IES Abroad Milan

IES was an amazing program that offered so many opportunities I never would've experienced anywhere else. IES provides each apartment with a live-in Italian student to help make everyone's immersion into the culture of the country easier and more enjoyable. I learned so much from this one student and it really enhanced my experience in Italy. IES also offers two guided trips to places I never would've gone had IES not offered these trips. Both trips were incredible and showed students what Italy is like outside of the tourist attractions. Overall, the staff were very friendly and helpful and the classes were very insightful. I took 4 classes all on different parts of Italian history and it definitely made me more knowledgable and understanding of the country I was living in.

My time in Milan with IES was the best four months of my life. It all started with great organization and dedication from the IES staff in Milan. Their main concern was ensuring that everyone had an unforgettable time and their safety. If any problems arose, the staff was ready to address it immediately. My apartment and living situation was great. I was preparing myself for the worst, but it was a large, modern apartment right in the heart of Milan. The selection of classes allowed me to learn about things that I would have not otherwise had the chance to back at my home school. I did not know any Italian before I arrived, but the program required us to take Italian and for that I am grateful. It was a tremendous help at restaurants, asking for directions, and talking to my coworkers at the internship IES organized for me. Many students are drawn to Italy when thinking about where to study abroad because of the food, culture, history, fashion, and climate. However, most choose to study further south in Florence or Rome, but I think Milan is the perfect place. It is a city similar to the other ones in Western Europe and the United States and because of that it is easier to get acclimated. It is also very easy to travel to the rest of Italy in the south and the rest of continental Europe to the north. There is always something to do in Milan, day and night, with green parks, amazing restaurants, and countless bars, pubs, and clubs.
I have nothing but positive things to say about Milan and Italy as a whole. My favorite part would have to be the overall way of life in Milan. It is the financial capital of Italy, so it was very pro-business and at times felt like Philadelphia or New York, but they also had characteristics from the way of life in Southern Italy. While everyone was working hard, they always made time to relax and appreciate the beauty of life in everything from art to fashion and food.
The thing that separated my experience from others in my program was that I opted to partake in an internship as three of my credits. I worked at a consumer packaged goods start-up called Banale. I did everything from marketing, order fulfillment, website design and even new product development. They are currently building a prototype based on my recommendations. Not many people can say they have international work experience before graduating college, and even fewer can point to a product on the market and say that, "I designed that and now people are buying it."
My typical day in the life of my program was a bit different because three days a week I went to work for about five hours per day. In the mornings we would take the Metro to class, and it worked perfectly. There wasn't one time I wished I had a car because the metro ran so smoothly, as well as trams and buses. Midday there would be a break for lunch where students would go home to cook or to nearby cafes and restaurants. Students might return for afternoon classes, depending on their schedules. We would then go home and get ready for the night. We would either cook dinner, go out to a full restaurant, or just go out for "aperitivo" which is appetizers and cocktails. Then each night there was a different club running promotions for international students. Some nights we went to local pubs to watch "calcio" or soccer matches from across Europe.
In my free time it was fun to just explore the city, going to the different districts and seeing what they had to offer. My favorite was Navigli, or the canal district, because of the cafes for aperitivo. It was also fun to go shopping in the fashion capital of the world, even if a lot of the items were very pricey. On sunny days it was nice to hangout in local parks after classes were over. I even made it to a few soccer matches at the famous San Siro stadium, home to both Inter and AC Milan. Again, the nightlife was incredible and each club offered a little something different.
We had the option to stay in an apartment, a homestay with a local family, or a dorm room at a nearby university, but I chose the apartment. I stayed in a three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with four other American students and one local Italian student. We stayed in a very modern apartment that was very spacious. It was in a very safe neighborhood, so that was never a concern. It was actually in one of the wealthier neighborhoods of Milan. The best part was, as they say, the location, location, location. I was only a 5-10 minute walk from the Duomo, which is the heart of the city.
When I first chose Milan, everybody always asked me, "Why Milan?" and my answer was because it was the financial capital of Italy and the fashion capital of the world. I discovered the Milan is so much more than that and I cannot imagine getting to call any other place home for five months. Part of me will always be there, and that's thanks to the amazing staff at IES that run this program.

My year-long experience in Milan was life-changing to say the least. I am so grateful to have picked this program because I was able to explore my passions of photography and fashion which allowed me to continue to develop my fashion blog (www.anewerkatintown.com), become immersed in the Italian language, and have the opportunity to take classes at a world ranked school, Bocconi University. I also loved the cultural immersion aspect that the program provided by scheduling trips to museums, exhibits, and restaurants. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is interested in studying business in Italy, and having a diverse and unique experience!

I loved living in Milan and taking classes through IES. The staff at IES in Milan cares so deeply about their students and the cultural experiences we have during our time spent in Italy. They organize amazing trips to different parts of Italy and send out weekly suggested activities for those staying in Milan every weekend. The teachers want to see you succeed and they respect that students are also traveling on weekends. I lived with a host family and loved it. They were caring and sweet and respected my space.

