Trimester Fashion Design & Merchandising Study Abroad Programs

Before Expanish, I struggled to feel confident/comfortable in Spain due to my lack of knowledge in Spanish. Expanish not only allowed me to finally feel comfortable in Madrid, but helped me to really thrive in Madrid. By being able to learn Spanish I felt so much more connected in my Madrid community by being able to build relationships with my gym instructors, the clerks at my regular grocery store, waiters at my favorite restaurant. That changed everything. I also learned and saw so much of Spain and Madrid through the cultural immersion events. It had the most positive impact on my experience and I’m forever indebted to Expanish. The classes themselves were great! My instructor was Aurora. She was very kind and patient which is so necessary when learning a new language. She was also great at explaining new concepts and will repeat it as many times as you need. Everyone on staff is absolutely incredible. Everyone was more than willing to offer help if I needed something. I was having issues with my apartment agency and one of the staff was more happy to call the agency to speak with them in Spanish on my behalf (I didn’t stay in housing that was part of Expanish). It just goes to show how much they care. They all ask questions about you and want to get to know you personally. You’re not just a number at Expanish. If anyone’s considering signing up, I promise you won’t regret it!

Expanish responded to this reviewJuly 25, 2026

Alexa, thank you so much for taking the time to write such a nice review! :) Reading this genuinely made our day, especially the part about feeling connected to your Madrid community, building those everyday relationships that really make a place feel like home. That's exactly what we hope for, so knowing you got to experience that means the world to us. We'll be sure to pass your kind words along to Aurora, she'll be so happy to read this. And to our team, thank you for noticing and appreciating that extra effort. You're not just a number to us, you're part of the Expanish family, and we love being able to support you even beyond the classroom. Thank you for recommending us and for being such a wonderful part of this journey. It was truly a pleasure having you with us!

Altogether, I had a great time. We got to see so much and I believe the pacing of the program was great, spending the right amount of time at each location. La Fortuna was my favorite! Traveling in a large group brought up trouble with waiting on students, health issues, etc. but I still think they were able to make the most of it. Having a flexible schedule and being open to adjustments definitely helps. Our guide Rodrigo and our bus drivers were the best!

I really enjoyed this experience. My review is based off of a free trip less expenses such as food and transportation, as I received scholarships for this course. I do know that many students paid upwards of $7,000 on this study abroad trip, which I do find to be a bit much. Considering we were staying in $80 / night hotels with non-working lights, mediocre amenities, and bad air conditioning and bedding coupled with the scarcity of included meals, the figure should have been more around $3,000 without airfare cost. I do not understand how the cost was so high for what was received. I also found living in the dorms with random Costa Rican people to be fun, but a bit restrictive. The morning meals were literally eggs, a piece of bread, and really bad coffee. I was also staying in a really small bunk bed which was uncomfortable. Staying in an affordable hotel would have been better. Next time I recommend the school book out Ester’s Place which is closer to the tech campus and run by a lovely lady who has many rooms available in her home hotel. She also had a much better breakfast and the cost was only $65 / night per person. I stayed here my first night flying in on the 12th and wish I could have gone back but due to restrictions I was not allowed. My family of four at the time in 2019 went on an all inclusive cruise to Italy, Spain, and France for under $10,000 with included meals, drinks , stay, etc. So this trip being $7,000 + for just ONE PERSON is a bit crazy. Regardless, the activities were awesome and for me, price was not an issue as stated before. So, my review without price factored was it was amazing. Great tour guide Rodrigo was so knowledgeable and a very nice guy. He took us to authentic places and not just generic touristy places. I enjoyed seeing the stark contrast in sustainability initiatives between exotic resorts, quasi-governmental organizations, and design firms. I truly did get a wonderful experience with understanding how firms work and the metric process used to gather sustainability info, as well as how to tell if a company may be kind of BS-ing the situation with their sustainability initiatives, or holding themselves accountable. I loved the zip line tour and the coffee and cocoa bean tour. The history tours around the towns was cool, but truly was not necessary. I feel we could have just had an informational PDF sent to us instead of touring these relatively boring historical landmarks. Activities are always more fun than learning about history. I think it would have been much more effective to fly into Liberia, tour the beach and Penninsula Papagayo’s HOA office, then make our way back to San Jose and visit firms, then fly out of SJO. The amount of time driving was frustrating. Or, instead, we would just fly into SJO and tour the Caribbean side of things and skip the western side of Costa Rica altogether. This way the time could be allocated more effectively. I also wish the professors would have split us into groups so we could have gotten to know everyone. There were certain folks I never really got to have conversations with because the groups would naturally clique and we never had forced exposure to each other. Overall it was a wonderful trip and, with a few adjustments I know the next one will be awesome as well!

