AIFS AbroadReviews of aifsabroad.com

I enjoyed my time in Florence! While my internship did not directly relate to what I will be pursuing in the future for my career, I still gained valuable skills. I enjoyed the social events provided and definitely felt like it was worth what I paid for. The only thing I was dissatisfied with was the availability of support staff after hours. Friends and I had trouble getting in touch with them during emergency situations, but other than that I had a fabulous time and would recommend this program if you are looking for an internship abroad (probably better for people not studying psychology, social work, philosophy, and other arts, etc.)

My advisors Amanda and Antonella were so amazing and supportive. I loved living in Milan. One thing that could be improved is to let students know that their employers and co-workers will mostly speak Italian. I wish I could’ve learned more but I did not understand most of the conversations held in the office

Overall, this experience has been really great. I loved the first two weeks of the Italian language crash course. I wish we had more time to do it. My internship took some getting used to but that was a given. Our Location Coordinators were absolutely wonderful. They gave us so much advice and made the group events a blast. They made the experience so enjoyable and made the whole process of coming to Milan and finding our way much easier.

I really appreciated how AIFS made accommodations when we arrived to make our transition into Rome smooth. I also enjoyed all the cultural activities that the program set up!

The people really made it great. I think there’s a good level of independence from the program itself and then dependency. It was nice to know that I could always ask questions to the AIFS staff when needed. There were a good balance of planned tours and excursions that allowed you to see parts of the city that would otherwise be expensive.

I loved everything about this experience but my roommate was very difficult to live with and I do not blame that on AIFS at all. They did everything they could to help the situation and were extremely willing to work to try and make things better.

Kind people, good class, offered good activities and excursions AIFS website was very easy to use when searching for a program. It was very detailed. Resources before and during the program were very useful. Meal vouchers were great and helped me spend less money. I wish there were more options though. Housing was fine. My apartment was too small and I think the apartments of the students should be closer in distance. I think we should have had more activities and bonding experiences with the entire group.

I chose AIFS because I wanted to be in the center of London and have flexibility over my time abroad. Those were the most important things to me, and AIFS delivered that. Leading up to the program, I thought communication was clear most of the time, and I knew what I needed to be doing to get ready, but information about housing and classes did feel like it came last minute. The student services staff and most other faculty members were always helpful and encouraging, which was important when alone in a foreign country. I lost my wallet, and they were there to assist me and help me get everything reset. I formed personal relationships with some teachers that truly enriched my time away, but everything is what you make it. The program allows you to have long weekends for travel, and there are weekly events hosted by AIFS that allow for unique experiences while on a student's budget. My semester abroad fulfilled my hopes, but it was not perfect. The living situation was far from ideal. I expected small spaces, but the building was quite dirty and was physically as small as possible for two people. Staying fed and properly cared for physically was difficult in these conditions since there was no meal plan. Another area that wasn't ideal with AIFS was the organization of academics. The teachers usually did not know how to use the online platforms the program wanted (such as Canvas), which made most assignment expectations and deadlines unclear, and grading was up in the air until the last minute. In fact, I only received any grades for one class before the term ended. There were things I loved about this program and things that need improvement, but I am so glad I did my term abroad with AIFS, because I could get everything I wanted out of my time in London.