I had an absolutely amazing experience abroad. I lived with a host family and learned Italian while traveling Europe and Italy. I played lots of violin and learned from an incredible teacher who taught me everything I needed to know. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to immerse themselves in Italian culture and experience music from a different worldview. Italians are amazing people and the administration at IES abroad is extremely equipped to handle just about anything.

I'd never realized my eyes were closed until I opened them to the world of study abroad, in Milan. With the support of the wonderful IES staff, I embarked on an incredible adventure, l'esperienza di una vita ("experience of a lifetime"). There were three housing options, but I chose to live in an Italian dorm. In this way, I soon became a part of two unique and welcoming communities, that of my dorm and that of IES. I could practice Italian every day with the new friends I made, learn about life at other Italian universities, and learn about Italian cultural differences from people of different regions. At IES, I had my formal academic classes and heard about all the events, activities, and hidden gems of Milan that we should discover. Of these, for example, I attended a concert at the famous Teatro alla Scala (free tickets from IES!), visited museums on the first Sunday of every month (free in Milan!), and attended the wildly popular Artigiano in Fiera, a massive market with goods from around the world. Milan has so much to offer, and it is truly an amazing city where it's easy to explore via metro, on foot, or even on bike! I recommend taking advantage of all opportunities available- whether that be hopping on a train from Milano Centrale to Torino for a day, practicing Italian with one of the IES Italian community assistants, or taking a stroll around the city and finding a Roman ruin. I felt I learned more in a semester than I had in a lifetime, simply by absorbing these new things around me. I highly recommend studying in Milan; with IES as your guide, you too can discover la bellezza ("beauty") di Milano, just open your eyes and take it all in...

My IES abroad experience is one I will never forget. The IES Milan School has a great program for students who also want to take classes at Italian universities. I also took classes at Bocconi, the business school in Milan. This school was a challenge, but I loved being at university with students from Italy as well as other countries around the world. Though IES Milan I was able to take language classes as well as classes at Bocconi, which was something that was important to me as I studied abroad.
I also chose to stay with a family. IES Milan does an amazing job of housing you with families that are so welcoming. In my homestay I had 4 sisters who were a variety of different ages. They also pair you with students in an apartment that allows you to meet students that go to IES as well.
The city of Milan is one of my favorite cities in Italy. There truly is everything. It has amazing food, a great history, and of course lots of shopping. Another benefit of choosing Milan is that is it very easy to get almost anywhere. There are three airports as well has a multitude of high speed trains. I loved my study abroad experience in Milan and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to study abroad in Italy.

Studying abroad was a strong desire of mine heading into my freshman year of college. For others, it's a "tug of war" decision. As an anthropology major, my goal is to engage with the world we live in and understand how other people live. I studied abroad in Milan, Italy during the spring of my sophomore year. Having the opportunity to travel overseas on my own was a thrilling and nerving experience. As I got dropped off at the airport I said arrivederci ("see you soon") to my family before checking in with security. The beginning of my new adventure unexpectedly turned when my flight was delayed for several hours and eventually cancelled due to weather conditions and flight errors. I chose to spend the night at the airport to make the best of the situation and embrace the experience of traveling. I met five people throughout the night and early morning who shared with me their individual stories and upcoming travels to Egypt, Moscow, Italy, the Philippines, and London. One of them studied abroad in London years prior, returned to complete her master's, and now permanently lives there. The wise women who was departing to the Philippines unfortunately received the news that her flight was cancelled after she shared with me her worldly travels as a foreign service officer. Their company during my wait made the beginning of my adventure all the better. Surprisingly enough, they shared similar advice with me—to be patient, open-minded, and let the experience unfold from itself.
Although I was almost a day and a half late, I eventually made it to Milan and met my host family, IES staff, and classmates. I was relieved to be in the city that was going to be my classroom, which ended up becoming "my home away from home." Listening to people's stories made all the experience profound and enticing. I became friends with locals through a foreign language exchange program through IES abroad. The program is open to all students who wish to improve their language speaking skills and meet new people. From the exchange experience I was invited to a college graduation ceremony and witnessed ceremonial traditions, such as wearing the laurel wreath. Saying hello to what awaited me in Milan helped me control my eagerness and excitement. Moments that included Milan's food and art culture was a whirlwind experience as I lived in it every day. Out-of-class field excursions were memorable, especially the time my Italian professor took our class to a professional cooking studio where we learned to make pasta from scratch.
To expect the unexpected is a lesson learned. There are some circumstances that are out of a person's control and you have to keep calm and keep going. Within my first few days in Milan I did get lost (e.g. ending up in Chinatown instead of class), but I found it rewarding once I figured out how to navigate the entire city and public transport without a map. Study abroad allows you to be independent, be courageous, discover, and grow personally, academically, and professionally with the support of many people.