IES Abroad London

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to travel to England. I grew up on Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia, and I always loved British culture. In high school, I was determined that in college I would study abroad in London. Last summer my dreams came true when IES Abroad gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. Honestly, I had a lot of doubts about going overseas by myself for an entire summer. Would I get homesick? Would I make any friends? Would my classes be too hard or too boring? But IES made me feel at home in London and created the best experience possible for me.

The staff at IES London were absolutely incredible. They were always there to help us, give us tips and ideas, or even just to chat. There were so many trips and events for us to attend in our free time and I feel like the program really helped me make the most out of my time abroad. My classes were great, as well. The professors were knowledgeable and made the classes exciting. I learned so much and experienced the city in different ways through my classes. Although, there wasn't much of an opportunity to make local friends, I made a group of friends in my program that I wouldn't trade for anything. They absolutely made the experience the best it could possibly be. We spent so much time exploring and even just hanging out together, and we still keep in touch.

I know it sounds cliche, but I really do believe I grew as a person because of this experience. I gained a new sense of independence and a new viewpoint of the world. Without a doubt it was the best summer of my life and the best choice I have ever made to study abroad. No matter what you are studying or what doubts you have, study abroad sometime during your college career. You will not regret it. I loved my experience with IES Abroad and I miss that summer every day!

IES helped make summer 2016 unforgettable. After being accepted into the program they did everything they could to make us feel ready for our time in the UK. When I decided to study abroad one of the first things I was worried about was traveling internationally for the first time. The staff at IES provided multiple resources that made me feel very prepared. I felt comfortable flying to a new country, getting my passport stamped with immigration, and making my way to the residence hall. This great customer service continued after we arrived in London and throughout our program. Once we arrived in London, they provided a comprehensive training that included topics like health and safety in London, transportation, traveling on the weekends, and their academic policies.

Choosing to study abroad with IES was a great decision because they went above and beyond to teach you how to immerse yourself into London’s culture, and that was one of my main goals of studying abroad. Within hours of arriving in London they showed us the best places to eat, grocery shop, and how to use the transportation system in our neighborhood. They encouraged us to ride the tube, read the Evening Standard, and visit pubs and neighborhoods outside of tourist attractions. Oftentimes I visited the staff members after class and asked for restaurant suggestions or interesting activities to try on the weekend.

The academic program itself provided some of the most interesting classes I’ve taken in my college career. I had to opportunity to take a class on London Architecture and another on British censorship. Both of my instructors were very knowledgeable in their fields and the workload was perfect because it left time to explore London. I had one class per day Monday-Thursday and I would often plan activities before or after class. This schedule also allowed everyone on my program ample time to travel elsewhere.

I traveled to Paris and throughout the UK with students from my program. I also went on trips that IES planned and subsidized. These trips went to Stonehenge, Bath, Salisbury, and Brighton; I thought they were well done and enjoyed the guides that IES hired. My favorite trip was the one that toured Bath/Salisbury/Stonehenge over a weekend. This is mostly because my group was assigned a guide named Jeany. Jeany took us on a walking tour in each of these places, and she was hysterical and very well spoken. She had me so interested in the history and stories of these places I ended up doing research on my own time.

IES is a wonderful organization that aims to teach students about new cultures and living abroad, and you can see their passion in the excellent programs they provide. Highly recommend!

I spent 7 weeks in the heart of London this past summer (2016). The overall experience was absolutely fantastic. This past summer, many things were happening in London, and Europe overall, including the Brexit vote, and multiple terrorist attacks. While these things can be confusing or scary to anyone, I never questioned my safety. IES helped their students stay informed on everything happening in the city, and tips and tricks in order to avoid trouble. Studying in Europe allowed for quick weekend trips to wherever I could get my hands on a ticket. I traveled to Paris and Scotland, but many in my program went other places such as Spain, Ireland, Amsterdam, Germany, etc. I was enrolled in only 6 credit hours, two classes, and went to only one class a day Mon-Thurs. While the classes required work outside of the scheduled class time, I was left with more than enough time to explore London and see everything I had hoped to see. Overall, I would recommend 100% studying abroad, and also studying with IES. If I had more time on my clock as an undergrad I would study abroad again in a heartbeat.

During my program, I had the privilege of studying health policy both in London and Oxford and then traveling to Kingston, Jamaica for the last week of my program to listen to lectures at the University of West Indies School of Nursing. This is a relatively new program and the experience was pretty amazing throughout my time there. The staff and program directors invested time to making sure we were fully prepared and aware of everything we needed to do, i.e organizing train rides for our weekly trip to Oxford, telling us what items/clothing we would need for Jamaica, finding amazing service learning opportunities with local NGOs that fit somewhere in our professional interest. The staff was always very friendly and approachable. They often shared some of their favorite places, which was very helpful in a massive city like London that has so much to offer for everyone. The Jamaica portion in particular was extraordinary. When we weren't listening to lectures at UWISON, we were exploring the island and the staff took us to some amazing restaurants and beautiful sites. We swam in a natural salt water lagoon, took a boat ride to a small nearby island to swim and relax, visited the Blue Mountain coffee plantation, and sat by an infinity pool overlooking the island. It didn't feel real and it was so much fun doing it with the friends I made during the program. I was very impressed with what the staff put together for us and I would definitely recommend this program.

