CIEE College Study Abroad in Seville, Spain

Words can’t describe how awesome this program was. During my adventure I learned how to say hello, thank you and goodbye in 5 languages. I saw so many cool historical and natural sites that I got tired of them. I got to really close with my host family, experienced real Spanish traditions, and we still stay in contact. I spent time volunteering at a middle school and improved my Spanish from beginner to intermediate. I had classes with all kinds of international kids who had experiences all over the world. I learned and reflected about how culture affects the way we learn and look at the world. Best of all, I overcame a lot of my personal fears and gained a new level of confidence and intercultural competence that has changed my life.

I picked this because I'm a comm major w/interest in journalism, and because of the urban setting and CIEE's varied extracurricular activities.

Staff and faculty are smart, caring people. Any help I needed could be found on the top floor of study center. They are open about safety, resources, etc. and they hold students to a high standard of using common sense. The response to COVID was calm, informed, and measured.

Students cared about their Spanish skills and immersion. The day trips are great, but the more frequent tours and activities throughout the week are awesome ways to meet more faculty, a super easy way to get to know the city and the social calendar as well as other students from CIEE's many programs. About half of my classes were fairly easy, the other half were more serious/high level work. All the classes had less reading required than at my home university. Magazine class focused on storytelling and Profe Oscar Ceballos cares passionately about the craft. My Cursos Concertados flamenco class was fantastic. The classes available to you are in the study center for the CNMJ, Nervion for business, Triana for a few more, like my dance class. The classes do not necessarily help you get out into the community in an interactive and deep way, that is more up to you to figure out how to build connections with vendors or citizens when you visit the market or the women's march with class. I expected it to push me more/harder to do that. Regardless, the opportunities are there!

Homestays are great, and for the CNMJ program their location is in La Alameda or La Macarena, home to a lively artist community and close to the river and Calle Feria, and closer to the study center than the other neighborhoods, so it is arguably the best homestay neighborhood CIEE has in Seville.
I loved walking everywhere, smelling the orange blossoms, and riding a bike, as well as weekend independent travel. I had a little trouble connecting with my homestay (only 8 weeks though cuz COVID) but we got along well. I was with another student and she interacted very little with me. CIEE's weekly activities and their first month-ish social helped add variety and meet new people.

Studying in Seville is not my first time living abroad independently. However, it is definitely my first time speaking a language that I am not proficient with and adapting to a culture I have almost zero knowledge with. Ciee equipped me with a two weeks intensive Spanish training session, a four hundred level grammar class, and a variety of courses focusing on the history and society of the Spanish speaking world. I could take small-size panels at the institution itself or join in universities' lectures. The diversity and flexibility of registering for classes allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of Spain as well as charting my credits toward a bachelor degree in International Relations and Spanish.

Most professors at Ciee also teach courses in local universities, therefore they have highly organized teaching structures and years of experiences in their fields. For example, on my class Politics and Society of the Contemporary Arab World, Professor Eduardo del Campo incorporated his stories of being a journalist into his class. He has shared students with exclusive photographs taken by himself as he travelled through the middle east, such as scenes of the neighborhood on the Israel-Palestine border. The pictures and his real-life experiences made his opinions and narratives on the issues of the Arab world more appealing and convincing.

Just like Professor Eduardo del Campo, many Ciee faculties supported students to learn and integrate into the society through different manners which are not limited to a one hour and thirty minutes class. Students were able to register for a language exchange program sponsored by the University of Seville in which they practice speaking Spanish with their Spanish partners who are interested in learning and practicing English. Every week, there was an additional reunion at white bar for all students from the program where students can meet each other and develop their own networks. Since English is not my first language and most Spanish students are looking for a native English speaker to tutor them, I found it difficult to have a Spanish partner who can meet up with me on a regular base.

Instead, I spent more time on attending Ciee sponsored excursions and tours in and out of the city. Within three months, I visited Cadiz, Ronda, Córdoba, Jerez de la Frontera, and Huelva with Ciee. The one-day trip usually has a full agenda which includes studying historical sites, trying local food, visiting galleries, etc. Also, I have developed a genuine friendship with some Ciee students through the process. I met my friends Sam and Tess during the city tour at “Las Setas”, a landmark architecture of Seville. I also spent four out of five excursion trips with Jasmine. I did not dare to hope I would have good friends after I left Mount Holyoke College, but it turned out I could easily meet people who share same interests with me during countless extracurricular events. With the love and support from my friends, living and studying in Seville no longer became difficult and lonely for me.

My studying abroad in Seville will continue in 2020. Next semester, I will change my program from liberal arts to business and society in order to take more economics classes. Additionally, I hope to challenge myself and spend more time talking and networking with locals. Therefore, I will cherish the opportunities that Ciee offer me in interning or volunteering in Seville institutions. On the same time, I will take advantage of my previous experience and stay out of my comfort zone, which means I will spend more time in the language exchange program and become fully confident in speaking Spanish under whatever circumstances.

