CIEE Liberal Arts in Seville, Spain

CIEE exceeded my expectations. They went above and beyond to provide support, cultural immersion experiences, and more. They were quick to respond to any homestay or resident problems. They also provided SO many activities and experiences for us. I learned so much and I got to know so many people through them. Thank you for everything!

This has been a wonderful experience and to learn and meet people in different cultures is an opportunity that I don't believe should be missed. During my time in Sevilla I have loved learning alongside my peers and exploring Spain and Europe in total.

Studying abroad in Spain is a great opportunity to meet new people, learn in a different language, and travel around Europe. CIEE was very organized with travel trips and offered a lot of class options.

You get to learn about yourself in ways you didn’t think were possible before. So much more than just experiencing another culture, the friends and relationships I have fostered during my time abroad has been amazing.

I think CIEE does a great job with providing students with help and activities, but I wish it was more integrated with other Spanish students. I thought I'd be taking classes with local students as well. Regardless I wish there was more cultural/social integration. This is one of the only things that I wish was different.

I think that CIEE seville in particular is a program that cares for its students, plans fun events, and makes sure that everyone is succeeding in their time during Study Abroad. I feel lucky to be in the program that I am in!

CIEE is extremely organized and truly cares for their students. Any time I've reached out for help, multiple people have asked about my well-being and done whatever they can to help me resolve the situation I'm in.

I would recommend a CIEE program because of the high level of support from staff, the variety of classes available and the numerous excursions that expand on our learning. My experience abroad has been highly enjoyable and every week I learnt more about myself and the culture I was immersed in.

CIEE has allowed me to study in another country and has allowed me to learn so much about the culture of Spain. I have been able to meet so many new people and I have also been able to travel all around Southern Spain with CIEE. The experience was incredible and I now have memories and experiences that will last a life time.

I really enjoyed my experience abroad. I feel that I really immersed myself with the culture and learned about the Spanish language. One of my goals abroad was to become more fluent with my language and I feel like I achieved that goal. I'm really grateful to have gone with a program like CIEE because I felt safe with them. They had so much student support and I felt like if I had an issue they would help me with it to the best of their ability. In addition, I really enjoyed the excursions that CIEE offered. It was a great opportunity to visit other cities in Spain and learn about the aspects of that city that make it different from Seville. Overall, I would recommend them to any student looking to study abroad.

I have lived in Seville for cumulatively 3 semesters now. I went abroad in high school and loved it so much I chose to return. CIEE made the transition from the US to Spain so comfortable, and they prepared us with so much information. In college, I had a lot more freedom than high school, and I really got to create my own schedule; which I loved. CIEE was a HUGE support while I was abroad. They helped with any medical or mental health cause, and were more than accommodating. The staff in the US and Spain showed how much they cared about their students. Not only that, we were able to attend many excursions and cultural experiences such as cooking, dancing, and wine classes. I made so many friends, and CIEE facilitated those friendships with Spanish students and American ones.

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I would be likely to recommend CIEE Study Abroad because I like the professionalism that CIEE has and it made me feel safe to come to them if I had any questions during such a life changing experience.

I had an amazing experience while with CIEE Seville. I really lucked out with my homestay, and I feel the program excelled in various areas. The courses I took and the amount of activities able really allowed me to me immersed in the culture.

I have had a great experience with CIEE in Seville, Spain due to my amazing homestay and friends I have made during my stay. I also feel like CIEE is very involved in making sure we are well settled and satisfied.

I really like how many activities are offered to students and how accessible they are during my CIEE program. The academics were different than what I was expecting especially compared to a US university.

It was a great experience living in Sevilla and integrating myself with the city, its history, and culture. It was also amazing to learn new language and share my experiences with fellow CIEE students from different parts of America.

I think CIEE is a wonderful organization to study abroad with. They are experienced and that experience really shows in how they manage the entire process, from the application through the end of the program (and especially through the handling of events like COVID-19).

The staff/experience/group events were amazing. The only reason I didn't rate a 10 is because at the beginning of the program my host mom and I couldn't find a balance for food. She was not informed that I was a vegetarian, and, given the Spanish culture, she did not know many vegetarian recipes and insisted I tried meat.

It is a very well organized program that has many opportunities for students to take advantage of. It's also structured so that if there is a problem you have a support system which is important in a foreign country.

Studying in Seville is not my first time living abroad independently. However, it is definitely my first time speaking a language that I am not proficient with and adapting to a culture I have almost zero knowledge with. CIEE equipped me with a two weeks intensive Spanish training session, a four hundred level grammar class, and a variety of courses focusing on the history and society of the Spanish speaking world. I could take small-size panels at the institution itself or join in universities' lectures. The diversity and flexibility of registering for classes allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of Spain as well as charting my credits toward a bachelor degree in International Relations and Spanish. Most professors at Ciee also teach courses in local universities, therefore they have highly organized teaching structures and years of experiences in their fields. For example, on my class Politics and Society of the Contemporary Arab World, Professor Eduardo del Campo incorporated his stories of being a journalist into his class. He has shared students with exclusive photographs taken by himself as he travelled through the middle east, such as scenes of the neighborhood on the Israel-Palestine border. The pictures and his real-life experiences made his opinions and narratives on the issues of the Arab world more appealing and convincing. Just like Professor Eduardo del Campo, many CIEE faculties supported students to learn and integrate into the society through different manners which are not limited to a one hour and thirty minutes class. Students were able to register for a language exchange program sponsored by the University of Seville in which they practice speaking Spanish with their Spanish partners who are interested in learning and practicing English. Every week, there was an additional reunion at white bar for all students from the program where students can meet each other and develop their own networks. Since English is not my first language and most Spanish students are looking for a native English speaker to tutor them, I found it difficult to have a Spanish partner who can meet up with me on a regular base. Instead, I spent more time on attending CIEE sponsored excursions and tours in and out of the city. Within three months, I visited Cadiz, Ronda, Córdoba, Jerez de la Frontera, and Huelva with CIEE. The one-day trip usually has a full agenda which includes studying historical sites, trying local food, visiting galleries, etc. Also, I have developed a genuine friendship with some CIEE students through the process. I met my friends Sam and Tess during the city tour at “Las Setas”, a landmark architecture of Seville. I also spent four out of five excursion trips with Jasmine. I did not dare to hope I would have good friends after I left Mount Holyoke College, but it turned out I could easily meet people who share same interests with me during countless extracurricular events. With the love and support from my friends, living and studying in Seville no longer became difficult and lonely for me. My studying abroad in Seville will continue in 2020. Next semester, I will change my program from liberal arts to business and society in order to take more economics classes. Additionally, I hope to challenge myself and spend more time talking and networking with locals. Therefore, I will cherish the opportunities that CIEE offer me in interning or volunteering in Seville institutions. On the same time, I will take advantage of my previous experience and stay out of my comfort zone, which means I will spend more time in the language exchange program and become fully confident in speaking Spanish under whatever circumstances.

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