CIEE College Study Abroad in Seville, Spain

CIEE IBC was the best decision I made for an abroad program. Not only was everything very well organized but the staff was outstanding at providing support and guidance throughout the semester. The home-stay aspect was the most valuable part of the program because it provided a true cultural immersion in Seville and dramatically helped me improve my Spanish. I have made lifelong bonds during the program with both American and Spanish students, and I don't think that would have been possible without the support of CIEE.

I had an AMAZING time in Sevilla and I can honestly say studying there through CIEE was the best decision I could have ever made! It made me grow on so many levels. I was able to learn about many different cultures with the 5 months that I had to travel around Europe and even to Morocco, Africa. When abroad I actually met a Spaniard who I am still currently dating. I think having him allowed me to experience the culture much more in depth. I was able to visit small Spanish towns all around Sevilla and I was able to communicate with locals which further helped me advance my Spanish skills. I met many people and I learned so many things that I would have never learned without studying here.

After my first experience abroad when I was 17 and then a summer abroad as a foreign exchange student when I was 18, I expanded my horizons further by living abroad for my entire junior year of college through the University of Sevilla program in Seville, Spain. The University of Sevilla has agreements with many domestic universities for study abroad in Sevilla and I went while I was at Michigan State University. What makes this program different from some other study abroad programs is that all the classes we took were on campus at the University of Sevilla and they were all in Spanish.

Our group was fairly large and included students who were in Sevilla for an entire year, like myself, and others who were there for a semester. We all arrived in Sevilla independently and some on different days, and then had a collective orientation in Sevilla where we reviewed some cultural information but primarily studied intense Spanish. The perquisite for the program was some fluency in Spanish, which we all had, some to more degree than others. The intense Spanish classes lasted about two weeks, during which time we were all getting accustomed to living with our host families or arranging other housing.

Originally, we were all placed with families but we were given the option to find our own housing if we desired. I moved out of my host family after a few weeks and into a boarding house. After a month there I moved into an apartment with two other students in the program and our piso (apartment) housed several students throughout the year who were in transition from a family or other living arrangements.

Our classes at the University of Sevilla were amazing – they were all in Spanish and taught by Spanish professors. All the exams, papers, homework – everything – was in Spanish. This was not a sugar coated version of Spanish classes, but actual courses at the University – like an agricultural class that taught all the ways to get olives from olive trees….reading El Mio Cid and Cien Anos de Soledad in Spanish, with papers and discussions in Spanish. Assimilating into life at the University meant meeting professors after class in the bar for office hours to discuss homework or questions. We met many students from other programs but none of them had the classes actually at the University and taught by university professors. This program was the real deal.

While we studied a lot and worked hard at class, the social aspects of living in Sevilla were phenomenal. We had a lot of vacation and most of the students traveled all over Europe on break, as well as throughout Spain. It was a long year and when I was over we were all ready to go home. Sevilla is an enchanting city and the University was wonderful. On my most recent visit to Seville, I actually ran into the coordinator of the program. It was a blast from the past and reminded me of how small Sevilla really can be, while having so much to offer, back then and still today.

During my time at the Sevilla CIEE study center, I was able to take interesting class that fit my two passions: teaching and Spanish. The study center is gorgeous and the professors were all very enthusiastic and willing to help you out in any way possible, class or otherwise. There are also always other Spaniards who work there hanging around to chat with or ask about anything. And not only was I able to take a variety of interesting classes there at the study center, but I also had the opportunity to take a class at the Universidad de Sevilla. All of these classes transferred back to my university in the United States, as CIEE is an established organization that has been working with many universities for a long time. My semester in Sevilla really was academically challenging.
The orientation process on-site upon arrival was also incredibly useful, not just showing you around the famous parts of the city, but actually showing you how to live and get around in Sevilla, so I felt prepared to get where I needed to on my own once the process was over.
With a variety of clubs, trips, and volunteer opportunities which are all already included in the cost of the program, I was really able to also get to experience many of the different parts of Spain and the variety of cultures which it contains. There were also many different events and activities sponsored by the study center to be able to meet Spaniards, make friends, and get to know more about the culture and community of Sevilla.

The CIEE Liberal Arts program in Seville, Spain exceeded every expectation I had for abroad. I was able to travel throughout for all-expense paid day trips throughout Spain and a weekend trip to Granada with other people in my program! CIEE study center was an amazing open building with enthusiastic professors and hands-on learning that encouraged more cultural excursions in Seville. I loved the program so much I am now an ambassador on my campus for CIEE!

I had an amazing time in the CIEE CNMJ program in Seville, Spain, mostly because I had a loving host family, a fantastic, small program community, and a beautiful urban landscape of Seville.

CIEE CNMJ did a great job building community among program participants through orientation and amazing, free excursions to different cities in and around Spain. This was probably CIEE CNMJ's strong suit.

However, CIEE CNMJ's academic curriculum and professor training needs work. While they claim the academics operate on an American system, courses operate on their own, with complete disregard for an overarching curriculum. This meant certain courses were extremely easy with no homework, while other classes had ridiculous amounts of reading, extremely challenging tests, no grade curving, and no professor support. If CIEE CNMJ improves their academic program and creates an actual structure with learning objectives, etc., then I would give this program 10/10 rating.

I loved the program overall, and had an amazing experience learning the language, culture, and being in a new place. The only thing I wish was different was the housing. They place you in homestays that are pretty far away from each other, as well as most of them are a far walk from school as well which I thought was hard, especially at first.

Loved my time in Sevilla. The program attracts a great group of students and I had a blast while there. The housing where students lived was a bit spread all over the city (I was about a 40min walk from class), but everyone meets up for the botellon in a few parks/ plazas on weekends, so it wasn't bad. The classes through CIEE took things much more seriously (attendance was important, as was turning in homework), but the professors were generally good. The classes at the university of sevilla were much more laid back, the grade almost entirely dependent on the final exam, and little support. But not bad. Great time. Definitely recommend it.