Program Reviews

I enjoyed the program! There was lots of activities and fun events with the program! I would go on this program again and enjoyed the opportunities available.

Housing was good and liked living with other students !

My favorite was traveling to other cities and doing the cultural activities !

I would recommend this program! This program was a great experience :)

The wifi isn't the best but the other opportunities available make it worth it.

Abbey Road was an amazing experience that far exceeded my expectations! Abby Road's staff was enthusiastic, encouraging and always available to show me a new aspect of the city. I have always loved studying languages, and there was no better way to learn French and experience the culture than with Abbey Road.
Humbled and inspired by polyglots, Abbey Road gave me the opportunity to practice my French with fellow students and residents. The students came from as far as El Salvador and were enthusiastic about learning French and experiencing Nice authentically. I was amazed by the individual attention I got from every staff member, including the program director . The staff was always encouraging me to learn more about French history, venture into the world of high speed French conversation, learn new ways of creating arts, and perfect my writing. I loved debating about history in French, discussing cinematography, and learning light-painting for the first time. I loved being able to read short stories in French from the local bookstore. The accommodations were superb - close to the beach, small cafes, and restaurants - giving me a fantastic look into French daily culture and even the economy.
Traveling to different towns, including a trip to Italy as well as the state of Monaco, and spending time on the Cote' d'Azur engaging in cultural and athletic activities provided the ideal environment to learn, explore, and enjoy Nice and the surrounding areas. Abbey Road went above and beyond in making my summer unforgettable. Thank you Abbey Road! I would love to have another summer with Abbey Road.

Abbey Road's Cádiz immersion trip gives you unbelievable freedom and puts the opportunity to drastically improve your language skills in your hands. Between the language classes and cultural studies classes, you get the opportunity to walk around the city and find the places you want to go or the things you want to do. My friends and I frequented a café so much in the late afternoon that the waiter started to recognize us. We went surfing, hung around on the beach afterward, then walked the beach walk at night. We talked with some people from Salamanca about travel, then made our way back to our homes to sleep in the classic Spanish fashion (late). The staff was always so helpful and the connections I made I know will last. I can say without a doubt that my Spanish improved after the program, especially more practical applications and colloquialisms. Abbey Road was the perfect summer program for me; for anyone interested in travel, language, and culture, Abbey Road is the right program for you.

My experience in the Abbey Road Florence program this past summer was INCREDIBLE. I found Abbey Road on google and decided on a whim to go with this program. They were VERY accommodating to me, because I had a complicated summer schedule with existing plans and they worked right around them. For the month long program in Florence, I attended 11 days of it (due to existing other plans in the middle of the month of July). My 11 days there were AMAZING, but I will forever regret not staying the whole month. Here is a breakdown of each element in my experience:

THE STAFF: We had 4 staff members accompany us for this trip. Each one of them were extremely knowledgable about Italy and it's lifestyle. They were so helpful in getting us acquainted with Italy, without making us feel like tourists. They really wanted us to feel like locals and we did! I bonded with the staff very quickly. They were all smart, dedicated and truly caring for each on e of us. I still keep in touch with one of the staff members, because we made such a close bond.

THE RESIDENCE: We stayed in an apartment complex outside the main square of the city. It was the perfect distance to walk anywhere we needed to go. It was a very nice building, true Italian style. It was very safe with two locks to get into the building as well as locks on each individual apartment. The apartments themselves were well equipped with everything we needed (food, toiletries, water, linens, towels, etc.(. It was really rewarding to be able to live apartment style, because it gave a glimpse of what it will be like to live on our own. We were responsible for grocery shopping, taking out the trash, cleaning, etc.

THE PEOPLE: There were 20 other students on my program from all over the US. I went not knowing anyone who was going, a lot of the people came with one friend or relative, but there was a good amount who came alone. It took about a day for all of us to start to bond. I instantly became close with my roommate and apartment mates. The staff helped to break the ice with all of us and we all got along really well. One of the reasons I was so upset to leave early was because I was leaving people who I really loved and made a bond with.

THE EXPERIENCE: The entire experience was priceless. The classes were fun and entertaining, but the best part was exploring. We were given a lot of free time to explore, shop, eat and just experience Italy in our own way. This was one of my favorite things about the program. It was very structured, but at the same time it gave us all an opportunity to experience Italy in a personalized way. Each weekend we traveled to different cities outside of Florence. The weekend trips were some of my favorite parts of the whole trip. It was so awesome to see other cities in Italy and experience more than just Florence. Florence quickly became our home and within just a fe days, we knew our way around the whole city and we were speaking Italian to the locals. I also never felt unsafe, which is a big deal to me. We always traveled in pairs, if not bigger groups.