Coming to TTU Costa Rica was an amazing experience and allowed me to try lots of new and unique things. Rodrigo was the absolute best and the entire trip wouldn't have been half as great and smooth without him! Gonna miss him back in the states, thank you so much for an amazing time!

great experience; wonderful interaction with students from all over the world . I would recommend this program to anyone interested in learning/improving their knowledge of Spanish. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in improving or learning how to speak Spanish.

My Canada study visa experience was smooth and well-guided. The team provided clear information, timely support, and professional assistance throughout the process. I’m grateful for their guidance and highly recommend their services.

BrainEdge GoAbroad offers expert study abroad guidance with transparent counseling, scholarship support, and smooth visa processing. Highly professional and reliable service. Highly recommended for anyone looking for reliable, professional, and result-oriented study abroad guidance.

I would highly recommend the CIS Barcelona Creative Industries Program. Not only is studying abroad a life-changing experience, but this unique program has only added to the amazing experience. My days were filled with learning and exploring the amazing city that is Barcelona. Classes were open and creative, and even the professors would take us on field trips to further learn. Not only was living in Spain amazing the staff on site were very supportive in the whole experience. There were also different excursions including a winery tour, a tour of Blanes, and a trip to the gorgeous Spanish city of Sevilla. So if you want a life-changing experience and one that is even more unique than others you should check out the CIS Barcelona Creative Industries Program.

I just wanted to thank you again for everything. Everything was great! I loved your organization, the intructors, and my host family. I am still not sure if I am coming again next Summer (I would love to), but if I do not, I will probably be there the following year. I miss you all and Florence very much. I still talk about my trip and look at my pictures a lot. I do not even know where to begin describing my trip to Florence because everything was unbelievable. The family I lived with was perfect: close location to everything I needed, amazing food, and very welcoming. The NECA faculty also helped us with whatever we needed. They showed us around the city as well as the other cities we visited as a group. Additionally, they took us out on evenings after school. I could not have asked for a more ideal trip than what I experienced during my four week stay, and hopefully I will be able to return soon.

I wanted to thank you guys for a a wonderful Spring semester! I made life-long friends, broadened my knowledge of art, fell in love with the city of Florence, and even learned some Italian! Loredana, I must thank you for being a wonderful teacher who always kept our attention in class! You have influenced me to take more art history classes and earn a minor in it! Francesco, thank you for always making us laugh! You both have shown great hospitality and kindness…

Ciao Loredana and Francesco!! I miss Florence VERY MUCH! I would like to thank you from the very bottom of my heart for the opportunity to fall in love with Italy and Florence as much as I did. I thank you for filling my mind with knowledge, and making learning fun. This experience was something I will never forget. The Fall semester started one year ago, and I have thought about my study abroad experience every single day since I have been home. I cannot wait until the January term, because I will be arriving once again in Florence. I have been studying the Italian language, and the history of Italy since I was younger, and I have been to Italy a handful of times before, but to be able to have class standing outside churches, or inside museums looking at statues, and paintings that I used to look at in textbooks, gave me a feeling that I think everyone should feel. It is indescribable. For two years I searched to find the perfect study abroad program, and NECA has definitely exceeded all of my expectations. Thank you for caring for us as much as you did, but also giving us a feel of independence. I cannot wait to see you both in January!

From a student’s parent: Thank you for your work in getting Julie into the program! I know you worked extra hard for her in finding scholarships for her, and we really appreciate it. We are all so excited for her to experience Italy; the culture, the history, the sites, and especially the people. Julie has been reading on line about NECA and has read only glowing things about the program, so I know she will be in good hands. When we first talked, I honestly didn’t think we would be able to make this work, but thank you for finding the scholarships. We are all now learning Italian, and gathering books from the Library about where she will be going and such. It is fun for us too! Thank you again helping make this possible.

