IES Abroad Cape Town

My time in Cape Town, South Africa through IES Abroad was by far one of the best experiences of my life. The structured program and support system that the IES Center and staff provided students allowed them to feel comfort and support in a new home away from home. The culture of South Africa was engaging and welcoming to each of us. The coursework was interesting and very applicable to daily experiences and course related trips. I definitely recommend to study abroad in South Africa through IES!

I have found that throughout the years, my education has lacked diversity. I wanted to see what it was like to fully experience different cultures, and ethnicities and religion and how much I could learn from immersing myself in a country so rich with that for 5 months. IES Abroad's Health, Culture, and Development Program did an amazing job at teaching me and my classmates about South Africa and letting our curiosities spark to be able to learn as much as we could. We took numerous field trips around the city and country to learn about the public health system, the inequities the country faces, and the way that South Africa is grappling many epidemics. I have said it over and over that this experience was the best academic experience I have ever had. The staff in Cape Town are so wonderful at their jobs and care so deeply for the students that the relationships I formed with them are so much more than just advisors. When people ask me what my favorite part about my study abroad was, I freeze. I want to say the friendships and relationships I formed, but I also want to say the safari in Botswana, and going bungee jumping in Zimbabwe, and seeing Nelson Mandela's house in Johannesburg, and eating at the local markets with food from all over Africa, and cooking classes and the hiking and beaches. It's so hard to choose; however, it was not hard to choose South Africa to study abroad. And I would choose it again and again!

South Africa and Cape Town as a whole is a unique experience just by nature of the location itself. In a country with a culture so unlike any other, this program provides the opportunity to learn and experience so much more than you might on a more conventional or popular program. The rich political, cultural, and economic history alone creates an abundance of opportunity to learn, not to mention the rich political, cultural, and economic current that you can interact with and enjoy throughout courses, activities, involvement in clubs/societies, program excursions, and more. I cannot recommend this program enough!

This program is absolutely amazing! It is focused on experiential learning which was so invaluable. We visited hospitals, clinics, and social justice organizations on a weekly basis in addition to our courses. We had two larger trips during the semester that led us all around southern Africa. I felt so immersed and exposed to reality of Cape Town. The courses were community health-based and I could not speak more highly about the staff. It truly felt like a family in such a tight-knit program.

Great organization in the most beautiful place in the world!

My study abroad experience in Cape Town, South Africa was nothing less than liberating and transformational. I am a first-generation college student from Buffalo, NY at Howard University, therefore my experience abroad truly inspired me to encourage more HBCU students and black students to study abroad since we are underrepresented in these programs. My favorite class abroad was Community Development in Context (South Africa). This class truly added more to my study abroad experience and helped me interact more effectively with the local students and citizens. For example, in this class we learned about South African history from Apartheid to modern-day inequalities and inequities in South African higher education. Ultimately, my favorite thing about study abroad was the service-learning component. I had the opportunity to volunteer with 3 different organizations related to education, which is a field I plan to pursue as part of my long-term career goals.

Deciding on a study abroad program is a difficult decision ecause there are so many out there, and you’re not sure which one is the best fit. I was looking for a way to study my major public health in depth in a global setting. IES’s program in Cape Town allowed me to do this. I was able to take the IES course Community Health in Context in addition to my University of Cape Town classes which was a small class that allowed for discussion and getting to know the professor, and also gave us the opportunity to do service learning. This class augmented my learning experience in South Africa.

In addition to the IES course I took 3 other classes at the University of Cape Town. The academics at the were challenging, and could be frustrating at times because of the differences in workload and grading compared to the US. However, I did learn a great amount in relation to South Africa's history and culture.

IES staff were kind, hardworking, and helpful with anything that need during your six months abroad. They helped with any issues that may have arised in academics (both at the University of Cape Town and the IES courses), housing accommodations, service learning, field trips, etc. They are there for you if you are having a problem adjusting to the differences in academics or living abroad, or if you just want to stop in for a quick chat.

Another aspect I thoroughly enjoyed about IES were the free field trips which included Boulder’s Beach (penguin colony!) a Cape Malay cooking class, tour of Bo-Kaap, District 6 museum, Old Biscuit Mill, etc. They also offered to optional excursions at an additional subsidized cost (highly recommend) which was the Garden Route and a safari at Kruger National Park.

Cape Town has so much to offer from hiking to surfing, food markets, and shopping. It’s full of history and culture with many museums to visit, as well as Robben Island (a must).

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience abroad because I met so many great people from all around the world, and was able to learn about a new culture and the history of South Africa.

Before I went to Cape Town, people would tell me that "studying abroad is a life-changing experience," and I had a hard time believing them. Initially, I thought that studying abroad was a chance to experience a different world. But I did not think that experiencing a "different world" would change me. To me, it made sense that study abroad students would experience a different world and gain skills in intercultural communication--among other things--as a result. However, I reasoned that experiencing a different world and having one's life fundamentally changed were two mutually independent events. That said, living in South Africa for a semester and being able to take classes at the University of Cape Town changed my mind. Sure, I acquired skills, but more importantly, the radically different culture and world I got to experience forced me to change. Admittedly, I'm rather introspective, but studying abroad led me to reflect on all the differences I saw between South Africa, America, and their respective citizens. Moreover, I then had to decide how I would think and live moving forward. So, when people say that studying abroad is a life-changing experience, they're not lying or overexaggerating. Studying abroad gives students the chance to reflect on and be changed by all that they experience. And IES Abroad made this process as smooth as it could have been.

I studied in Cape Town, South Africa for six months with IES for the spring 2019 semester. The program was supportive in terms of responding to students' needs, arranging an orientation with lots of culturally immersive activities, and educating us about local culture. I would say there was less support once the semester got underway. We had lots of freedom but also had the security of knowing there was a fully staffed office just down the road from our accommodation to answer any questions we had. The field trips throughout the semester were well-planned and lots of fun. We also had RA's living in close proximity if we ever needed assistance.

There were two options for housing through this program: either communal living in a house with a shared kitchen and bathrooms or studio style apartments. I opted for the first option and really enjoyed it. There was also the option to switch your housing placement if you were unsatisfied.

I only took courses at the University of Cape Town, but the program also offered classes at the IES Center. I was fairly disappointed with the quality of the academics at the University. The different grading system, lack of clear grading criteria, and general unorganized nature of the classes was frustrating at times. However, learning more about the culture through the classes was a huge part of my experience. The classes changed my perspective on different ideologies I held which I now realize were the result of only taking classes from a western perspective before attending UCT. Obviously, IES has no control over the academics at the University, but they did act as a liason if any issues arose between students and professors/admin. The academics were challenging and classes required a lot of dedication to receive high marks.

The local culture was easy to adapt to because everyone spoke English and people were generally very friendly and willing to talk to you. There were lots of clubs to get involved in at the University and endless activities in the area to participate in. Honestly, the people who had the best experiences tended to be open to the opportunities available. I rarely said no to doing anything while I was there and ended up having an incredible semester. I highly recommend this program to anyone looking for a study abroad experience with opportunities beyond what a typical European program would offer, since Cape Town not only had an amazing nightlife but also hiking, service learning opportunities, and the chance to be immersed in a non-westernized culture.