IES Abroad Milan

I absolutely loved living in Milan, Italy and studying abroad through IES. The Business Studies program provided many courses that were similar to courses at my home University and many classes unique to Milan. For example, I took a business class about managing fashion companies which is extremely unique to Milan and also transferable to my school.

Milan was an amazing city for me because it had a lot to do but was small enough for me to easily navigate on my own within a few days of being there. The public transportation was great!

The program administration was amazing and extraordinarily helpful when I needed to go to the doctor and complete insurance reimbursements.

I chose to live in an apartment and WOW- my apartment was beautiful. I don't think I'll have another apartment like that for a while.

I would definitely recommend Milan to someone who loves to travel to big and small cities around Europe and especially within Italy. The Milan airports were extremely accessible and reliable and usually pretty inexpensive compared to other airports. I traveled somewhere new almost every weekend and Milan was a great home base to do that from!

My experience IES Italy Today was absolutely incredible. As I arrived in Milan, I was extremely apprehensive to move to a new city especially one where I didn't speak the language or know anyone. I couldn't believe how quickly Milan became my home away from home. Milan is probably my favorite city, from the gorgeous walk from classes to the duomo, the best gelato places, the most charming neighborhoods, and of course the sandwiches at Panini Durini (a chain coffee and panini shop that is the best- think of Panera but so much better). Studying abroad during fashion week this spring was also a once in a lifetime experience. Milan during Fashion and Design Week is full of the most incredible energy and IES gave us a lot of information about the events going on that were open to the public which was really helpful. IES does an amazing job of having events for students to get to know each other especially in the beginning which was really helpful. I can't imagine my life without this experience and the incredible friends that I know I'll be close to forever. IES also has amazing trips organized, I went on the Venice and Verona trip as well as the Parma trip and absolutely loved the time I spent with my friends. I would absolutely choose this experience over again in a heartbeat.

Leading up to my flight to Milan, I was nervous about traveling alone and leaving my friends and family. The moment I landed in Milan, I knew I made the right choice and the four months I spent in Italy were the best four months of my life. I enjoyed all of my Business Studies classes and the professors were determined to helping students succeed in the classroom. I did not expect to like my Italian 101 class, but it ended up being my favorite class! My professor was the absolute best and made it so easy to quickly learn Italian and about Italian culture to help get around the city. I lived in an apartment provided by IES and it was in a great location close to the IES and the popular areas in the city. Living with my roommates as well as an Italian CA made it much easier to adjust to a new city. I loved learning about Milan's history and culture, eating the AMAZING food, and the fun nightlife. The Milan airports, trains, and bus systems are easy to use and make it very easy to travel to other parts of Europe. I also went on some fun trips offered by the program. My four months abroad went by very fast and I was extremely sad to leave. I could not imagine studying abroad anywhere else and would highly recommend Milan to anyone who wants a study abroad experience that is going to exceed their expectations! Grazie Milano!

I love my business classes abroad! I learned so much about finance and business in Europe. Although my favorite class would have to be my Italian 101 class. It was nice being able to practice a language I was learning every-time I ran errands! All the professors are very kind and supportive.

The food was phenomenal. I ate endless amounts of prosciutto, pasta, and pizza. I was staying with a host family and they cooked dinner for me every night. Food is fairly inexpensive, I would not spend much money grocery shopping or out at restaurants.

The nightlife is super fun. There are always bars close-by and dance clubs are open very late. It's the best place to meet people and make new friends. It gives you a chance to enjoy the city at night.

My experience at the IES Milan - Music: Voice, Composition, and Instrumental program was life-changing, filled with amazing opportunities to learn about Italian music, language, culture, and social issues. I studied opera there and received the finest instruction from music professors like Patrizia Zanardi, Anna Fre, and Stefano Pintor. I was able to apply what I had learned in recitals and one-act operas that my fellow students and I presented at IES.. Not only that, but I was also able to learn by attending five La Scala opera productions, four of which were paid for by IES. My Staging Italian Opera class also got to observe a rehearsal at La Scala for Mozart's Idomeneo and tour the opera house's workshops. These opportunities shaped my abroad experience, and I am very grateful to IES for having provided them.

