Program Reviews

The support from CISAbroad was great! They answered all of my questions and in a very timely manner. My program advisor always did everything she could to help me and it really felt like she cared about my safety and experience abroad. The on-site director was amazing and was also very helpful. The classes abroad were challenging but fun at the same time. There was a great amount of time to go out and explore the town and even nearby cities. I have many memories but my favorite thing to do was simply going to karaoke. I went almost every weekend with friends and we belted our hearts out! I actually had more culture shock coming back home than I did when I went to Japan. Post study abroad depression is very real and it can be hard to get back to the routine back at home. I had a great experience with the program and I miss Japan so much! I hope to go back soon.

Going abroad was one of the best experiences of my life. I met a lot of great people from around the world, saw cities that existed long before the United States were even colonized, and learned far more than what I could ever be taught in a classroom. Living and having to immerse yourself into a different culture forces you to grow and experience new things, the skills I learned and brought home from that will help me in the future with whatever I choose to do with my life. Going abroad creates a new way of seeing the world and understanding different cultures and customs, I think it is definitely something every student should have the opportunity to do.

Italy has always been my dream country to visit. It’s the home country of my beloved grandparents and the site of many of the most influential pieces in art history. Being given the opportunity to live and study in this country for an entire semester was truly a surreal experience. I was so excited when I heard that I would be taking a traveling class (Cultural Introduction to Italy) around Italy before actually settling into Florence for the semester. As I had anticipated, we saw so many incredible monuments, gardens, museums and art. My favorite portion of the traveling week was visiting the region of Umbria. From Orvieto to Assisi, I was continuously humbled by the sheer beauty and history of every city that I visited. The traveling week was the perfect way to get acquainted with Italian culture and to experience life in various areas of this country. I was immediately pushed to step outside of my comfort zone and visit unknown places. Studying abroad was the first time I had ever been outside of the country, and by the time everything was said and done, I had visited a total of 8 countries and been to over 30 cities across Europe. Florence was the perfect city for me: it allowed me to immerse myself in the culture and history of Italy and the Renaissance and gave me the opportunity to explore my ancestry on-site. If you love art, food, exploration and adventure, CISAbroad's Semester in Florence is definitely the program for you.

Having the opportunity to study at Bond was amazing. Not only was it super fun but the staff, students and style of learning was great. It was cool being able to see how they do things a little differently. I made a ton of awesome friends and made so many memories to last a lifetime.

My summer abroad experience was everything I had hoped for, plus more! The University I attended, IAU, was incredible. I was able to advance in my French language skills and studio art skills. All of the staff were welcoming, helpful, encouraging, educated and fun. Without them, none of this would have been possible and they really enriched the whole experience.
My host family was incredible as well. I was safe, comfortable and felt as if I was really apart of the French culture by living with them.
The town itself really made me fall in love with France and the French culture. Someone who hasn't traveled a lot and was a little nervous in the beginning, all of that went away by being in Aix. Being able to be apart of everything the town had to offer really made me feel at home.
Then lastly, the skills I learned on this trip will help me in all of my future endeavors. Not only did the trip advance me in my education, it helped me improve in my everyday life. It made me more passionate to travel, appreciate cultures other than my own, improve my communication and problem solving skills and push me out of my comfort zone. I will never forget this experience and will forever be grateful for the things I got to do and the people I got to meet. I am already counting down the days until I get to go back!

