Program Reviews

Seriously...BEST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE! API's Study Abroad program in Florence, Italy is something that will resonate with me forever. The staff was overwhelmingly kind, welcoming, and they truly made us feel at home while abroad. API was so helpful from the minute I decided to study abroad, and kept that communication throughout my program, and even after I got home. Studying abroad can be intimidating, but it was comforting to know API was there if I needed anything. They also planned AMAZING excursions to places like Cinque Terre, Venice, Verona, and more. When I say amazing, I mean experiences that you read about on travel blogs. I couldn't be happier with my choice to study abroad with API in Florence. Since studying abroad, I became a Study Abroad Peer Ambassador at my school, started my own travel blog, and just came back from traveling in Europe for a month. Thanks for forever inspiring me, API!

I am a double major in Environmental Studies and Spanish, and the internship that API found for me was really a perfect fit!

I did the 8-week fixed date internship and I interned with Corporación Cultiva - a non-profit environmental organization that does a variety of participative reforestation and urban planting projects. I worked in the office doing grant research and writing, translated informational presentations, worked on an annual progress report, attended team meetings, and also spent some time working in the field caring for trees that had been planted during reforestation projects.

All but one of my coworkers spoke only Spanish which was challenging at times but also very rewarding, as I was looking for a truly immersive experience. If you are looking to speak a lot of Spanish and not have many opportunities to use English I would highly recommend Santiago! I was originally planning on studying in Costa Rica, but after hearing that a good portion of people speak English as well as Spanish I decided to look for another Latin American country where English was less predominant - and Chile was a perfect fit! I have taken numerous Spanish classes and would consider myself to be fairly comfortable with conversation and have decently advanced written communication skills. Nonetheless, I still at times felt in well over my head in terms of being able to understand what was being said (as everyone there talks incredibly fast) and communicate effectively what was on my mind.

I found that Chileans as a whole are incredibly kind and friendly. The culture is very welcoming as a whole and I never really felt out of place, whether I was at home or at work. My host family, my co-workers, and other people I met throughout my travels were all consistently very warm and genuine.

I grew up and currently go to school in northern Vermont, which is fairly rural. Thus, living in Santiago was definitely a big adjustment but not unmanageable in any way. It is definitely very polluted because of the contamination from the high quantity of cars and buses and the smog hangs in the air due to the fact that the city is surrounded by the Cordillera of the Andes to the east and other hills to the west. When I was in Santiago there was a forest fire crisis throughout the country, mainly in the south, and the air quality was exceptionally bad in the city because of the smoke. However, overall the city streets and public transportation are fairly clean.

Santiago is obviously a large city and thus poses some safety threats for international students who don't necessarily know the city or language as well as a native. Nonetheless, the residential director and my host family did a great job telling me where to go and where not to go and what to do to stay safe. As a whole I never felt unsafe or in danger at any point during my trip.

The residential director in Santiago really is incredibly accommodating, helpful, and a wealth of information. The first few days I was there she gave me an extensive tour of the city, showed me how to use the public transportation, brought me to my placement, showed my some good places to eat, and was very willing to help me set up things to do on the weekend. She is incredibly nice, speaks English very well, and would go out of her way to answer any questions you have or help you see anything you want to see.

My host family was incredible and API did a very good job finding a family that lived in a nice area, was welcoming, and has had experience with hosting international students and workers

My time in Salamanca was really run and I definitely learned a lot!
My homestay was so sweet and caring. She spoke no English at all, so living there really forced me to use the language all the time, which is great for learning. I remember spending many nights watching Spanish Game Shows (concursos) and chatting late in the night with my homestay. She introduced me to her entire family, who frequently visited to have lunch or dinner with us. Another bonus of living with a homestay is the delicious food. Even though I ran every day by the river, I gained 10 lbs during my time in Spain (whoops). The food really is to die for.
Although it was nice having my own room, I would recommend to prospective study-abraders that they choose to have a roommate. It would have been nice to have someone to walk home with at night and just to a have a friend from the start of the program.
API was extremely accommodating and easily accessible. They were knowledgable and really friendly. Ana (our program coordinator) was absolutely lovely. After orientation, the program is pretty hands-off, but if I ever needed them, they were extremely easy to contact and provided me with all the resources I needed.
The nightlife in Salamanca is awesome! There are lots of discotecas and bars. The town is crawling with university students, so there is almost always a party going on. The town itself is very walkable. You can walk across town in 45 minutes. It is also very safe, something my parents and I both appreciated.
My classes at the University of Salamanca were pretty interesting. They were all very small, so I had a lot of opportunity to speak in class.
You will likely be in a class with other students who are learning Spanish as a second or third language, so it didn’t feel like an intimidating environment. I almost never had homework so my afternoons and evenings were free to explore Salamanca and hang out with friends, which was nice.
Overall, my experience in Salamanca was extremely positive. I consider the town a second-home, and have already made plans to go back this spring! Studying in Salamanca made me a more adventurous, independent person. I became much more comfortable with being outside of my comfort zone, which I considered to be an invaluable skill as I entered into college.If you have the opportunity to go, do it! You will not regret the amazing adventure of living and studying abroad.

I was extremely nervous to travel overseas and experience a different culture and society. But everyone associated with API made my transition so much better than I could have ever imagined. The people I met in my program at Maynooth will be in my life forever and I can't thank API enough for giving me the opportunity to branch out and have the time of my life! We traveled all around Ireland and got to experience the rugged and beautiful landscapes around the Emerald Isle!