I studied abroad in London with IES Abroad this past spring semester. I come from a small town in West Michigan, USA and I have never lived further than 30 minutes away from where I grew up. Making the decision to go live in one of the biggest and most famous cities in the world was the best decision of my young adult life that I have made thus far. IES London helped me get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself in ways I didn't think possible. I learned so much about organization, time management, stress management, and taking in every opportunity that life has to offer. I also learned things about myself including how I react to certain things, what I value in other people, and what is most important to me. I'm sure I won't ever be able to fully grasp the impact that studying abroad had on me.
My classes only met once a week, but I was always excited to go to them because it was a different and new experience than what I had back home. I had the opportunity to learn from professors who grew up and lived in London and they shared experiences and secrets of the city that I never would have heard of otherwise. I made lifelong friendships in just one semester and I will take the memories I made with me wherever I go for the rest of my life. The staff of IES and the program field trips made the experience even more memorable. We travelled all over the UK to places like Scotland, Bath, Stonehenge, Brighton, and more. I learned just as much inside the classroom as out of it.
Studying abroad truly changed the way I look at the world and has sparked an interest in me to see everything the world has to offer. IES helped me live out dreams that I didn't even know I was dreaming.

It's extremely hard to describe how amazing this program was and how much I learned and grew from being a part of it. The staff at IES were truly incredible--many of them were young and love experiencing the city so they were able to provide advice and suggestions (whether it was where to go for dinner, what museums were the best, or what are of London had the best nightlife). The classes were very interesting and I loved being able to learn about the UK and then have the opportunity to go out and experience what we were learning in the classroom. In all of my classes we took at least one trip out of the classroom and into the city--being a visual learner this was extremely helpful in learning the class materials and it also helped me learn a lot about the history of certain parts of London. Living right near King's Cross was incredible and it was so easy to get around London considering the tube was right down the street! I also was able to make so many amazing friends from this program that I know I will always share my experiences with! I cannot wait to go back to London and wish I could experience it all over again!

London is truly the most amazing city I have ever had the honor to call home for a semester. There was always something new to explore and see. Everyday was filled with new sights: it was exciting not knowing what would happen tomorrow. I owe so much to IES Abroad for facilitating such an incredible experience. From organized field trips to safety to classes, the IES staff was so organized. I felt so at home in London and part of that is because of IES Abroad. Go study abroad!! This will always be my favorite semester and I learned so much that I never could back home. You won't regret going!

Studying abroad in London was so amazing - since I've been back, I've thought to myself everyday that I want just want to go back and live in London forever.

If you are interested in public/global health, this program is for you. I went into this program with no prior education in public health and I learned A LOT. There was a good mix of students who had a lot of public health experience (typically public health majors) and none at all, so any level of prior experience is ok. This specific program provides you with a pretty set schedule of three required courses (one of them which is at Oxford University), which allows for one elective class. You are also placed in service learning (sort of like an internship) at a organization in the community 8 hours a week. Overall, of these courses were very interesting and the instructors were great people. The everyday workload is minimal but I felt like there were lots of papers.

The one class at Oxford University was pretty cool - being able to walk around this campus as a student was quite an experience. My complaint about this class was that it consumed my entire Friday - we had to leave at 7:30 AM and take three trains to get there, then get back around 5PM, so it made traveling a little difficult. Additionally, the workload was too much for a study abroad class (in my opinion...weekly papers). But, I'd say it was worth it. I learned A LOT not only about public health, but I definitely improved my writing and in-class speaking skills.

London is also a great place to study abroad. The fact that people speak English was great - a lot of my friends who studied abroad in countries with different languages were pretty stressed out because they had to work hard to communicate, but that is also an amazing experience in itself. London just has so much to do all the time, there's really something for everyone...I thought that I would be too overwhelmed by the size of London, but I really wasn't. I'm not a big-city person, but London had the right amount of homeyness in its smaller communities and quirky neighborhoods, that I had an easy time getting used to it. Public transport is so efficient and the fact that I could leave the dorm and get to Big Ben or the 2012 Olympic Pool just by train and walking was amazing to me.

I would say that the past portion of this program, which takes place in Kingston, Jamaica, was the best part of the program. One of our instructors and an administrator took the entire group to Jamaica for a week, and it was absolutely amazing. The hands-on experience that I got to do in the clinics is something that I will probably never have the opportunity to do again, and it was perfectly balanced with time spent at the beach and sight-seeing. This portion of the program is something I tell my friends and family about all the time, and I can't describe in words how awe-struck I was to see and immerse myself in the Jamaican culture and health system.