Program Reviews

Overall, I loved my time in France. API facilitated exciting trips to cities around Grenoble like Annecy and Geneva, and we visited famous sites within Grenoble as well.

The classes themselves were a lot easier than I expected, for there was little to no homework in each section. We would do about 4 hours of class a day, then take the tram into the city to get lunch and hang out. It didn't matter that the classes weren't hard; trying to get around using my limited French was lesson enough. I have never been so tired and challenged (in a good way).

The city of Grenoble itself was interesting. At the time, rioters were clashing with police, so there was an air of unrest around town. As a woman, I did not feel safe going out at night: ESPECIALLY ALONE. Don't do it.

By far, the best part of my trip was my host family. I was placed with a family of two parents and four boys, and they were incredible. They took me on hikes, rock climbing excursions and trips to the gorgeous mountains surrounding the city. They made this trip with their patience and excitement for me.

I spent four months in Paris at Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne with API, and I wholly enjoyed myself the entire time. I lived in an apartment in the 10th arrondissement with three other girls, all strangers. We got along sometimes, and didn't some other times, but that's expected. The location of the apartment was both advantageous and inconvenient for different reasons: it was helpful in that it was located squarely between two of the largest, busiest metro stations in the city that could take us almost anywhere. It was a little far from our classes, however. We had a 30 minute commute by metro, but this was manageable compared to some of the homestays that were located outside of Paris proper. We were also located in a neighborhood that I would not recommend to many female students as I occasionally felt unsafe.

Otherwise, the API staff were friendly and effective in solving most problems. The office was small but located in the very heart of the city, and featured computers for student use. This was helpful (and unfortunately necessary) for times when we could not use the public hotspots we relied on in our apartment.
The actual schoolwork was exactly at my level because the Sorbonne was effective in testing then assigning me an appropriate course level. Homework was always very light; I hardly had to spend more than an hour a day on it. Despite stereotypes, my teachers were all friendly and obliging.

The lack of outside school work provided ample opportunity to explore a very busy and fascinating city. Within the first week, API had toured many famous landmarks with us, so that left me to explore the sites more popular with the locals. I frequented every museum I could possibly get into, and enjoyed many of Paris' well-kept parks like native students. A note to students considering studying here: with a student long-stay visa, a student under 25 years of age can get into most museums for free, and many landmarks for a discounted price. This significantly cut down on my living expenses and provided entertainment after school every day.

Overall, this was an incredible experience considerably facilitated by a helpful program that I would recommend to anyone.

Host family was great. API has high standards for host families. Mine was awesome. Food was great. Learned lots of things through my family.

The university is a little far from center of the city but in general very nice. Courses aren't hard. Professors are nice. Should take advantage of the intercambio language partner activity to meet some spanish friends.

Traveling with API was awesome. Staff and directors are very attentive and responsible. Great people.

I gave it 9/10 overall.

My overall experience in Seville was nothing less than amazing. I couldn't find a better word to describe it. Even getting to school, which was a 25 minute bus ride from my home, was enjoyable, something I thought would be a pain. People are the nicest in South Spain, the weather is good, food is great, and the overall atmosphere of one's life is magnificent. There's always something to do, there's always people on the street having some tapas, drinking a cold beer, having a good time. I learned so much about myself being abroad. The staff of API was great in helping me adjust, get around, and know the city and its surroundings in a way I couldn't have done on my own. My classes at school were very interesting yet challenging, and my classmates were always very inviting. My host parents were amazing, two of the nicest people I've ever met. No cliché, having studied abroad has been the greatest experience of my life.

I absolutely loved studying in Granada, and API helped make it great. They gave a good value for the money (they flew us to Rome with a great hotel, a weekend trip to Cádiz in a four-star hotel, etc.) and the host mom I was assigned to was absolutely fabulous.
I think that overall, any program would be a good choice because no matter what you'll have an amazing experience studying abroad. I'm partial to API because it was one of the lowest-priced programs and the people in the Texas office promptly answered all of my email questions as I was preparing to go.
I will never forget my time in Granada (I wish I could go back right now) and thanks to API I didn't have any big problems or anything.

