CIEE College Study Abroad in Seville, Spain

My experience studying and interning abroad in Sevilla, Spain through CIEE was beyond amazing. It exceeded my expectations in almost every way possible. The staff and orientation guides were clearly interested in providing us the best experience they could, and I felt that they did a phenomenal job introducing me to the city and helping me feel at home. I cannot speak highly enough of the homestay aspect, either. I grew very close with my host family and still talk to my little host brother on WhatsApp now. I 100% feel that the homestay was key in increasing my fluency level, and I now feel confident putting bilingual on my resume. My internship with Biomedal not only contributed to my language skills, but it was also very relevant to my academic studies in bioengineering seeing that it is a biotechnology company. I cannot think of a single complaint about my study abroad experience, aside from the fact that 8 weeks was far too short. I already miss Sevilla and hope to be back very soon. Thank you CIEE!

My experience studying abroad this past summer in Seville, Spain through CIEE was an amazing one. I was nervous to embark on this trip by myself, but knew I wanted an intense Spanish immersion experience in a city with rich history and culture. My four weeks spent with CIEE flew by, and that was thanks to the incredible staff, who were so helpful and accommodating, as well as the rigorous but fun education I received. My housing situation worked out perfectly, and fit the criteria I requested, and I thoroughly enjoyed my teacher and class material. My Spanish improved so much in the month I spent there, and classes were never boring or too overwhelming. The staff at CIEE were available always to answer any questions, and made sure that my experience in Seville was positive and memorable. There are so many things to do and places to see in this gorgeous city, and CIEE made it very accessible for everyone to make the most of their time there. All of the people in my program were awesome, and I made some great friends that I am still in touch with today. Seville holds a very special place in my heart, and CIEE plays a large role in that! I would definitely recommend this program and company to anyone looking for an incredible immersion and/or cultural experience!

The academics really depends on what classes you take. The difficulty of the content was not a problem for me; the real struggle came with trying to understand the professors. Eventually you get used to the way they speak and it will be fine, but the challenge really came from the language barrier, not the actual content of the classes. The classes at the local universities don't have much day-to-day work, they just have one big exam at the end of the semester. CIEE has tutors on-hand to help you with whatever courses you take, and I highly recommend using them to make sure you're on the right page. If you do that, then you shouldn't have any issues academically. There are plenty of opportunities to go out at night, and Feria de Abril is a must-even if you only go one day just to experience it. CIEE is always available if you need anything. They give you a lot of freedom to travel and experience Spain on your own, but all you have to do is ask (for walk-in clinics, lists of family-friendly restaurants in case your family visits, good flamenco shows, etc.).

Seville is one of the safest cities I've ever been in. While theft is an issue, violent crime is extremely low in Spain in general, so I felt very safe and very comfortable in this city during all hours of the day (or night). My host family was very helpful and took care of a lot of things for me, and they understood that as a college student I'd be coming and going on my own schedule.

Seville is a great city full of history, and you should definitely go to a flamenco show, a soccer game, and go to the beach at least once. I loved my time abroad and I would certainly choose this program again. There's time to travel (in Spain and out of it) and you can really get into the local lifestyle through the various holidays, especially during spring semester's Semana Santa and Feria de Abril. Seville is known for these events, so take advantage of them!

I had a wonderful experience studying abroad in Seville, Spain through CIEE. The staff was helpful and kind, and clearly cared about our safety and wellbeing. I appreciated the consistent communication to program participates and how the staff showed that they were readily available to chat regarding any concerns you may have had, from housing to academics. For anyone who is worried about doing a homestay with a host family, I understand why you would be nervous, because I was too. However, I highly recommend doing a homestay, as this is the best way to learn and become integrated into the local culture. While it is important to get to know your host city, I believe that, if you have budgeted for it, you MUST travel around Europe, or even just within Spain. I am so happy that I got to experience a new city almost every weekend because I feel that it enriched my cultural experience beyond what I was expecting to get out of my time abroad. Take advantage of program-run excursions, too, though, because they are fun and well-organized, and takes the burden of personal travel plans off of your shoulders for a couple of trips! I think my biggest pieces of advice for anyone thinking of traveling abroad would be to always stay on guard and look after your belongings, look after your peers, always make sure your phone is charged, and plan ahead for your weekend travels, including flights, lodging, and a rough itinerary of places you want to go/things you want to see. Finally, don't be afraid to take a solo trip somewhere. I would recommend doing this once you have a little bit of travel under your belt, though, because sometimes traveling alone can be nerve-wracking.

Going abroad with CIEE was absolutely life changing. I loved every second of it and never wanted to return home. The professors were incredible and the staff was wonderful. I never felt unsafe or like I didn't have any support. CIEE was fun, informational, and helped me reach my goals for my study abroad experience both academically and culturally. I would highly recommend to anyone interested in having an amazing experience abroad.

If you are looking to connect with the local students and practice your Spanish, ALA is the program to go with! When you take classes at the local universities, you are with local students and many are interested in talking and helping us with the classes. Also, CIEE has awesome interns, who provide workshops to learn about grammar or the culture, and they encourage students to speak in Spanish. The interns also invite students to get coffee a lot, which is a huge part of the culture. I still talk to these students even months after leaving.
If the idea of classes all in Spanish make you nervous, CIEE provides tutors for every class that you do, and they help you study or correct your grammar on papers. ALA also gives students some money to spend in Spain. I used part of the money to take Salsa and Bachata classes with a variety of people in Seville.

I would absolutely recommend this program. Sevilla is the perfect sized city, not too small and not too big. The entire city is full of so much history without the hassle of traffic or crowds. CIEE is also the best program in the city. My fiancee studied abroad in another program in Sevilla and we both agreed that my program was better. CIEE offers so many cultural excursions and tours that help you take the most out of your experience. CIEE places the majority of its students in homestay which is the best way to really immerse yourself in the language.

My time abroad with CIEE was one of the best times of my life! I stayed with a host family and learned more Spanish than I ever did taking classes in school. I got to experience Spain in such an authentic way, and even more, in Seville! It's a place filled with so much culture and history. I took part in CIEE's intercambio program, and was able to practice my Spanish once a week with a Spanish student. It was good I had this opportunity becuase I got to see Seville through the eyes of a local. CIEE provided endless amounts of support and many excursions. I even visited Morocco! One of the things I appreciated about the program is the required mid-semester check in. It made me realize that I wanted to do more things and take advantage of my time being there.

I loved that I went to Seville in the Spring because I was able to experience Semana Santa and Feria. I have such amazing memories of Feria- what a week! Every one was dressed up dancing sevillanas and sipping rebujitos in casetas! And the fireworks on the last day were the most beautiful I've ever seen.

As a black woman, one of the concerns I had was going from a very diverse city in the Bay Area to a homogeneously Spanish city, but the people in Seville were all very sweet and helpful. It was definitely a culture shock for me, but I learned that the people I interacted with learned as much about my culture and experience as I did theirs. Overall, I highly suggest going to Seville through CIEE. You will not be disappointed!