Summer of a lifetime!!!!

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!!!