My experience in Grenoble was amazing! and API made it that way. I was placed with the perfect family and was surrounded by cool and fun people the entire time. I was enrolled in the language intensive program and thought it was great. There was class for four hours monday through friday. It sounds a little crazy but the teachers are really nice and they make the class interesting. I learned a lot about familiar french and the culture and we even had a few field trips! I stayed in Grenoble close to five months and I could see and hear my french speaking skills improve each week. I would recommend API Grenoble to any person that asks.

I recommend API to other students because of the great experience I had with them. Granada was the perfect city because it was not too big and not too small. It was also a university town, so there were a lot of students; spanish, and foreign.
I developed my spanish through the intensive language program, which was 4 hours of spanish class, taught entirely in spanish, 5 days of each week. My host family was wonderful, and I loved that we had the option of staying in an independent apartment with a host family to take care of meals and laundry.
Overall, I was impressed with the amount that API provided for the money we paid. The Granada students, got to visit Madrid. Toledo, Sevilla, Cabo de Gato, and Paris, France. Also, housing, meals, and fees were included in our costs.

I studied abroad at the University of Westminster in London the summer of 2010. The experience was three weeks in a class called Literary London. I came to the study abroad feeling nervous about traveling alone, I didn't know anyone else in the program, and this was only my second time outside of the country. My short three weeks in London pushed me outside of my comfort zone, gave me independence, and taught me so much about literature and myself. I made some amazing friends I would have otherwise never met, or bonded so closely with. There is something about being out of your comfort zone that pushes you toward each other and helps you connect in a way that is so special. There were several programs studying at University of Westminster. (It is important to note that Londoners do not attend school in the summer, it was all students studying abroad. Mostly American but I met people from Russia, Asia, etc. So if you are looking to make friends with natives it's difficult to do in summer programs. Not impossible, but harder. The summer is a different experience for sure.) Being there as an API student made all the difference. As an API student I attended the school field trips to spectacular places with all of the other students at Westminster. But I also took SEVERAL extra field trips and activities with the API students and my API mentor. I got so much more out of my trip because I had the opportunity to do so much more....for FREE. (Well of course it's in the cost of your tuition.) I had support available to me 24/7 from my API mentor. Not that I needed it. I felt completely safe, and this is important to note coming from me. I am a perpetually nervous person. I had no concerns whatsoever being in the major city of London. I loved it! I was a tube ride away from school each morning, and the location was so close to all of the major shopping and city life of London. There was so much to do! I went out almost every night with friends, and had a blast enjoying all of the diverse foods available and the exciting adventures in the city. Now don't let that fool you. The course work is challenging! I took the class Literary London, which involved reading novels set in the city and taking field trips to the locations in the novels. What I appreciated most about the program is that my teacher would take us on field trips, buy the class cups of coffee and talk to us about our experiences and share her own. It was a small class in the summer and we got to know each other very well. It really helped in the learning process. You should keep in mind that grading is different in England and their expectations are much higher. I came to England with a 3.89 GPA and I really had to work to make an English B. (Which does get changed when you come home. I received an official A on my transcript.)But the best difference was that the final paper was due after the class was finished. I wrote my paper on the plane ride home. So I still had the freedom to go out and experience the city while I was there. I really appreciated that. My time in London gave me independence, I am no longer nervous to travel abroad by myself, I have the confidence that I can make my way in difficult situations. I made amazing friends. You may be nervous if you don't know anyone, but remember everyone is in that same boat. You tend to gravitate to each other. Making friends just isn't an issue, and when you do the bond is for life. I may not talk to them or see them everyday. But we will always have London. The class was challenging and pushed me to work harder than I ever have in normal class...but nothing compares to being in the city where your novels are set. London is a magical city with history steeped in every pore. You can walk the streets and picture people over the past few hundred years doing the same. Going through API I had the opportunity to do more and see the city, which after all was the main reason I was there.

