CIEE Open Campus Block in Cape Town

There's nothing like being able to work on completing your academics in a different country along with students all over the United States. Being able to be immersed into a different culture, a different environment, you're able to widen your macro lense going forward.

I would highly recommend this course to any student. One of the highlights was how friendly and welcoming the staff were, especially when it came to adjusting to a new country. From the very beginning, they made us feel supported and at home. The courses, professors, and excursions were incredibly enriching. We were fully immersed in the culture and given meaningful opportunities to learn more about Africa—both inside and outside the classroom. The smaller cohort size for each block also made a huge difference. It allowed us to form close bonds, work together well, and explore the country both independently and as a group. The staff also played a key role in our experience by offering great recommendations on places to visit, eat, and explore. Their support helped us navigate the country safely and confidently. On top of that, the weather was amazing, which added to the overall experience. This course is not only educational but eye-opening. It offers a chance to be fully immersed in a different culture,

This was an amazing program with CIEE in South Africa, the staff were incredible, the teachers were so so great, and overall being here has been amazing. I wish everyone could experience this I would highly recommend!

Studying abroad in Cape Town with CIEE Open Campus was an absolute dream come true. Cape Town has the beach, mountains and the city right on top of each other leaving you with an immense amount of things to do. I stayed there for 6 weeks and did not get to do everything that I wanted to do! Living in a dorm with students from a local University was a perfect way to meet people your age. As a student neighborhood, classes, restaurants, cafes, and groceries are all within a mile of your dorm. You had a room to yourself that had a kitchen and bathroom to yourself. The dorm building had hang out and study areas creating a very welcoming and safe environment. Open Campus brings the professors to you. You take two classes per block pretty much only 2 days a week. This is a huge advantage because it leaves a bunch of time to explore the city. I took two STEM classes online that counted towards my biology major and public health minor. Although it was online, my class had other CIEE students in different locations around the world, so I was able to hear so many different perspectives. CIEE does a wonderful job with organizing trips in and outside of classes, which really helped us students learn about Cape Town on a deeper level. Cape Town with CIEE is a hidden gem that I am so happy I found and I hope to reveal its wonders to everyone!

My exposure to life outside of the classroom made my experience worthwhile. I enjoyed our field trips to museums and historical sites, sharing a meal with one of the native families, and exploring Cape Town's nightlife. Through conversations with people outside of the classroom, I realized how similar I am to people across the world and how bonded we are through our shared experiences in life.  It was beautiful that I could learn and experience so much through the Program.

I would be very likely to recommend CIEE study abroad to a friend because I thoroughly enjoyed my experience on the global sustainability and environment program, including my experience with the staff at the CIE study center and my classes on the program.

Before embarking on this journey of mine in Cape Town, South Africa, I was very hesitant. I was very scared to do something very unfamiliar to me. I did not have someone close to me who had studied abroad to guide me. Now that I am wrapping up this journey of mine, I realized the impact it has on me, and how much I repaired myself and my purpose. I hope that when I recommend CIEE Study Abroad to a friend or peer, they take this as an opportunity to grow.

I wish that CIEE would provide more resources for students of color. I did not realize that Italy was going through a major period of racism and xenophobia, especially against Black people. I also wish that the strong racial tension in South Africa would have been mentioned as a disclaimer before I chose to spend six weeks here. The Cape Town staff has been amazing in helping me come to terms with these feelings but a disclaimer would have been appreciated.

It is very likely that I will recommend CIEE to my peers especially those that are low income who have never traveled before. CIEE does a lot to fill in the gaps left by a university without a study abroad office especially guiding through the visa process and scholarships before arrival. After arrival especially in Cape Town, you have the opportunity to gain a well-rounded perspective of the country by learning its history and other factors specific to that country like their stance on sustainability, poverty reduction, and racial equality. These factors are very important and the programs offered in Cape Town do a great job creating a critical thinking student with global awareness instead of a tourist. I also know that my peers and friends will be taken care of in CPT because I know that the RAs are excellent and will welcome and guide my peer through the hardships associated with studying abroad.

Because the program is extremely beneficial to personal and career development and whoever has the opportunity to study abroad should experience what it is like to study abroad in a wide range of various places and have the ability to move from one location to another to really grasp the cultural differences between place to place.

I would definitely recommend it my peers and I have done so. My university does not have a Study Aboard program and CIEE made it really easy to figure out such a difficult process with little help from since I had such little help from administrators

I would recommend CIEE Study Abroad because CIEE offers amazing opportunities for students. Not only in terms of locations in which you can study abroad but also the activities they make possible for students.

