IES Abroad Milan

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.

I had the best time abroad. Naturally, I had some reservations and fears about going on a program where I didn't know anyone prior to the program. That, on top of the fact that this would be my first time in Europe made me pretty nervous to see what the next five months would have in store for me. Shortly after arriving in Milan, I realized I had nothing at all to be worried about. IES abroad made transportation from the airport to my new apartment very smooth, with an IES representative waiting for me at the airport, ready to help. The IES assistance number was extremely helpful if I needed help or had any last minute questions. The orientation we went through helped us meet others in our program, kept us busy enough to not think about jet lag, and introduced us into the Italian lifestyle.

I lived with 5 people (4 Americans and one Italian student who served as our "Community Assistant" or CA). I realized all 5 of us were as different as could be and it made for the best experience possible. We were all diverse in our own ways which made us learn and grow from each other and allowed for an environment in which all of us felt completely comfortable and ourselves. IES abroad did a great job with choosing housing for us based on our living preferences that we described in the housing survey. Everyone on our program became pretty good friends, and I can truthfully say my study abroad friends are now my lifelong friends.

Classes through IES were fun and allowed for stimulating conversation and learning in the classroom. I was able to take fun and interesting classes, like communication and psychology, which I wouldn't have had room for in my schedule back at my school in America. I took very exciting field trips to news stations, saw a live news recording, and went to an Italian prison. I became extremely close with my three professors, who genuinely cared about their students. The course I took at Bocconi, an Italian University, proved to be extremely difficult, but my hard work paid off. Having no classes on Fridays made it super easy to travel on weekends.

If I had to do it all again, I wouldn't change a thing. I had the best time, saw places in Europe I've wanted to see my whole life, and met lifelong friends.

My study abroad experience in Milan through IES Abroad was unforgettable. Through the application process to the very end, I couldn't have asked for a better semester. I can confidently say studying abroad changed me as a person (for the better). I have a different outlook on life after traveling throughout Italy and Europe, and I have become far more independent. My goals before studying abroad were to make friends with Italian students and learn to speak the language. I had taken 4 semesters of Italian before studying abroad, however my Italian greatly improved through my Advanced Italian class. I felt comfortable getting around and speaking the language each day. I thoroughly enjoyed my classes (especially my cooking class) and the administration felt like family. Living in an apartment with an Italian student and other American students was a great experience. IES provided the students with nice and safe apartments. Not only did I make friends with Italian students, but I made amazing new friends from America! The nightlife in Milan is second to none and it was a hidden gem. Take advantage of the lively nightlife and unique outings Milan has to offer.

My biggest regret is not having studied abroad for a year. A semester did not feel long enough. I highly recommend this program to any student who is considering studying abroad in Italy. I had my eye on other cities in Italy when choosing a program, but Milan far exceeded my expectations. In my opinion, there are far less American study abroad students in Milan than in Florence and Rome. Before studying abroad, I thought that I would stay in Boston and get a job after graduation, however now I'm looking into grad schools and research programs in Italy. The sky is the limit!

Studying abroad will shape you for the rest of your life and my experience did just that. The memories I made and the friends I had the opportunity to meet will stick with me forever. My confidence in my speaking ability has grown and confidence in myself has as well. I got the chance to meet local Italians and learn aspects of another culture. Everyone should live abroad for a time in their life, it will only teach them how to believe in themselves!

Studying abroad with IES Abroad in Milan was truly my best semester of college and four and a half months of my life that I will never forget.

The IES staff were so accommodating and really cared about each individual student. The professors were easy to communicate with and really got students engaged in their subjects with off-campus field studies and field trips.

Milan is a wonderful place to experience living the "big-city life." The apartment I lived in, which was provided by IES, was in a great location in the city center. It was easy to get around the city using the metro and buses. The city is so full of life! There are hundreds of wonderful restaurants and lots of great shopping. Some of my favorite days were spent sitting on the steps of the Duomo, eating gelato, and observing the diversity of the people that passed. The night life in Milan is like no other--the clubs are unreal!

Milan is a great place to study abroad if you plan to travel a lot. It's location in northern Italy makes it easy to travel to other cities quickly and very affordably. With inexpensive airfares from Milan's centralized location, I was able to take weekend trips to London, Berlin, Budapest, and even Morocco! The train fares to all the other major Italian cities--Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona,etc--are also inexpensive and make for easy trip planning.

Milan is a unique city filled with history and urban charm--the perfect place to spend a semester abroad.