Not only was my music education wonderful, but my other classes were stellar also. For example, I took Service Learning and gained insight into the European migration crisis by volunteering at the Municipality of Milan's immigration office, putting the skills I was learning in the seminar (and in my advanced Italian class) to action. I also volunteered as an English tutor to the social worker I shadowed at this office, helping him better serve the English-speaking migrants who came to the office.

I found all of the staff at IES Milan to be extremely helpful. Whenever I had a question about anything, whether it involved an upcoming IES-sponsored trip or a personal health concern, they always answered my questions and showed that they cared about me. I felt that I was in very good hands for the entire semester.

I lived in a homestay with a very kind and loving Milanese family, and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything, as it was so fun to have younger Italian siblings and to truly immerse myself in the Italian language. My homestay became my home away from home, and in difficult moments I was so grateful to have Italian parents to give me homemade gelato. And the food was incomparable, of course! Nothing in this world is better than a home-cooked Italian meal.

I hope that anyone who reads this will be able to study at IES Milan, especially if you are an undergraduate music student. It was the best semester of my life!

Study abroad was the best opportunity I have ever taken. I was able to grow as a person, and truly gain awareness of the culture around me. In only 5 months, I was able to travel all over Europe and make some new best friends. IES did a great job of helping us adapt to being in a new place and made the experience the best it could be! IES took us on unique trips, provided opportunities to truly immerse ourselves in Milan, and overall did the most it could to help us. The staff were always willing to help us out whenever we needed. The classes I took allowed me to grow in my area of study in new ways. I gained a broader perspective on topics I learned about in my abroad classes. I would highly recommend studying abroad to anyone who is interested in it!

My experience with the IES Abroad Program in Milan, Italy was absolutely incredible! When I first started to look through my university's study abroad programs, I didn't see many for music. So when a friend pointed out IES Abroad's music programs in Vienna and Milan, I was immediately excited. Both Italy and Vienna can be considered birthplaces for music, as many important composers of the past were born or have worked there. I knew I couldn't pass these experiences up. Many of my friends also decided to apply to the same program, which made it even more exciting. The months after we were all accepted were a whirlwind. Finally, the day came to leave for Milan.
Arriving in Milan, I felt anxious but excited overall. When I arrived at the apartment where I would spend the next 3 month of my life, I was really impressed. The housing was in a really nice area with a historical landmark just down the street. My CA was also very welcoming and friendly.
Most of my classes were at the IES Abroad Center, except for my music lesson and orchestra. The teachers were all very friendly and very willing to help, especially my Italian Language professor. I really enjoyed every class I took, and I can say that I learned a lot in each class. Don't expect to be able to coast through the semester just because you're abroad.
Overall, I truly had a wonderful time in Milan, and I miss it every day, especially now since I am back at my home university. The memories I have mad in Milan will stay with me and throughout my life.

This was my very first time out of the United States and my first time even being on a plan. I knew that it was everything was going to be a new experience, but I did not anticipate the emotions I would feel. Being a young black woman surrounded by Italians was quite overwhelming in the beginning. Our program told us that Italians do have a staring problem, but I felt like it was on a whole other level! I knew that because I would be experiencing a lot of new things (food, fashion, art, and traveling), i specially choose a course of study that I knew that I would enjoy. Through all of the struggles and stress that I experienced abroad, being apart of the music program kept me happy and upbeat. The things that I was going through did not matter once I enter the class room, it was rehearsal time. I had amazing opportunities to perform around Milan, Italy and had amazing professors that worked had worked in conservatoires prior to this program. I was getting a high quality music lessons and gained more experience with preforming. With everything new and moving around me, music never failed to keep me grounded. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to be apart of this program.