Ireland, but I was able to travel around Europe as well!

London is one of those places for study abroad that individuals either immediately think of or immediately say "no" to. However, I would say to give this amazing city a chance. Initially, I wanted to go somewhere where I thought would have more "culture" than a city I assumed was extremely Americanized. While it is similar in many ways (considering it has some fast food restaurants we have), I was shocked at the differences that London had to offer. With KEI, we were centrally located, and were able to experience all of the different aspects of London. KEI was concerned with our safety and well-being and supported us throughout the entire process. KEI set it up so that our program participants and on site support became like a family. If I had the chance to study abroad again, I wouldn't hesitate to pick either KEI or London over and over again.

It's been just over a year from the anniversary of spending a semester in Dublin, Ireland through KEI. I miss it so much and think about how great my experience was everyday! I studied at Griffith College Dublin, which was in a good residential area and not too far from the city center and other fun places. I took four courses and they were very similar to classes I would have taken at my host university. Our excursions were the highlight of my time in Ireland and I was fortunate enough to do a lot of traveling on the weekends! KEI's program director, Olwyn, is the most down to earth lady and she helped us through anything and everything during my time in Dublin!

Studying abroad was the best decision I have ever made. Coming from a small town, I never thought I would get to travel, let alone live in another country!

I tend to plan out everything, and planning for studying abroad was no different. I compared about 30 different programs, and included location, price, duration, and inclusions into my decision making process. After weighing the options, I found that KEI was the best option! I'm am so grateful for all the hard work that went in to making sure that each of us were fully prepared before embarking on this journey. While there, Susannah Kyte was the "Mama duck" for us students, and made sure we were always safe, healthy, and happy!

London South Bank University is a very centrally located Uni. The accommodation, the David Bomberg House, is a short 5-10 minute walk away from campus. Borough Market, and Tower bridge are only about a 10-15 minute walk away from your doorstep. I spent countless evenings eating dinner along the Thames, and grabbing Turkish candy from Borough Market.

While I took mostly general education courses while abroad, I found the classes to be challenging, yet not too difficult to pass with a good grade. The professors were extremely helpful when it came to writing papers (the most common assessment in Europe), and made sure we understood what was expected.

Although London is one of the most expensive cities in the world, this program through KEI was the most affordable I could find among many. Personally, I generally spent around $100 US per week, and about $600 US on travelling. London is so accessible for travel that I was able to visit 5 other countries while I was there.

KEI includes several different excursions in their program. One of my favorite memories while abroad was going up the Shard with Susannah, and the rest of the group. We spent a few hours watching the sunset from the highest point in London, and enjoying the sights. I will never forget this experience.

I studied abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland for about 3 and 1/2 months. Before leaving I had no idea where the journey would take me but I am so glad I did it! I spent 8 months preparing for my trip, anxiously awaiting my departure. Not only would I be leaving my home, family and friends, but I would be completely on my own in a foreign country. The nerves were so real! KEI Helped me every step of the way and looking back, I wish I would have studied abroad sooner so I could have done it more! Scotland is gorgeous, the people are so kind and are good fun, and the food is awesome! I definitely recommend this program!

One specific experience I have enjoyed at the Institut de Gestation Sociale, or, American Business School (ABS), was the use of interactive and hands-on experiences used by the professors. The best part was that the professors were actually industry professionals. I was in the fashion program at ABS, or the Luxury Retail Management Program, and the experience I remember most was when we took a field trip in place of class time to visit this amazing luxury shop right outside l'Opera. The store is called Bucherer and I have never experienced anything like this before! We got a private tour and it felt so intimate and mature- like we were already in the business as clients. The store was beautiful itself but we spent the whole day hearing about the care that goes into making watches and the art of watch making/wearing. I did not know much about watches when I arrived, I usually only learn about clothing and merchandising, but this experienced opened my eyes to a new world almost! I am so grateful to be able to have this experience because I feel like I really learned some valuable lessons that I could never have learned just by reading a textbook or sitting at a desk. This school did a great job with interactive methods of teaching and I would recommend it highly, especially for fashion majors who want to know more about the industry. My opinion is that there is no better place to learn about fashion than in Paris.

My favorite aspect of my study abroad experience in Guayaquil, Ecuador was definitely the Clinical Internship. I had the opportunity to work along side a family doctor and registered nurse. Although things were very difficult due to the language barrier, I was able to gain value skills, such as checking vital signs and giving intramuscular injections. All of these were learned in Spanish! Both the nurse and doctor were very patient and were eager to share both their language, skills, and culture with each of us. Which brings to my second favorite aspect of the program, the people. The people of Guayaquil were some of the friendliest people I ever met! I will never forget my first day of classes with local students. After the teacher had me introduce myself to the class, many of the students were eager to work with me, teach me Spanish, and, surprisingly,speak English with me. They took to me their favorite restaurants, hangouts,and introduced me to their families. While living in Guayaquil, I had my very own host family. My host mother and host brother treated me as if I was there very own family. Overall, I would highly recommend this program to any student who is searching for a unique and valuable academic experience within a warm and welcoming environment.