Academic Programs International (API)

I studied abroad in Paris with API in the spring of my junior year and it was by far the best semester of college. I was directly enrolled at Diderot, and my classes gave me a chance to experience real French university life. The excursions (included in the program cost) took me all over the city, the region, and even to Southern France! I had an absolutely great time, learned a lot about French culture AND about myself, and I'd highly recommend it anyone who is interested.

I studied abroad in Cork, Ireland in the summer of 2009 through Academic Programs International. The experience was more than I could have ever expected, and API was a huge part of making my trip a success. As an API student, you have the support of two organizations the institution that you are studying abroad with (in my case, the University College Cork) and the API staff. So in a sense, you receive double the attention while abroad. I felt a lot more comfortable knowing I had two sets of staffs to ask questions or seek out support. I also got to enjoy two sets of extra activities such as field trips and day trips. I had so much fun living and studying in Cork. The city, located in southern Ireland, is large enough to have a lot of restaurants, pubs and historical sites but small enough to quickly feel like home. A few of my favorite places in Cork were the Cork City Gaol, the Old English Market, Gino's Pizzeria, and the Franciscan Well Brewery. Another benefit to studying in Cork was our program director Claire. She was helpful, easy to approach, and a lot of fun to be around. She made my experience in Cork so much more enjoyable! I would most definitely recommend API to other students, especially those traveling without a companion from their home university which in my opinion, is the way to go in terms of living abroad. I learned/experienced so much more traveling by myself. It allowed me to put myself out there all the more and meet more people than I would have had I been traveling with someone from home. With API, you immediately have a core group of other students whom you can connect with. This helped me a lot, especially coping with culture shock the first few days there. I loved my experience with API and would highly recommend the program! Feel free to contact me with any questions about the program or studying in Ireland.

I had an amazing study abroad experience and could not have asked for a better program to study abroad with than API. I loved my time I spent in Seville getting to know my host family, eating at our favorite tapas bar, hanging with my Spanish friends and exploring the city. I will never forget the semester I spent living in Seville or the lifelong friends I made while I was there.

My Experience with API was great! I met a lot of awesome people from all over the United States and Europe. It was a great way to learn a new language and practice what I had been learning in the classroom and take it to real life situations out in the streets of Granada. I was able to experience a language and culture that was new to me and it allowed me to be outside of my comfort zone and then adapt to a new way of life. I will benefit from my study abroad experience for the rest of my life as it has given me life-long friends and an open mind to the world around me.

What I liked the most was the Italian lifestyle - everyone was so much more laid back in comparison to the U.S., and really seemed to enjoy life every day. I spent a lot of time just walking around the city exploring, or stopping by the bar for a cappuccino, or a gelato. My favorite place was the Central Market, which is this huge building hosting all these stands of fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, dried fruits, meats, fish, poultry, fresh pasta, and all sorts of other Italian specialties! It was so much fun to walk around and taste new things, and buy fresh ingredients to make dinner! Another part of my semester that I really enjoyed was taking an Italian cooking class - we learned about the different regions of Italy and their gastronomic history, and then prepared a few dishes from each region every week! I definitely suggest taking a class like this if you can. And as far as API as a program, I am so glad that I chose to go with them! The staff within the U.S. and in Florence are phenomenal. I found that the staff in Texas was extremely helpful and prompt in answering any questions. The staff in Florence was amazing - they were always available to help with ANY problem, and were so knowledgeable about the city, including events going on in the area, different places to visit, and great places to eat - you name it. There are awesome excursions that the program offers, and also cultural events offered on a regular basis. And as for the apartments, they ARE very nice! I lived in a 6 person apartment, located about 10-15 minutes walking distance from the city center. There were 3 bedrooms, a good sized kitchen, 2 full bathrooms, and a huge living room! We had more than enough living space.

Studying abroad in Barcelona was an experience of a lifetime. Through API a friend and I lived in an apartment with other natives in Barcelona just walking distance from the university. Right away I immersed myself into the Spanish culture and found unique restaurants, museums, parks, and fun areas to hang out in during the day and at night! API took us on amazing excursions included in the program fee like Sevilla and Valencia. The Barcelona API staff was very helpful and warm and made the experience all the better. I made many friends through API and studying abroad has opened many other doors in my life, it is the best decision I have ever made, DO IT!!!!

I traveled to Budapest for the academic year '07/'08 with API and had an absolute blast! API was amazing, especially because the fee you see on their website is the total cost AND it includes all the excursions! We went so many places, including Prague, Czech Republic and around Hungary! What's great is they even give you a cell phone and the resident director is extremely fun and knows tons of information about the city! The friends I made in Hungary I will have for the rest of my life and it's all because API was there to provide an incredible, unforgettable experience. GO ABROAD!

You know those moments when you feel the need to pinch yourself because life seems too good to be true? I enjoyed those moments almost EVERY DAY while studying abroad in Granada, Spain. API did a fantastic job of facilitating my four-month experience, providing me with the support I needed to get settled in my classes, with my host family, and in my new city. Not only did the staff make me feel known and valued, but they truly equipped me with all the resources I needed to make the most of my experience. The Resident Directors had so much energy and gave me lots of helpful cultural information, keeping me in the loop on all the events and opportunities throughout the city while I lived there. Looking back, even a year later, I still feel the need to pinch myself, finding it hard to believe I actually lived in Spain. I had an AMAZING time.

