AIFS Abroad in Valencia, Spain: Semester

My semester in Valencia completely blew me away! The AIFS staff did such a wonderful job at welcoming us and making sure we had the best experience. This program will forever be one of my favorite things I've done ever.

My time with AIFS in Valencia was exactly what an adventure abroad should be! The other students I met were welcoming and eager to immerse in the culture, and the activities provided by the program were perfect in helping us do exactly that. I learned a lot and was well-provided for while there. Not to mention, Janan is the best coordinator ever. You won't regret choosing AIFS!

I fell in love with Valencia and the people there. My host family was spectacular and showed me the city and how to cook traditional foods from Valencia. The program was great and the trips that we went on as a group were so cool to see more towns and learn more about the culture.

Everything about my trip with AIFS was perfect! I loved my city, my program leader, my friends, and apartment. The immersion activities were well-planned and helped us learn more about the culture of our city and country as well as familiarize ourselves early on with our new home. They also introduced me to my study abroad classmates who have become some of my absolute best friends and have already traveled to see multiple times in the past year! My friends were all jealous that I had these experiences because it made me feel at home right away. The classes offered were all very interesting and taught by teachers who were welcoming and excited to meet us. Everything about my experience was incredible, and I left feeling homesick for my study abroad community

I studied abroad last spring with AIFS in Valencia, Spain. My friend encouraged me to go with her to Spain, and I absolutely loved it. The city, the food, the people, and my program director and assistant Janan and Ana made it an amazing experience. I was so lucky to have them lead our group. I made lifelong friends through this program and future travel buddies. I was so afraid I would be missing out on the college experience being away from my friends in Pullman. But then I realized that I would have missed out on so much more if I had not gone. If you are on the fence about studying abroad, look into AIFS programs and you will be in good hands.

When I was deciding where to study abroad, I knew right away I wanted to be in Spain. At first I thought about Madrid since it’s so well-known and beautiful, but I realized it wasn’t exactly the kind of environment I was looking for. I wanted to be somewhere coastal, a little smaller, and more relaxed. That’s when I learned about Valencia, and it honestly felt like the perfect fit. Valencia has such a welcoming atmosphere. It’s very community oriented, safe, and easy to get around. There are always festivities and activities happening, which makes it a really lively place without the overwhelming pace of a huge city. Studying at the Catholic University of Valencia was also a great experience the courses transferred back home smoothly, and the professors were very supportive. Another bonus is how well connected Valencia is. You can easily take the train to other Spanish cities or fly to different countries in Europe, which made traveling simple and affordable. Overall, my time in Valencia was so wonderful. I’d really recommend it if you’re looking for a study abroad experience that has culture, things to do, and the ocean close by, but with a more laid-back vibe!

My semester in Valencia was truly a dream! I was recommended this program when I said I wanted to study abroad and honestly 100/10. It was a smaller group so I was able to build friendships faster and felt heard anytime I had a question or concern. I had the time of my life and could not be more grateful for everything Janan did during my stay. I would have wished for more information about my stay sooner than a week before. It’s a little frightening moving to another continent and not knowing where I was going to stay until a week prior. However, my home was lovely and my host mom was an absolute sweetheart. Being a walking distance from the beach was personally the best part for me. This city has so much to do and the people truly do include you in their community. As a female feeling safe in this city and being able to have more freedom was truly liberating. I could not recommend this city and this program enough!!!!!!

I knew I wanted to study abroad since I was very young and choosing AIFS Valencia was the best decision I ever could have made. Pre-departure could use improvement as communication prior to arriving in Valencia was subpar, but once we landed, we were in good hands. Janan is the most amazing program director: personable, knowledgeable, helpful, caring, and hilarious. She was our Spanish mother for 4 months and ensured we were healthy, cared for, and having the greatest time possible. She prepped weekly activities every Friday that were packed with fascinating cultural activities and adventures across Valencia and more; we didn't want to miss any. Valencia has so much to offer as well; up until last week, I was finding new places I wanted to try. I lived in an apartment of 7, which sounds like a big yikes, but turned out nearly perfect. Our apartment was centrally located and allowed us to walk / Valenbisi / metro / bus for anything we could ever need. I had a good experience taking courses through UCV as well, but I had a few friends who had issues with grades, transfer credits to home institutions, language barriers with professors, and poor response times from the institution. All in all, I would not trade my experience for anything.

My semester in Valencia was truly amazing. Janan was the best program director I could have possibly gotten. She made all of us feel at home from the very beginning. I knew I could always count on here for anything that I needed and she made sure we were enjoying our stay. Something that could be improved is the pre departure communication. Emails took long to respond and there was a lack of clarity when there was questions asked. However, when I arrived to Valencia everything was perfect. I couldn’t have imagined picking a better city. It isn’t overwhelming like other cities tend to feel, yet it still offers so much. It is extremely walkable and a short bus to the beach. We never ran out of things to do. Valencia truly has so much to offer. Me and the rest of the group got along amazing and I left Valencia life long friends and memories that I will always hold so close to my heart.

I absolutely loved my time in Valencia! The Resident Director of my program, Janan, was amazing! She helped us get connected in the community and never failed to plan a fun event. I’ll never forget my experience there!

Going to Valencia, Spain through AIFS was a really good decision. I went in the fall of my junior year, which was the perfect time for me. I was immersed in the culture and met so many amazing, like-minded individuals along the way. AIFS provided me with an incredible program advisor, Janan, who acted like a mother to all of us. The pre-departure assignments were organized thoroughly on the portal but communication could be improved. By this I mean the time it took to get assistance to questions through email. Overall, I am very satisfied.

I had the most amazing experience in Valencia. The city had amazing weather, was not as hustle and bustle as Barcelona or Madrid, had a beautiful beach just a short walk from where I lived, and had so many things to do. Even after 5 months of studying abroad, there were still things that I hadn’t done in Valencia. I met the best people and got very close to people in my program and in other programs like Erasmus. AIFS was great about organizing social events to meet people and get close to people in the program. Our program director, Janan, was the best person for the job. She was so helpful and energetic and really loved both València and her students. I loved having three meals a day included with my host family but I didn’t have the best experience with my host family in general. Our meals were not very authentic and there were some other issues but it seemed that everyone else in my program had perfect host families. So I think it was just my situation that wasn’t ideal. I also struggled in one class that I took due to a difficult accent and unusual grading systems. I almost failed that class even tho I have been a straight A student all my life. Again I think it was just an issue was that one class because my other classes went very well. I got to see so many other places in Spain as well as seven other countries. Getting to the València airport was so simple and traveling on the weekends was so easy. I did not learn much Spanish in my host family but I did learn some from fellow students who had good experiences with their host family teaching them as well as my Spanish class. Despite the issues with my host family and one class, I had a perfect time in Valencia. Locals are so kind and the city is like no other. I miss everyone I met there dearly and can’t wait to return back one day. Thank you AIFS!