All in all, I had the most fantastic summer of my entire life. I would repeat it every year if I could. Italy inspired me and I wish to go back very soon. This program is truly amazing and I can't recommend it enough. There were a lot of people who had never traveled even outside of their state, let alone the country, and they had the most amazing introduction the the foreign world around them.

This was truly a great experience that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in learning, experiencing different cultures, and having fun (yes, it is possible!) in three different countries! I learned much more about the different cultures, languages, history, art, food and architecture then I thought possible!! One thing I would recommend before going on this trip is getting fit if you're not already because we did a lot of walking, which is of course, the best way to see the city and it was totally worth it, but just make sure you can walk a good amount everyday. They were extremely accommodating as well, as I have many food allergies. If you're really serious learning about the cultures and histories of these countries I would definitely recommend this program! I had a blast and still keep in touch with the friends I made from the trip! Definitely the best summer experience ever!!

This was my first time participating in a study abroad program. I had heard about ten tours before. I chose the study abroad program with Abbey Road to help improve my Spanish.
The teachers were great! They really encouraged us to speak more Spanish and helped us to understand more. We actually get out of the classroom and talk to local people and learn Spanish through living in the city and interacting with native Spanish speakers.
Living in the residence in Barcelona was similar to college life. We did cooking, which was really fun. Learning to cook new recipes and trying new foods was a completely new experience. My favorite was tortilla.
By the end of the program I really learned a lot about how to manage for myself, meet new people and be more confident.

It was truly a life changing experience. Abbey Road made this experience so personal, I felt I was there with my family and friends. The homestay family was so nice to me and kept offering me different foods to taste and sharing their Spanish culture with me. I improved my Spanish. I learned some local Spanish expressions that I never knew from the US.

One of my favorite beaches was La Caleta, because it was in between castles. It was so amazing to sunbathe and look up in see castles.
Our Spanish classes were taught in an interactive fun way so I actually enjoyed practicing my Spanish with local vendors and teenagers, something I never get to do back home. My host mother whom I called Senora, taught me to prepare delicious tapas that I shared with my family when I returned home to the US.

Thank you Abbey Road for the most amazing time!

I completed the Nice summer language immersion program the summer before my senior year of high school. Abbey Road's program is one of the best experiences I have had in my life thus far. There are many reasons why.

Academically: I believe that the way they organized their classes is what was most helpful. What I liked about the program is that you spend half of your time in a classroom learning the material and the other half outside of the classroom practicing what you learned. This really helped to solidify the knowledge in my mind and make the information more permanent. I also took the French Conversation elective that made me converse in French for an hour or so every other day. They would take us to museums, galleries, and more. And here we would have tours by our instructor in French and then we would talk about what we were seeing.

Recreationally: Abbey Road provides quality weekend excursions that really helped to enhance the trip. We were able to see all of the places you would want to go in the South of France such as Eze, Monte Carlo, the Alps, and more. It was a great balance between structured activities and free time. There were also a lot of great activities scheduled during the week such as cooking workshops, zumba classes, movie outings, and more.

Socially: I made the best friends of my life on this trip. The program truly brings together a set of unique teenagers from across the world and we all bonded together. Everyone was from different places with different life stories and outlooks, but we all came together as one in the learning experience of living abroad. The friendships I made are certainly the most valuable thing walked away with from this trip.

Personally: I grew a lot on this trip and learned about myself. The program really values teaching you how to live independently in a foreign country and in doing that you grow up a lot.

This was a wonderful experience and one I would do again if only I had a chance.

My favorite trick for the SAT math section was learning to draw diagrams called the Average Pie and the Ratio Box. When I learned how to incorporate these two techniques into the test, I was able to answer all of the average and ratio question with ease. My SAT scores improved because of my participation in this program.
Besides all the academic benefits we were also treated to wonderful experiences, like visiting Boston University!

I was on the College Prep Session 1 and 2. I learned so much on this program. It helped me understand what a college is looking for in an applicant and how I should organize my thoughts in an essay to get the reader's attention. I also learned a lot about the application process, which used to be a huge blur to me. I am really happy I did this program and that I learned many useful things during my time here on Abbey Road's College Prep program in Boston!

I was sad when the second session ended. I had gotten used to living in Boston, and I met great people to who I grew close. We formed lasting friendships!