iXperience Cape Town – Learn + Intern Abroad

This past summer I participated in iXperience's inaugural Immerse program in Cape Town, South Africa. The first four weeks of this program entailed a UVa Global Studies portion incorporating an art, archaeology or astronomy, conservation, and history element. During the next six weeks, I took the Management Consulting course. Collectively the liberal arts program and pre-professional program make iXperience a study abroad program like no other. The former instills an appreciation for South Africa, its inhabitants, and the country’s vibrant culture. All the while, the latter provides you with an opportunity to build a foundation in an area of your choice with industry experts (in my case a former project manager at McKinsey’s Johannesburg Office).
In the management consulting program, the clients are primarily South African startups with the governing logic being the smaller the firm the more likely that you, the students, get delegated meaningful work and that your final recommendations will be implemented. In my case, we consulted for a behavioral design agency that worked predominantly in the advertising space to develop a financial inclusion project that would enable township-based entrepreneurs to access their services. We delivered a business model which our client is moving to pilot this month.
Prospect students should be assured that they will have a great opportunity to experience personal growth and professional development while having ample time to take advantage of all of Cape Town’s recreational activities. Parents should know that their students will be working hard contrary to the reputation of most study abroad programs. Moreover, they are able to expand their network to include the iX staff, industry experts, and other students at some of the world’s most prestigious universities. The iXperience program is truly one of a kind and I imagine that it will only get better as they learn how to better integrate UVa’s institutional aims into their curriculum.

When I applied for iXperience, the program seemed too good to be true. The website was simple, to the point, and absolutely stunning, and it cost a pretty penny to attend. I wasn’t sure if I could even afford to attend it, but luckily for me, iXperience and my school helped me out sufficiently with the cost so I could travel all the way to Cape Town to see what iXperience really had to offer. I was not disappointed. They placed us in the most beautiful and safest part of town, Camps Bay. They negotiated with numerous local businesses to give us all iXperience discounts. (Student discounts are usually only offered to South African students, but we were not left hanging. iX has us covered.) And they offered a nurse on site to meet our needs (Sophia❤️) and Pierre to help us out around the clock, in case, for instance, your shower head breaks and floods your entire apartment;). Then there was Jakes who also lived on site and was head of security. You could text him at any time of the day and he was there to help! Please use him. Cape Town is a big city with inevitable crime and iX gives you the resources to be safe. So use Jakes! He also happens to be the nicest soul around. iX also set you up with “pals”, which were a number of people in the iX staff that would stay in touch with you, answer any questions at any time of the day, offer assistance with anything and everything, and keep you supported throughout the 6 weeks (shout-out to Adrian!!)
But it only got better from there...they arranged a shuttle to take us between our accommodations and class. And, although accommodations were cool, class was arguably even cooler. Housed in Workshop17 on the Waterfront, it wasn’t just an awesome building, but also close to the mall, millions of restaurants, gyms, and grocery stores, (Oh! And a traveling puppy adoption agency!!). We were set up well.
I was worried that class would be a bore, as it it was 4 hours long every day of the week for the first two weeks, with no scheduled breaks. But it for sure wasn’t. My data science teacher rocked! She was funny and tailored class to be incredibly applicable to the field of data science...preparing us for the INTERNSHIPS! iX had partnerships with multiple tech companies, including Invictus Capital, Rhino Africa, Orderin, DataProphet, and Quicket, to name a few. iXperience offered continued support throughout the internship process thanks to the wonderful teaching staff and were able to guide us well throughout our 4 weeks of internship.
All in all, iX was a worthwhile experience for me. My only regret is that I wish I attended the Immerse version of the program so I could learn a little more history about Cape Town and South Africa. But that’s on me. iX was great!

Last summer, I participated in an abroad course and internship with iXperience. I did it in Cape Town with the Product Management course and it is one of the programs that prepared me to secure my internship at EY this upcoming summer! I spent my first four weeks developing my own product idea with a team of four students who I still keep in contact with today. The next four weeks, I completed an internship in the fashion industry and was able to organize and watch an African fashion show by the end of the last week! These experiences are what allowed me to find my passion for technology and I was able to do it while in the most beautiful place in the world. In addition to the academic portion of iXperience, I was lucky enough to do so many outdoor adventures like climbing Table Mountain, going to penguin beaches, bungee jumping, shark cage diving, and more! This was the best way I could have spent my summer and I think it is a great way for anyone to spend theirs!

