CEA Study Abroad in Sevilla
Ratings
Review
I loved everything about my stay in Sevilla, Spain with CEA. They did a wonderful job placing me with a roommate and host family, and I truly enjoyed all of my classes. All of the workers at the CEA center in Sevilla were always very friendly and helpful, and they were always more than willing to help us with whatever we needed--whether that was finding an alternate route home from classes or finding a good Chinese restaurant. They were always ready to help and talk if there was anything we needed help with.
They knew all of our host families by name, and they could pinpoint certain characteristics of each host family--they knew exactly who they were putting their students with, and they weren't afraid to talk with the host families if a student ever felt uncomfortable.
I requested to be put in a host family that had kids (because I come from a big family), and they took my request to heart and placed me with a family with two kids right around my age--having that made all the difference, and the people at CEA did that for me. And on top of that they placed me with an awesome roommate, and we got along absolutely perfectly.
They made sure my worst fears didn't come true (i.e. bad roommate and a horrible study abroad experience), and they made sure that I had the best experience possible. The people who work at the CEA center in Sevilla make the trip 10 times better than it would be without them. I am 100% certain that I would not have had the same incredible experience if I had gone through another program.
I love Sevilla, and I am so happy that I got to know it with CEA's help. When you go to Sevilla, be sure to look out for the "No8do" signs--they don't mean anything to you right now, but they will mean everything to you after you leave. Ask the wonderful people at the CEA center in Sevilla what they mean. They'll be able to tell you all about them.
I know a lot of students who expressed frustration at not hearing from CEA representatives (the ones in Arizona/in the US) about the process for getting their student Visas and other things like that. I know I sent an email to my representative to ask a question and I never received a response.
I know that they're very busy and hectic before the program start date, but I think it's very important for students to know that they are going to be in good hands when they get where they're going. Otherwise it's very scary and they may doubt their decision to travel with CEA. Especially when they hear their peers going through different programs (such as ISA) saying that they never had that sort of problem and that their representatives were always there to help them.
I think that is CEA's one weak link, and that if they can fix it CEA will be stronger than ever. It would be a shame if students didn't want to travel with CEA due to the lack of communication/attention in the flurry of activity before the program start date, because CEA has wonderful programs and wonderful people who make those programs happen, and I truly think the students would be missing out if they chose not to go through CEA.
I hope this helps Vicki and Miriam! I wish all of you the best of luck, and I miss you all very much. :-) You guys are the best--thank you so much for the wonderful study abroad experience you made possible for me and my friends. Without you it would not have been the same. Os echo de menos, y espero que nos veamos otra vez algun dia. Un beso. :-)
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