IXperience Study/Intern Combo Summer Program in Cape Town, S. Africa

I was part of the Data Science program at iX this summer in Cape Town. Here's how I'd describe the amount of new stuff I learnt over the course of 4 weeks: Imagine you're thirsty, you can take a glass of water but in an alternate situation you could prop open a fire hydrant and your thirst will be quenched, but do you really need so much water gushing at you? iX is like that, but along the lines of education. You take in so much through the course, you're a ninja at your internship afterwards and a master at concentrating.

My experience with iXperience has been great so far. The finance class was fascinating and Wesley, our instructor, was very knowledgeable and approachable. We not only learned how to model and value companies, but also crucial skills for interviews and our future careers in general.

Cape Town is a fantastic city, and it has it all! Its food is excellent; its hikes have magnificent views, and its nightlife is great as well. The program includes shark cage diving, wine tasting, surfing and an overnight safari, but apart from that you can go skydiving, paragliding, take a helicopter ride, and more!

If you think safety is an issue, you don't need to worry. Uber is widely used and extremely safe. You can get around Cape Town by yourself or with a couple of friends with no problem!

However, there are a couple of issues. First, the housing ([email protected]) is far from ideal. Rooms are small and fit up to 10 people for only one bathroom. Second, although the classes are great, if you're coming for the internship I'd say there is a 50-50 chance you'll be disappointed. My internship has been very instructive, and I have been able to apply what I learned in class, but I know that several of my classmates have been placed on internships that are either not related to what we learned or have little to no work at all.

Every week is a new adventure here in iXperience. You learn an unbelievable amount during the week and then take a breathtaking exploration every weekend. For example, last Sunday I took a trip with three friends to Cape of Good Hope (the south-western most point in Africa). From there, I witnessed the most unbelievable scenery, from old rock formations to the meeting point of two grand oceans. It was at that moment that the difference between an experience and a photo hit me. You can see the most beautiful picture ever taken, but nothing can compare to the feeling of actually being there.
From there we traveled to boulders beach where we got to run around chasing penguins and jump into the clear ocean blue to try to keep up with these adorable creatures.

Let me remind you this was just one weekend. Every weekend is filled with this type of exploration which makes coming here so worth it. From shark cage diving, to sandborading, to surfing, to chasing penguins, the exploration you can do here is unbelievable. (and this is on top of all the extraordinary learning you receive during the week).

I had an amazing time learning and working in Cape Town. My class on iOS development was challenging and engaging and I learned how to code in Swift from scratch. The teaching staff was so helpful that I even learned how to code Ruby on Rails on the side to build a server for my final project. I would recommend this program to anyone who is excited about learning to code. Cape Town is also an incredibly beautiful city. Table Mountain on one side, the ocean on the other. Hiking is so convenient and incredibly fun, as is surfing and many other exciting activities.

I first heard about iXperience through my cousin, Mikenzie, who was a student here the first summer it was offered. Since then, she has raved about what an incredible experience it was and has urged me to take advantage of the opportunity to come to South Africa to both explore and learn. However, although she had sold me on the trip, I was extremely intimidated by the fact that I was about to fly half way around the world to take a web development course without any prior knowledge of coding. I would have never thought that in just four short weeks, I would have learned the foundation of programming and gained the essential skills needed to build a comprehensive, user-friendly website. Although the learning process is long and difficult, I have come to appreciate the process and the hard work it takes; I have come to look forward to the feeling I get when my code finally is correct after spending hours trying to figure out what is wrong. iXperience has helped me realize what I want out of a future career and has helped me find new passions along the way, including coding and design.

In addition to the curriculum, living in Cape Town, South Africa is incredible and nothing can compare to it. I have had the opportunity to hike famous mountains, visit interesting museums, learn about the local culture, and discover new things about myself and about this city. As my final week in Cape Town approaches, I am filled with regret that I did not sign up to stay for more than four weeks. Yes, I am excited to go home and see my friends and family, but I am going to miss waking up every morning to the view of Table Mountain, our Saturday morning trips to the Old Biscuit Mill Market, and laughing with my new friends and iX family. It was truly a life changing experience and something I will always remember.

