IES Quito

Quito is an excellent city for study abroad. It's big but easy to navigate and become familiar, with easy and inexpensive public transportation. My host family was absolutely wonderful - accommodating, caring, friendly and patient, and went out of their way to welcome me. I found nearly all the Ecuadorians I came into contact with, whether my classmates, professors, or random strangers to be very warm and eager to share their country. Quito has great nightlife and easy accessibility to the rest of the country via bus.

I was very pleased with IES staff - they always went out of their way to make sure we were safe and content. Field trips were well-planned, exciting and fun. When I was sick one of the directors brought me to the doctor, another helped me with a tough academic situation. That being said, the only negative aspect of the IES program was the class I took at PUCE, the university. While IES classes had great professors and content, the class in which I directly enrolled had confusing policies, unfair grading and a professor who refused to work with me as a foreign exchange student. Some of my friends also had issues with classes there, but luckily the credits didn't matter for my university.

I had an incredible experience in Quito and I would recommend this country and program in a heartbeat!