I always knew that I wanted to study abroad in Spain, and after looking through all the programs I knew Barcelona would be the place for me. The second I arrived at the airport and met not only the API program directors but also the students in my program, I knew that this was the start of the most amazing semester of my life.

I lived in a beautiful apartment in the gothic area of Barcelona right across from the Cathedral of Barcelona. I had six other American girl roommates from my program, and they became my best friends. Every day I would wake up to sunlight streaming in through my balcony, and I could hear the bustling of the city below my window. I also could see the awe-inspiring cathedral from my room.

I walked to class or took the metro everyday. Walking was not only great exercise but there was nothing better then taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the city. In America, our architecture doesn't even compare to the beautiful buildings Barcelona has.

I also really enjoyed the classes that I had and it was extremely useful to take about eight hours of Spanish a week. I also took Spanish Civ and Culture and Barcelona Architecture. Those two classes were topics never offered at my College and it was interesting to learn about Spain from the perspective of Spanish professors.

The friends that I made while in Barcelona are still some of my closest friends and it's been almost a year since I left Spain. We had so much fun sightseeing from the sprawling beauty of Parc Guell to the magnificent Sagrada Familia. We also were huge fans of the night life that Barcelona has to offer and on the weekends we would be at the beach club hopping until 5 in the morning.

While abroad I also traveled a lot. I went to London, Prague, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Salzburg, and Florence. I love Eurpoe and I miss it every single day. When I look back on my experience abroad, nothing in my life compares. It made be a more independent person, I am now fluent in Spanish, and I have some of the best friends I could ever dream of.

I studied in Sevilla, Spain with API for the entire 2010-2011 academic year. It was the best decision I have ever made.

There are a plethora of programs in Sevilla. Was I happy with my decision? YES. After getting to know students in all different types of programs, I was so happy to have chosen API. Somehow API is more affordable than most programs, yet they still offer the most excursions... including international ones! I traveled with API to many different areas of Spain. Some of my favorite were tiny little towns I never would have discovered on my own. We also went to Paris, France and Marrakech, Morocco! The excursions had just the right amount of planned activities and free time.

Travel was great, but my best memories are probably from Sevilla itself. I lived with an adorable young family. My host mom was an actress, so I had the opportunity to go to several theatrical events in the city as well as watch Spanish movies with her. I had adorable younger host sisters who we would play games with. I had American roommates who are now some of my best friends. No worries though, we had no problems making Spanish friends. We would go to their house and teach them American games, etc, and they would teach us how to cook Spanish and Moroccan food. Keeping in touch with them has really been important for my retention of my Spanish.

Sevilla is the perfect size. It is large enough to have infinite exploration possibilities, but it is small enough to walk everywhere you want to go. Each neighborhood in Sevilla has a completely distinct atmosphere, so there are places for everyone. Each night of the week you could go to a different area. I greatly miss Sevilla's food! Tapa hopping was definitely a favorite activity.

The University of Sevilla is lovely. The building itself is hundreds of years old. I mostly took Spanish culture classes like the history of flamenco and art from Andalucia. While I definitely think my classes improved my Spanish skills, I must admit there was minimal work involved. My grades mostly consisted of a mid term, a final, and maybe one large project of paper. Other than that, there was minimal work outside of class.

All year in Sevilla I heard talk of the spring festivals, Semana Santa and Feria de Abril, or Holy Week and the April Fair. I thought my time in Sevilla couldn't get any better... but it did. Semana Santa was a really touching religious and cultural experience. Sevilla is known throughout the world for the processions of church altars throughout the city. After this week of solemnity and devotion, the April Fair begins. Feria was probably the best week of my life. A special area of the city transforms into a village of large tents with bars and dancefloors, called casetas. The other half is a full blown carnival with food and rides. The streets are filled with horses and carriages. You spend all day and night there. My favorite part is the clothing... The men dress up in suits, and the women wear flamenco dresses! It is such a part of their culture that in the winter there is even a flamenco fashion exhibition in Sevilla preparing for Feria.

My year in Sevilla was a fantastic experience from which I gained infinite memories and friendships. I can't recommend it enough!