My summer with iXperience was hands down the best summer of my life. From skydiving and surfing to learning finance both in the classroom and at a local company, the iXperience program prepared me for landing my current summer internship while also having the time of my life. This summer, I will be working for Wells Fargo Securities in San Francisco in their Technology Investment Banking Division, and I have iXperience to thank. While in Cape Town, I learned the essentials of financial analysis and modeling in Excel and then applied those skills in an internship with a local venture capital firm. Following this uniquely designed program, I had a leg up when interviewing for summer jobs as well as an amazing summer experience to share. Overall, iXperience was the best summer of my life and it got me a job in Investment Banking.

Spending 8 weeks in Cape Town with iXperience was one of the best decisions I made as a college student. As a history major going into my senior year, I had only interned at law firms previously and thought that law school after graduation was my only option. iXperience changed that- after the 4 week consulting course and 4 week internship I had access to a world of prospects for postgrad work! Entering a new field after being committed to another can be daunting, but with the help of the immersive course I felt confident in my internship and was able to really hone my consulting skills and sharpen my business acumen. Of course, Cape Town is also an incredibly beautiful place. When we weren't working hard in the classroom or at our internships, we made the most of what the city had to offer! From shark cage diving to safari adventures, Cape Town and iXperience did not disappoint. I only wish I could do it again!

Ixperience is the perfect study abroad program for someone who lives the "work hard, play hard" lifestyle. When it comes to learning, expect small classrooms filled with vocal students eager to master class material together. However, what you do outside the Classroom while on Ixperience separates the program from any other high intensity professional bootcamp...

About the Instructors and Staff: The instructors and TA's are world-class and teach a fast-paced, yet well-organized curriculum. To illustrate how amazing the staff at Ixperience was, let me describe Erica Du. Erica, one of the 2015 web development TA's, is an MIT bachelors and masters graduate who graduated with a perfect GPA in computer science. Apart from being a genius, Erica is also one of the most outgoing people I have ever met. She was always with us on daytime excursions and was definitely a part of our nightlife experience as well. Erica was not what I was expecting from a TA at a young professional boot camp start-up. She was always there when we needed help with course work, but also took time to assimilate into our session’s culture. Every member of the Ixperience staff is like Erica. These people work extremely hard behind the scenes while simultaneously making time to hang out with the students. This family feel that Ixperience creates is ensures success inside and out of the classroom.

About Everything Else: Ixperience is far more than just a regular professional boot camp. On Ixperience, you have the once in a lifetime ability to explore Cape Town, SA. Before Ixperience, I knew nothing about Cape Town. The city had little to do with my summer decision. After spending two months in Cape Town, I realize it is one of the most underappreciated cities in the world. Cape Town is a tropical paradise filled with so much to do and the Ix staff is always looking for ways to make your unique experience in Cape Town fun and memorable. If you want to go on a safari, sky-diving, bungee-jumping, shark cage diving, surfing, sand-boarding, etc. (yes we did all of these things), the staff will make it happen. Other than exciting excursions, the city has an incredible nightlife, which is comparable to any big city in the United States. There are lots of bars and clubs to choose from, and you can make this a big part of your experience if you want. The food in Cape Town is also incredible. There are so many new and trendy restaurants to choose from it can be overwhelming at times. As a student, you get to experience all of this without a guilty conscious. Why? Most global currencies across the world are strong against the rand (South African currency). So this means that you can eat, explore, drink and live like a king for a very low cost while in South Africa.

If you study abroad at Ixperience, you will come out a more interesting person. You will acquire a valuable skillset, develop a network of great friends and brilliant minds, and be pushed to go beyond your previously perceived boundaries. If you have any more questions about my experience, please feel free to reach out!

One of my favorite, unexpected days was the morning I woke up at 6am and went to a silent disco at the top of this skyscraper. About thirty other people and I danced around like idiots as we watched the sun rise over Cape Town, and it was one of the happiest moments I've had in my entire life. Afterwords I went for breakfast at the number one coffee shop in the world (literally), Truth Coffee, and had a fanastic egg, toast, avocado breakfast - they put "avo" on everything; one of the many reasons why Cape Town is awesome.

That day was just a snapshot of all the outrageous, fun things there were to do on this trip. And the program coordinators helped organize it all. Whether it was surfing or sky diving or going out on the town, they handled everything and made it really easy and enjoyable.

iXperience challenged me academically in completely new ways. I learned an insane amount in the four week course and even changed my major to computer science as a result. I did real work at the internship and made some great friends along the way. The best parts were the weekend excursions. I went great white shark cage diving, wine tasting, hiking, and so much more that I still can't believe I did. The fun wasn't just on the weekends either - we watched the sunset by the beach, biked around the city under full moons, and had an incredibly amazing summer.