AIFS Abroad in Seville, Spain: Semester

I spent the fall 2023 semester in Sevilla through AIFS and I loved it! AIFS, specifically our resident director, Edu, really made it a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Edu has a ton of experience, is super helpful, and very cool. He went the extra mile to make sure all of us were set up for success. Even small things like showing us where our classes were made a huge difference and were things that students from other programs didn't benefit from. Some of my favorite moments were the activities that AIFS organized, including a paella cooking class and a flamenco class. I also loved how easy it was to travel through Europe from Sevilla. Something that took some getting used to was how hot the weather was through October, but it was worth it having 60-70 degree weather in December! If you're thinking about studying abroad in Sevilla with AIFS, I would totally recommend it. Make sure you keep an open mind, try new things, and put yourself outside of your comfort zone. AIFS was there for me every step of the way and I would recommend them for anybody interested in studying abroad, especially in Sevilla!

I am pursuing a career in the film industry and have always wanted to study abroad, so I did some research and found the European Cinema course through AIFS Abroad. I was given the wonderful opportunity to travel to three major cities, which included London, Paris, and Rome. It was the experience of a lifetime! My fantastic tour manager, Edu Padial, took my class and I around to see different filming locations of major motion pictures, we saw Warner Brother Studios where they filmed the Harry Potter series, and a variety of different museums, while also being given an opportunity to see the sights that each location had to offer. As the class traveled, I was able to learn about the different European film movements from Dr. Caleb Turner. I truly cannot speak more fondly about my experience. Both Edu and Dr. Turner were fantastic and it is a trip that I will never forget!

It was absolutely the best experience I could ask for. Everywhere we stayed was beautiful! AIFs made sure that where we stayed was in the most PERFECt locations throughout the three cities we went to. The travel between countries was such a fun experience too! Getting to experience the Eurostar, and going on trains and planes with the group was such a fun time too I never minded the travel days! The tour manager and staff were all so very kind and helpful- our tour manager was the BEST. He was so helpful, funny, and always so welcoming- truly MADE the experience what it was. The people I met on the trip were amazing and having 3 weeks to bond with each other was great. Lifelong friendships were definitely made on this trip. I could not recommend going with AIFs more. I had the best time and would absolutely go again if I could.

My experience studying abroad in Sevilla, Spain with AIFS was easily my favorite few months ever. My choice to go to Sevilla had a lot to do with which classes I thought were fun and interesting and what excursions and activities were provided by AIFS, and I can safely say it was one of the best decisions I've made. I quickly fell in love with the beauty of the city and it had everything I could've wanted, from easy walking distances to beautiful sights to see. My classes were good overall, but my favorites were definitely the ones taught in Spanish, and I highly recommend you take at least one of those while here. However, what really allowed the experience to become what I remember it as today was the structure provided by AIFS and the care the AIFS team in Sevilla gave to making sure each and every one of us felt at home in the city and had fun on our excursions. I am forever grateful to everything they did to help me feel more comfortable in Sevilla and without them, I can guarantee the experience would've been much more stressful. All in all, if you want to study abroad in Spain and are trying to decide on a city, I couldn't recommend Sevilla enough.