Going abroad was something I never imagined in my life. I have always considered myself a "home body," loving being comfortable and knowing everything around me. I am very close with my family and often times have struggles with leaving home, even for college. It took a lot for me to actually step outside of my comfort zone to do something like this. My experience was unique because I was very unsure, even on the plane, if I could physically go through with this. It was something that was definitely a challenge for me at first. I began to create a routine for myself that really helped me get comfortable in this new place. For the future, I want people to know that it gets better. No matter how scary it might seem at first, it will always get better. This experience is what you make of it so you have to make sure you keep yourself busy and do everything in your power to make this a positive experience. For me, it taught me so much about myself as a person, living with people you might not know so great at first, being independent, and so much more. This impacted my life in a really big way. During this semester, my older sister moved out into her own apartment, my little sister committed to college, and I went through a very messy breakup. Even though there were up and down emotions throughout the semester, it really taught me how to deal with big life events like this. My favorite memory was being on Piazza Di Michael Angelo with my new 6 roommates, not realizing we would all become best friends, we looked out to our new city and realized this is what we were going to call home for the next 4 months and we can't waste one minute of it. Leaving was very bittersweet for us and we still are adjusting back to America but this experience really taught us so much about being an independent adult being able to take on anything that comes our way. I think studying abroad is something very important to experience and if you have the chance to do it take it. You have a lot more support than you think as well. I ended up getting my passport stolen as well which was a stressful time but it allowed me to take initiative to something very important with the help of the right people and ended up teaching me a lot of things about how to handle issues and about myself.

So many fun activities were organized so that I could make lasting friendships and memories. I loved the excursions to other towns but I also enjoyed seeing more of Madrid itself. CIS is a flexible program that provides a lot of support. I felt comfortable asking questions and going to my on site director for any guidance. This trip has made me want to see more of the world! The only improvement I would recommend to CIS is to be more picky about who they chose as homestays. My roommate decided to move out of our honestly because it wasn’t a good fit for her.

From the tranquil temples to exhilarating night markets, Thailand never ceased to amaze me. I highly recommend an adventure to Thailand if you are seeking out exotic experiences to last a lifetime in your memories.
With the experience I have gained from working at a medical clinic, I will be able to provide better care to my patients as a nurse. This experience has given me a chance to become a better person.
At some point during your time abroad, you will feel culture shock from stepping outside your comfort zone or that suspicious knot in your stomach as you long for the comforts of home. This feeling can range from overwhelming to only a minor inconvenience. In my case, it was a slight inconvenience that went away easily with food—more specifically home cooked food. No matter where you travel, study, or intern abroad, a home-cooked meal is universal, and it certainly brings feelings of happiness to whomever shares the meal.

Honestly, in the beginning of this process I was very stressed out and thought that the guidance through the process could have been better. Molly tried her best to support me and help me as much as she could but I do think that she had a lot on her plate which meant that each student didn't get enough attention (a lot of students that dealt with her felt the same way). when I got on the plane I didn't think I was fully prepared to begin this journey but at the same time, who is prepared to live in another country for 4 months?
One of my biggest concerns about going abroad was how would I set up a phone once I get there. CIS sent us emails and websites that were meant to help us prepare for our semester so I was sure to look through it all and take every advice they had for me. One of which was going through a service known as PICCELL. that was by far the worst recommendation they could have given me. this service didn't work anywhere and charged me over 100 dollars a month when my friends were going through services that costed much less. I think that CIS should recommend an actual service they know is good and reliable or recommend nothing at all. that was a very frustrating aspect.

BUt, overall I will say that CIS was the best choice I made. after hearing what all the other students were saying about their programs I know I picked the right one. my favorite part was the mandatory travel week, I met some of my best friends during that week. I heard nightmare stories about other people only being friends with their roommates because they never had te opportunity to meet other people besides in class. this three credit travel course was a great place to learn about Italy, see amazing places, and meet amazing friends. Also, the group dinners nd trips were a great place to meet up with friends we made during the first week but weren't able to keep in touch with. The support from CIS was amazing and I look forward to recommending them to all my friends choosing to study abroad

I am currently completing a Biomedical Engineering Internship though CISabroad. They did a great job connecting me with Australian Internships and helping me to find the perfect placement that is giving me an experience I would not have been able to have at home. The CIS on site staff member, Maria, has been incredible, from the airport pick up, showing us around the city, emailing us to keep in touch, and keeping excursions organized. I couldn't have hoped for anything more from her support.

My only complaint about this program is that the housing is not at all a comparative value with what the price was. Otherwise, I am incredibly happy with my experience so far. It has given been wonderful friends, and so many experiences and memories to hold on to for a lifetime.