API definitely made my experience so much more enjoyable. They were there to guide me through living for 9 months in a foreign country and just made the transition so much easier. I highly recommend studying abroad with the API program. I met great friends, my program directors were fantastic people. My experience studying abroad is the greatest of my life and I can guarantee that that is because of API. Through the program I met a few of my friends and through one of them is how I met was introduced to the rest that I would be with for the whole school year. They made the first couple days so much less stressful, and I loved going on trips with API (also the only time in my travels that I slept in a hotel versus hostel).

The smartest thing I ever did was decide to study abroad in Ireland with API. API helped me to experience every wonderful thing Ireland has to offer. The rooming situations were different than at home, but the Irish people were so welcoming that I never felt out of place. The API staff, Maria in particular, were absolutely wonderful and felt like a second family. If I could go back, I would in a heartbeat.

One thing I loved about studying in Dubrovnik was that there were only 22 people in the program, and because the program was so small we were forced to interact with and develop relationships with the locals, which is an important part of understanding the culture you are living in. Nada and Ivana, the Resident Directors, are extremely helpful with everything and anything, including academic, housing, and travel issues. The apartment I stayed in was amazing with beautiful views (see photos), and Dubrovnik is an incredibly safe city. The school is in an old monastery, and the professors included former ambassadors and politicians. The class schedule is not on a traditional American schedule - oftentimes a class will be every day for 4 weeks and then finish, so if you schedule your classes accordingly it leaves a lot of time for traveling or hanging out on the beach. I learned so much about Croatia, and really fell in love with this city and the Croatian way of life.

The API program adviser, Hong, made our experience great in the UAE.
she took us to many high-life touristic events we wouldn't go to ourselves such as Burj Khalifa, Atlantis, Qatar, Mussandam, Desert Safari, cooking class in Duabi, and our amazing farewell dinner on the Bateau Dubai, etc. all included in the program. The International office also provides an amazing orientation week to get you familiar of Dubai and Sharjah as well as weekly events to somewhere in the UAE and cultural events included in the program. The international office will give you the best social experience and this is all included with the program! Housing compared to the U.S is great, although they do have curfews and rules but it is best for everyone's safety.
In the UAE you will never doubt your safety for a second, compared to other countries it's very safe and you can go anywhere not feeling afraid.
Hong will always be there for you and she plans the BEST events and gives students the high life experience. You can count on her if you need anything and she is fun to be with!
The university provides many transportation services for students and most of the things are available on campus on 5 min away from campus, dinning is easy, there are option on campus and off campus that delivers to dorms.

I was looking for an experience in a Latin American country that would challenge me; I had never formally taught before and I wanted to throw myself into a new situation. Colombia seemed like the perfect opportunity. I'd recommend teaching in Colombia to those willing to be flexible, adapt and thrive in a beautifully chaotic place. You'll fall in love with the people, the place, and the culture.

Since the beginning, API has been supportive and helpful – the application process was easy, too. Once I filled out my city placement survey, I found out that I'd be teaching in Barranquilla on the Caribbean coast, which is what I wanted! Once you are in country, logistical and regional support is provided by an organization called Volunteers Colombia, which collaborates with the governmental programs you’ll be teaching at. My Regional Coordinator was amazing and super helpful in navigating coastal craziness as well as coordinating group events to bring us all together. One of my absolute favorite parts of teaching here has been the network of inspirational teachers/travelers with whom I’ve become close. Our coastal group feels like a family.

When I arrived, I had a two-week orientation in Bogotá filled with long workshops for TEFL training and Colombian culture, as well as figuring out logistics (phones, ID cards, bank accounts, etc.). As a brand new teacher, the TEFL training was useful for me, but I think the most beneficial part of orientation was building relationships. You have access to people that are from vastly different places and have had experiences all over the world. I felt I learned the most from experienced teachers who have taught in several countries, and I was inspired by others’ stories.

I arrived to Barranquilla right before Carnival and the city was in a state of fiesta, so it took a bit of time for things to start up. I taught at SENA, a governmental institution that provides vocational training for students ages 16 and up. Working at SENA was a challenge at first: Communication isn’t as direct, scheduling takes time and things happen as they happen (especially on the coast!). It is disorganized to say the least. There isn’t a strict curriculum and there aren’t materials, so I had free reign of creativity to plan and carry out my classes. I was lucky enough to teach a majority of my classes in the English lab that had a Smartboard and computers, but technology has its pros and cons in the classroom. Overall, it has definitely been a learning experience for me, but the students really made my experience great. They are full of energy and enthusiasm, curious about me and where I’m from, and eager to share their culture. I loved getting to know them and developing relationships with my students!

I came here looking for a challenge in a Spanish-speaking country and it has exceeded my expectations. Colombia’s landscape is gorgeous and impressive, and I was able to travel relatively cheaply and safely. I have grown as a person, a traveler and a teacher, and I have absolutely loved my time here. Colombians are friendly, generous and excited to hear about how your experience has been in their country. For those who are open-minded, positive and ready to go with the Colombian flow, I’d say go for it because you will cherish the memories and friends you make forever!

Since my trip to Cuba with API, I have been back to Cuba twice and am planning a fourth trip for the end of this year. The first trip instilled a love for Cuba that has yet to fade, and I am so grateful I travelled with API the first time. Cuba can be complicated, but the resources API provided helped make things easier. The accommodations and meals provided were comfortable and safe. The excursions where unforgettable, and the people are very friendly.