AIFS AbroadReviews of aifsabroad.com

Everything is planned very well and there is a lot of assistance that is available to you if you may need it at any time. Traveling to Australia was one of the best experiences in my life and AIFS made that possible. The group of people that I was able to spend my first weeks in Australia with was definitely a plus as well.

Wow what a magical and beautiful trip I just had to Austria this summer. I was along for the ride on a trip planned by AIFS. There was some incredible tours and field trips to some of Salzburgs finest attractions, businesses, and venues. From guided city and hiking tours from a seasoned local to being shown around to historical businesses it was a life changing experience to say the least. Super happy with the group and the presence of other American groups. Wish we would have gotten to travel to more European cities, but loved being immersed into a new culture and lifestyles!

AIFS made the transition to Paris very smooth! Danica, Jane, and Mira were all incredibly helpful whenever we had any questions. CCFS was a great experience. I felt my French really improved and the teachers were pretty patient with the transition to an all French school. Workload was very light. My critiques would be that I wished that AIFS had organized more excursions to either places around Paris or nearby towns/villages like Chantilly or Fontainebleau. We didn't have many, especially compared to other AIFS programs friends of mine attended (ex. my friend in AIFS Berlin traveled every other week with his program to surrounding countries). I would've paid a little more if that was an option because at times, I felt very lost with where to go, and at the end of the day, just wanted to see the most of Paris and Europe I could. Also, while CCFS was great at improving my French, I wished that AIFS had organized some sort of language exchange buddy with the Sorbonne or another university. I was really only speaking French at school, with my host family, and then when I went shopping/for food. I didn't really get to practice conversational/practical French with people my own ages. I feel like it would be easy to find French students willing to meet for maybe two hours a week (build a little tutoring money into the AIFS fees) and would be a really great way to improve and learn French.

What made my experience amazing was my director, Noelia. She put in so much work and was always there for us. Unfortunately, one of our trips didn’t pan out. But I know that our director was doing her best for all of us, and we really ended up having a great group that got together for a few memorable trips. Some of my favorites were the Los Cahorros hike and Córdoba trip. I felt relieved to have people that would support me emotionally throughout my time in Spain. That helped me to feel more secure in an exotic place.

I loved studying abroad with AIFS! The program leaders gave students many opportunities to meet other students and locals and provided services to make students feel more comfortable in a new area. The leaders themselves were very sweet and were always happy to see students thriving. The main thing I disliked about the program was the Morocco trip - the trip felt like we were traveling more than enjoying and learning about the country.

The program was amazing and the experience of studying in a foreign country and traveling was a once in a lifetime opportunity! My only concern is that while in Spain we were separated from Spanish university students which made it more difficult to make friends with locals. Besides this though it was perfect! I would definitely do it again though without a doubt.

During my time abroad I loved immersion myself into a new culture. Living in Spain for two weeks and attending classes like a normal student was an experience I will never forget. I loved my host mom I stayed with and my professors were so knowledgeable.

Wonderful group of people, but you have to make the most of it for yourself! If you rely on AIFS for every experience, you'll be disappointed. The idea of using university students as our guides was great in theory, but the students weren't always great (ex. our guide was an hour late, and we were waiting in the cold all that time, the guide seemed more concerned talking about smoking marijuana than telling us what he was there for). Group excursions were amazing and a great addition to the trip. Directors and staff should be more mindful of opportunities for students. I volunteered for an English school and would've liked if the director had been more upfront about past student experiences at the school.