In this program, you get to take thought-provoking classes that are useful for future careers. For example, I took a course on iOS development in Swift. I had little coding experience before this course but by the end of it, I had built my very own app! I got stuck a lot along the way but the TA's and instructors were always there to help.
Additionally, you get to meet friendly people from all over the world. When I went on the program, there were students from UVA, Michigan, UCLA, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, and many more universities. On top of that, there were a lot of international students from various countries. I became friends with many of these students and enjoyed meeting all these people.
Lastly, you get to go on awesome adventures. I went sandboarding, hiking, surfing, paragliding, and much more. Cape Town truly has so much to do and is a beautiful city.

So quick background on me: I was a college junior majoring in a non-business and non-tech field and I remember frantically searching for a summer opportunity that would educate me in these two sectors, while simultaneously ensuring that I would have funnest time. Honestly, it's really competitive out there - getting an interview, landing that internship amongst a pool of talented students. The whole process is daunting. When I discovered i_Xperience, it was basically the perfect trifecta that met my three needs for an unforgettable summer internship:

1. learning for the sake of learning
2. hands-on professional experience
3. cultural/ personal exploration

Simply put, i_Xperience did THAT. I spent a month learning about the fundamentals of Product Management, worked on a team to design and pitch our digital product, and spent the second month applying what I learned at a South African e-commerce company. When I go into interviews, I milk this experience because it was one of the professionally and personally internships in my college careers. Being a part of i_Xperience has given me an edge and a story to talk about. Beyond the professional development, Cape Town is literally adult Disneyland. I lived on the beach in Camps Bay, ate really good, did something out of my comfort zone every day, and met some of the most brilliant people across the globe.

If you're in the same boat as me- APPLY.

I had high expectations coming to iX. I had heard about it from friends who said it was the summer of a lifetime. And after pushing off study abroad twice while pursuing dual degrees at UMich, I decided to go for it and head to Cape Town. And unequivocally iX surpassed every expectation I had. I took the Product Management course with pushed me to integrate my background in business and technology (the teacher was awesome). I not only had great people in the class with me, but roommates that were a blast. iX reinvigorated me. It got me out of the routine that inherently develops after a couple years in college. Most importantly, iX gave me a level of clarity on what I wanted to do after college that I hadn’t been able to achieve before. This experience has changed my trajectory and I encourage everyone else to take this leap and go on this epic adventure!!

I'm currently a junior at the University of Southern California and learned about this program through my friend who wouldn't stop raving about her time with iXperience the summer of 2017. After doing some research, looking through their website, and watching youtube videos of past students, I quickly realized how special the program was and the incredible value that they offered. So I went in to iXperience this past summer at their Cape Town, South Africa location with high expectations. iXperience managed to exceed all of my expectations in every way possible.. I took the Product Management course and learned more than I did in those 2 weeks than a semester at college. The class was more like an intense workshop, where we collaborated with our classmates, and came out with an actual digital product at the end of the course. I became so close to all 25 students in my class and being surrounded by such brilliant, motivated kids was truly inspiring. We all pushed each other to achieve and develop product ideas, mobile apps, and pitches that blew my mind away. The class was also taught by an industry leader (my teacher was the COO of a global conversion rate optimization agency) who was genuinely passionate about the subject and wanted nothing more than for every single student to grow and unlock their potential. During the internship phase, the TA's and professor went above and beyond to pair me with the kind of internship I was looking for. At my internship, I was given impactful and meaningful work, and didn't feel like just an intern, but a valued part of the company. The TA's are also there to support you throughout the entirety of your internship phase, and act as mentors to make sure that you are getting the best internship experience. The amount of workload during the course and internship is perfectly balanced - I had the perfect amount of free time to explore all of what Cape Town had to offer. Every week, there are excursions planned for us and endless fun events like city exploration trips, surf sessions, karaoke nights, rooftop mixers and champagne cruises! I got to do some of the coolest things like shark cage diving, skydiving, safaris, wine tastings, bungee jumping, sandboarding, and more (Cape Town is THE dopest place!!) Honestly what makes this program so special is the people. I am so grateful to be part of such a strong and tight-knit community of amazing individuals. The staff are the coolest people I've ever met - they're more like your buddies and truly care about curating this unique, life-changing experience for all iXers. I made amazing friends from all over the world, who I still keep in contact with. I actually plan on visiting my friend Sim who lives in Vancouver over Thanksgiving break :) I cannot recommend iXperience enough. Fun fact: this is also the first online review that I have ever written - I had such an incredible experience that I'm writing a review because I want to share this opportunity with as many people as possible. It's the best investment in myself that I have ever made and I had the summer of a lifetime!!!