The opportunities and memories I made in the CIEE program in Sevilla are going to stay with me forever. I made amazing friends, traveled to many locations, and even had an awesome internship with a very cool boss that I still talk to. One part of this program that I found really unique was the Morocco trip. There was concern that the trip was going to be cancelled due to high winds making the ferry ride impossible. With a stroke of luck and very bad sea sickness (totally worth it though), we finally arrived there. I am going to be honest here, I started doubting the trip before we went because it was such a daunting experience that I did not feel ready for. After the trip, I did not want to leave. CIEE had the perfect itinerary and we got to know a variety of people who lived there. I would not trade that experience for anything. To this day, it is one of the most eye opening experiences I have ever had. It brings a whole new life to what my mind thought Morocco was due to movies and other media. Morocco has such a beautiful culture and life to it that I wish I could share with others. It is one of those, you have to see to believe. If you are debating on CIEE, I say just go for it. I loved my program and it is worth it to take those leaps. If studying abroad taught me anything, it is that nothing is as it seems. Life is meant for you to push yourself into become more than you could have ever imagined.

I have wanted to study abroad since my freshman year of college. I entered into school wanting to minor in spanish and international business, and knew that being able to study abroad in Spain would help me with both my academic and professional growth. I truly do not have enough positive words to say about this program and everyone involved. My expectations have been beyond exceeded and I recommend this to anyone who is looking for an immersive cultural and learning experience. I have learned more in my first four sessions both in my spanish language skills and cultural awareness than any of my classes taken previously. The emphasis on genuine learning rather than just grades is something that has brought my passion and motivation for school back. Every professor and CIEE staff member that I have met has been extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and kind. The excursions through the program have been a great mix of learning and fun, and the leaders seem genuinely happy to be there. I am currently only halfway done with my study abroad, and I can already tell that this will be the most significant period of learning, not only academically, but personally and I feel greatful to have chosen CIEE Seville.

I thoroughly enjoyed my study abroad experience in Seville. The course work was rigorous and definitely forced me to continually practice my written and oral Spanish language skills. Before participating in the program, I was comfortable reading, writing and being lectured to in Spanish, but by the end of the semester I was also confident in my spoken language ability and lost nearly all my self-consciousness speaking Spanish. I strongly recommend a semester immersion program for any students who want to hone their Spanish language skills while gaining course credit abroad!

Note: I took courses in both the CIEE Seville Center and the Universidad de Sevilla. The staff and faculty support at the CIEE center helped provide resources while I experienced culture shock and language insecurity, and the courses at the Universidad de Sevilla gave me a community of local students to immerse myself more fully in the local culture. Strongly recommend taking courses at as many locations as possible!

I have just returned home from studying abroad in Sevilla on CIEE's Liberal Arts program, and I already miss everything about it! I could talk forever about my experience, but here are the highlights:

1. My host family. Of course this all depends on the person, but in my case, CIEE matched me perfectly with what I said was important to me on my housing evaluation. My host family couldn't have been more generous and kind. My host dad liked to cook as a hobby, so every meal I had was both delicious and authentic; plus, my host parents were retired history professors, so they made an effort to give me historical background both on Sevilla and on other countries or cities when I went on trips. Bonus points: they had a dog. Again, obviously everyone would have a different host family, but it seemed like CIEE does a pretty good job of matching students with families that are right for them.

2. The activities and trips sponsored by CIEE! I took two weekend trips with CIEE, one to Granada and one to Málaga with my interest group. Both of these trips were amazing, and Granada ended up being one of my favorite places I visited. CIEE does a good job of combining free time with planned programming, and the planned programming was always fun and informative (for example, in Granada we did a tour of the Alhambra, and if I had gone alone, it would have been very overwhelming and I would have learned a lot less). And when you're given free time, the staff always has recommendations of places to go or things to do. Besides weekend trips, they also offer activities like kayaking on the Guadalquivir river or day trips. If you can, take advantage of these, because it's a great opportunity to do fun stuff in Sevilla and it's included in the program fees.

3. The academics. CIEE offers a wide range of classes, both through CIEE and the Universidad de Sevilla, and I took both. I would definitely say that my CIEE classes were more challenging, informative, and immersive than those I took at the Universidad de Sevilla. Although I learned from all my classes, I felt like the CIEE professors cared much more about the material and in general were more animated/passionate when teaching it.

In general, Sevilla is an INCREDIBLE place to study, and it will always have a place in my heart. And I have to say that CIEE did everything possible to enhance my time in the city and make it the best it could possibly be; I definitely recommend the program!

Having done a different study abroad program in the north of Spain and travelling around a lot of Spain, I can confidently say that Seville is by far my favorite city. It is so colorful and vibrant and the people are all extremely nice. I took classes at both the University of Seville and CIEE and surprisingly, the CIEE courses were actually more rigorous. However, with the exception of the 2 week intensive, none of the classes were as difficult as university classes in the states. I had to switch host families half way through the program and experienced a great amount of support from the staff. Take advantage of the CIEE provided excursions and events because you have already payed for them and it's a great way to learn more about the city and surrounding areas. Travel in Europe is also incredible but I would recommend not travelling every weekend because Seville has a lot to explore too. Definitely stay in town for part of Semana Santa and Feria de Abril- both unforgettable experiences.