I had the most wonderful time being totally immersed in the Italian culture. The food, people, attitudes, and the overall atmosphere was so unique. I looked forward to the next day every night when I went to bed, wondering what new things I would learn and experience. You can’t imagine being surrrounded by so many new things and trying to take it all in at once; you just don’t know where to start. In the school itself, all of the NECA staff were so friendly, helpful and eager to show you all of the things they knew and wanted you to know and experience as well. The trips to the different cities in Italy (Siena, Rome, Pisa, Orvieto) gave an even wider perspective on the whole of current Italian life as well as its history and the many stories that are held in the ancient buildings and works of art. Please send my love to the host family I stayed with (Maria, her husband, and children). They made my experience there so pleasant. They received me, Rosanna, and Waaaaaaaayyyyne so sweetly and made us feel right at home. I will never forget how good they were to us. I will never forget how good you Francesco and Loredana were to us. We did have so much fun with you and my family benefited from the cooking classes we had at your house because i cook them Italian meals every now and again. I never would have known what real “mozzarella” was if it weren’t for you either and I did find a place that sells it here in the States, so yay! Well, I am writing a book here, so I will end here and just say that I miss you all and I will send you some pictures soon that you may want to post on the website too. Take care! -Hy comma Kristen ( io, io, io!!!! )

Ciao! Thanks again for an amazing program. I had the time of my life! I really miss you and Florence and the rest of NECA. I hope everything is going well! Allora…. when I get back into the States (I am still in Paris) I am going to send you a CD of my pictures – maybe you could use some for the website. Take care. Ciao! Alley

Words cannot describe the experiences I had while at NECA in Italy. The weeks spent in Florence were some of the most memorable times of my life. I met great people, saw amazing things, and learned about a culture that is part of my ancestry. I would not have passed up that opportunity for the world. Anyone who has the chance to travel to this beautiful country should take advantage of it. You will NOT be sorry! All of the instructors (and director) were of course wonderful and made us feel very welcome. They also had a lot of patience with us which was very much appreciated. I miss all of them so much. I could write a whole book on how wonderful my time there was. I cannot wait until I have the opportunity to get back there.

Hi Francesco … How I’ve missed you all since I’ve been back. When NSCS contacts me again, I’ll tell them what I really thought of the program … It will all be glowing of course. Thank you all at NECA for my unique experience there.

Ciao, Francesco! I hope this finds you doing well and enjoying your time! I miss Florence, Italy, and the other NECA students more than you can imagine. It was an amazing experience and I feel very fortunate that I had the opportunity not only to learn as much as I did in the classroom from my instructors, but to also learn so much from you, Loredana, and others in the community I came across. I will continue my studies in Italian next year… and as of now, I plan on going to Italy again for three or four weeks next year for conversational italian. Take care and keep in touch! All my best, Derek (Chip-Chop).

My time with NECA made me feel welcomed instantly. The locations of the apartment and University allowed me to walk through a safe environment full of life and culture. You'll never run out of things to do! Independent exploration is allowed but there are also great options for guided trips, i.e. Pisa, Chianti, Piazzale Michelangelo. Francesco and Loredana are always there if you need them. 10/10 would recommend.

Ciao, Francesco! How are you doing? As you might have guessed, I’m safely back in the states : ) . Let me tell you, Florence was definitely worth it. I had a great time, and as far as I know all students did as well. From everyone I’ve talked to, we all miss Italy very much. For me, everything went perfectly and smoothly, thanks to the personal attention you provided for us. I couldn’t have imagined a better time. I trust you are enjoying the rest of the NECA term. Say hello to Loredana : ) Have a great time and thank you very very much for a great term. Best wishes to you! regards, Cassandra

It was my first time in a foreign country and i came here without my family. Firstly it was hard cause of i always was little daughter of my family and they solved my all problems for me , but when i come to poland this situation changed. I had to learn how to cook,shopping for eating,spending my money properly, and you know just living and being an adult! I felt free first time in my life and wanted to built my own life .