Never having been anywhere across the Atlantic before -let alone outside the U.S- it would only make sense that I was nervous, uncertain, and hesitant to study abroad in a foreign country (Cape Town, South Africa). However, writing this now, two months after I have returned from an eight week awe-inspiring journey, I can say that not only am I more confident and eager to travel outside the confines of 'home', but my perception of myself and my relation to this world has all become much more clear to me. I can not thank iXperience and the entire team enough. The truly are pushing and working toward revolutionizing what it means to get a meaningful and effective education.
So, what does iXperience mean to me? The summer program provides not only a unique and engaging social and educational experience, but it allows the chance for one to step out of their comfort zone and partake in life-changing, riveting moments that they will take with them for many years. I took the Product Management (PM) course at iXperience despite not having much prior experience (I researched PM prior and really wanted to learn more about it and where it can fit in with society today). At the beginning of the eight weeks, the only thing I knew about PM was that it is the 'job of managing a product'. Quite the research I did, yes? Well now, I can easily and without hesitation elaborate on what PM really, truly means. It is a very dynamic area of entrepreneurship that really entails a belief in a product and the perseverance and tenacity to communicate and share that belief to the world (consumers, takers, businesses). With a product, one must roadmap, create it, bring it life, and confirm with a consumer population - that being a certain market- whether this product is desirable.
An aspect of iXperience that I loved was how during the week I would work on developing a highly intelligent and revolutionary driving safety app named Gilda, and come the weekend, I would be swimming with the world's most famous predator, the Great White Shark (FYI- those creatures are bigger than you think)!!! Every day you experience something new, something eye-opening. You gain a new perspective on the most detailed of things- things you would never have noticed before. For instance, there is you in the world. You have the opportunity to lead your life the way you want. To get where you want, you need to connect with people. Make yourself known, for your mouth is the door to your future, and your words are the keys to unlock it!
iXperience is more than just an experience. It is a moment in time where you are able to stop and think to yourself as to how lucky you are to be somewhere so cool, so far away from home... but yet you find yourself at home... at peace.
I can not compliment nor share enough of my gratitude for iXperience. I have visited the beautiful mountaintops of Table Mountain (one of the few wonders of this world), and the humbling local townships where I got the opportunity to meet its people and partake in beautiful cultural dances. That said, I still can not believe how lucky I am to have come across a referral link last year to iXperience's website. Thanks to iXperience, not only am I more prepared and open-minded to where I want to go/be in my future, but I simply feel like a better more improved version of myself!

I had an absolute blast spending my summer in with IX in Cape Town! They offer a really interesting school/internship opportunity. You spend the first few weeks learning a new skill and then the next few weeks interning at a globally recognized company. I spent my free time hiking and surfing and recommend IX to anyone for an awesome summer opportunity.

My typical day could be hiking Lions Head in the morning and then going to class. After class I would check the wave report and maybe head out for a surf. Afterwards I’d grab food in the city and then back home to do it all over the next day. There is so much to do in Cape Town! Don’t be worried about it being a “South African Winter” it’s still 65 degrees and sunny everyday.