Study abroad programs are so important and I strongly believe that everyone should experience something like this in their lifetime. I would recommend CIEE specifically because of how passionate all of the faculty and staff are about the success of all students.

I would likely recommend CIEE because it exposes students to all areas of what makes up the countries that people are studying in. We are always given opportunities to learn new information about the country.

You can choose to go different places in 6 week increments so if your school is on quarters not semesters like mine you can choose a more flexible study abroad program that fits with your school's schedule.

Arriving in Cape Town for CIEE's "Fall Block I Open Campus," I was unsure what to expect. I felt ready to experience a new part of the continent (my family is from Kenya and I lived there for 10 years, but was born in the US) in a new light. After staying in an AirBnB the first night, I arrived in Rondebosch from an Uber across from the CIEE building. The first day there was great. Meeting everyone, from the staff to the other students excited me for the next 6 weeks. The first week was a learning curve with orientation and getting to know the 4 other roommates in my apartment. There were only 5 guys out of 18 in the program which is one thing I can say I was surprised about - but I suppose guys are less likely to do study abroad programs. I took two classes, "Poverty, Development, & Human Rights," with the amazing Professor Nompilo, and, "Intercultural Communication and Leadership," with Akisha. Both courses were excellent, and all very discussion based. The only true busy weeks were week 3 and 5-6 as our midterm essays and finals commenced. Other than that, they were a good balance of work and experiential learning as we went out on excursions nearly every Thursday or Friday. It so happened that my classes were scheduled the same day, which was good and bad. The con was that it made for very long days with each class being three hours a piece with an hour or so in between, and the pro being the fact since classes were only on Monday and Wednesday, I had the ability to plan full day trips, events, and experiences without having to worry about coming back to CIEE on time for class. The other class offered, "Atlantic Crossings," I heard was excellent as well, with many saying it was one of the best classes they had ever taken during their time in college. During our amazing study tour we embarked on to Muizenberg, Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope), Boulder Beach (African Penguins). Besides that, we also had numerous excursions to places such as Khayelitsha, Zeitz MOCAA, and others, and of course - we made sure to go out and have fun on our own. With the South African Rand trading in favor of the dollar (about 15.5 - 16 Rand = 1 USD during our time there), we were able to truly capitalize on all Cape Town had to offer. From Long Street to Sea Point, we visited many clubs, bars, and restaurants, with one of our staples being Stones in Observatory due to its laid back conversational nature. Personally, I was able to go skydiving with Skydive Cape Town (about $300 USD with the video/pictures - beyond worth it), visit the historic Robben Island, hike up Table Mountain via Skeleton Gorge (if you truly want to experience the mountain, this is the way - great day trip, but hard hike if you don't usually hike. There are easier routes like Platteklip) and Lion's Head, spend many days at the beach at Camp's Bay or Clifton, venture to Stellenbosch for an amazing full-day wine tour, and so much more. I did all of this and much more during six weeks, actually staying under budget. Overall, I would do CIEE again if I could. It was so worth it. I made lifelong friends of whom I am already planning to meet up with early next year, was able to reconnect with myself in a way I didn't think I would, and was able to learn so much about a country that has been so successful but faced so much hardship. Even though I only did one block as I had to return to Seattle, I must say 6 weeks is just enough to fully immerse yourself in this amazing city and country. If you want to learn more about my personal experience, we sure to check out my 5 part VLOG series I made during my time there on my Youtube channel, Alfred Mugho - here is the link to my first VLOG:

I would likely recommend CIEE because it exposes students to all areas of what makes up the countries that people are studying in. We are always given opportunities to learn new information about the country.

It is very likely that I will recommend CIEE to my peers especially those that are low income who have never traveled before. CIEE does a lot to fill in the gaps left by a university without a study abroad office especially guiding through the visa process and scholarships before arrival. After arrival especially in Cape Town, you have the opportunity to gain a well-rounded perspective of the country by learning its history and other factors specific to that country like their stance on sustainability, poverty reduction, and racial equality. These factors are very important and the programs offered in Cape Town do a great job creating a critical thinking student with global awareness instead of a tourist. I also know that my peers and friends will be taken care of in CPT because I know that the RAs are excellent and will welcome and guide my peer through the hardships associated with studying abroad.

You can choose to go different places in 6 week increments so if your school is on quarters not semesters like mine you can choose a more flexible study abroad program that fits with your school's schedule.

I would recommend CIEE Study Abroad because CIEE offers amazing opportunities for students. Not only in terms of locations in which you can study abroad but also the activities they make possible for students.