I studied in Seville, Spain (or Sevilla, España as I now prefer to say!) last semester as a junior. I am so happy that I chose to study through API. They made the application process very clear and provided ample pre-departure materials that made me feel more prepared than I otherwise would have been (although nothing can really prepare you for four months of living in another culture!). Once I arrived in Spain, my program directors made me feel at ease immediately. I always felt that I could go to them with any problem or question I had. They recognized that our Spanish was shaky, but still challenged us to use it as much as possible, especially among each other. We received several emails each week informing us of group outings to the movies, major upcoming cultural events, and even some mini Spanish lessons to help us with those tricky concepts! Our excursions were fantastic--accommodations were excellent and our tour guides were always friendly and extremely knowledgeable. The API office in Sevilla also offered many opportunities to volunteer playing with children and helping them learn English, which I think is an excellent offering because it helps you immerse yourself that much further into the culture. In short, my study abroad experience was such a fantastic one due in large part to the fact that I chose API. P.S. To anyone considering Spain, CHOOSE SEVILLA! You won't regret it! It is the best city in the world (even Bruce Springsteen thinks so!)

I studied abroad with API in Granada, Spain in the Spring of 2012. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I honestly cannot think of one thing that I was unhappy with. API did everything they could to go above and beyond your expectations for studying abroad. If for any reason students had problems with anything... their host families, school, getting used to the culture, traveling... API always did everything in their power to fix it, and in a timely manner. They were so personal and got to know every single person in the program. I don't have a single bad thing to say about API.

I studied abroad in Dublin, Ireland at the University College Dublin in the Spring of 2012 during my Junior year. It was a great experience! I met so many wonderful people through the program and local students. I loved being able to live with students who were actually from Ireland and I know that I will stay in touch with them and go back to visit one day. I enjoyed all the trips we took as a group, but it was frustrating taking them with the other groups in Ireland because we were a small group and the others were bigger which caused us to have a lot of down time not doing anything and waiting to go do stuff. Otherwise I was even able to meet people from other study abroad programs, I was able to travel a lot, and share classes with students from across the globe. The problem with classes was that there was only a paper and a final that made up your entire grade so if you messed up on something you could not get a good grade, and in most classes we did not get our grades on papers till the end so you could not redo them. Also the teachers were really bad at putting up your grades.

Personally, I had a brillant time and my only regret is that I didn't go for the year (just a semester). API was with me every step of the way and answered all of my questions within hours. Predeparture: They provided me with more than enough pre-departure material (including language tips, culture tips etc). They provided a guidebook that took me through each step of the way in addition to online resources/packets that you could print out. Arrival: They picked us up at the airport and we were shuttled to the city where we spent the first week getting "oriented". Each day of "orientation" you cover a different topic (safety, culture, etc.). We were also provided a small, bound packet that had tips for living abroad, words for necessary items, suggestions for dinning, and everything else you could imagine. The staff was unbelievably helpful (esp. the assistant director who is an American who had lived in France for almost ten years) and often had small "treats" in the office (candy canes, chocolates etc.). The asst. director would also send weekly emails with things going on in the city. During the Stay: We had several excursions throughout the semester (including two overnights) where you could either be in a French language group (tours of city, sites etc. in French) or an English language group. They had many resources available in their office to help you with travel. You have your choice of an apt (studio), host family, or dorm-style. All of the accomodations were hand picked and due to the number of years they've operated in Paris, they have their own list of families that they trust and use. I never heard a negative comment about living with a host family (which most of my friends did) (I lived at the Fondation des Etats-Unis). You have your choice of four programs (choosen at the application process) which essentially breaks down to four different school, so even though you may attend Institut Catholique de Paris (as I did), you also go on bigger excursions with the rest of the program participants (Sorbonne, Diderot, Universite de Paris IV etc). I picked my program because it was partly in English and partly in French. BEST PART of the program is that actual French professors are teaching you, not people the program hires; you are in classes with the French/Internationals. The only negative comment I can possibly come up with is the French director is slightly less sympathic of culture shock (because she's French and livng in France--hard to relate). Overall though, she means well. Departure: Besides the Farewell dinner, you're on your own, but by that time, you know the city well enough to manage to get to the airport. You're given an exit interview and they ask you to review their program (the review was the most frustrating part because it kept timing out). I had such an amazing time I encourage my little sister to study abroad with the same company (she studied in Rome and had a similarly great experience). Go abroad for the right reasons and you won't look back or question your decision for a second.

Studying abroad with API was the most fun and interesting thing I did in college, by far! I lived and studied in Paris for the Fall 2010 Quarter. API helped make my experience worthwhile, and I would recommend their programs for students who are looking for a company to help guide and assist them in organizing a dream semester abroad. I was able to take French classes and participate in a teaching internship at a Parisian high school. I had an unforgettable experience and miss it more and more each day!