Also, I met some of my best friends on my summer abroad. We all came from different parts of the globe and different universities. It was great to meet and collaborate with so many students.

I worked for a medium sized company and really enjoyed my internship. Send me a message through social media for more details on my time abroad.

iXperience transformed my approach to learning. Never before have I been so motivated to wake up at 530 am for a sunrise hike only to continue to hours of learning followed by work and exploration. There is no program more conducive to expanding my mind and horizons.
In coding, we are taught not only syntax and operation but also how to translate that to real world application. With the help of iX, I refined my understanding of the many subtle channels of communication. I learned how to debug in every day life. Everyone is welcoming and warm. They are always optimistic and are willing to help out. Even if they don't always have the answers, they don't quit until they find a solution. The iX crew strives to promote community. The social events over the course of the summer were just as important as the classes. Additionally, Cape Town, where I completed the course, is exhilarating, exciting and legendary. It is where natural beauty meets industry. Not to mention its authentic cuisine is phenomenal. This past summer I didn't just learn, explore and grow; I lived.

iXperience was such an incredible adventure. The staff was so friendly and welcoming and really went out of their way to make everyone comfortable. I took the Data Science class and learned machine learning, neural networks, cluster algorithms and so much more all in Python. The first four weekends iX planned excursions for us. We went out to Sea Point, visited the Townships, discovered the vineyards, and took surfing lessons. In the second half of the program we created our own adventures. My favorite was going sand boarding in the dunes just outside of town. During my internship, I got to work for Travelstart, an online travel agent, using the skills that I learned from my Data Science course. Cape Town is a truly unreal place and really made my summer unforgettable.

iXperience was an eye-opening summer program that had a real lasting impact on me. The program is structured such that for the first 4 weeks you have class for 3 hours a day with manageable daily homework assignments and lots of down time to enjoy and explore with friends. The second 4 weeks involve working as an intern at a company of your choice and is pretty much can be as legitimate as you want it to be. During my first 4 weeks I learned how to fully create, build, and deploy an app from scratch in class, whilst going on wild excursions over the weekends, and having unforgettable nights out with my friends. Learning a real world skill that I could apply to a work setting was an extremely satisfying experience that I rarely (if ever) experienced in a University setting. Aside from the learning we went surfing, climbed waterfalls and mountains, visited the most southern tip of Africa, saw penguins, ostriches, and baboons, and explored the coolest bars, clubs, and restaurants the beautiful city of Cape Town had to offer. There are endless opportunities here from paragliding to wine tours to repelling to going on safaris...etc. I could go on and on.

The second session of the program I interned for Invictus Capital, an up and coming blockchain investment company that was THE MOST funded startup in South African History. While there, I learned a completely new field of coding with cryptocurrencies. I applied these skills by creating BTC and ETH transaction simulations for testing the ICO investing process, built smart contracts for Ethereum for their Crypto Index fund and a lot more. All in all, I had the most amazing summer, developed real world skills that I can now take with me to into the real world (and put on my resume), made lifelong friends, and grew so much as an individual. I recommend this 100% to anyone, its a once in a lifetime opportunity for developing yourself as a professional and at the same time retains the fun, relaxed, and enjoyable time every student looks to have during their summer off-season.

iXperience is such an innovative program. You get to experience the best of all worlds - cutting-edge courses taught by industry leaders, interning at a start-up or a multinational company where you can make a significant difference, and immersing yourself in a culture that is so warm and welcoming. Moreover, you get to experience all of this in one of the most beautiful cities in the world: Cape Town.

I did this program in the summer of 2017 and it was one of the best decisions I made during my college career. I have grown so much as a person through this program as it challenged me to step out my comfort zone every day. I gained tangible real-world skills that I can apply to many industries, I was able to make global connections, I connected with the locals who gave me a new perspective on life, co-taught a Bhangra workshop to people who didn't know what Bhangra was, climbed the Lion's Head three times, Bunjee jumped off a bridge, learned how to surf and made some of the best friends from across the world.

I realized that if you travel and if you are challenged you are bound to grow because the real magic happens when you placed in your uncomfort zone.

Highly Recommend

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.