May Term Study Abroad Programs in Nice, France

I had a wonderful time on this trip! The opportunity to experience so many new cultures through art was great! Being in foreign countries with new people also created the perfect opportunity to create new friendships, especially since you're all in the same boat! Travel is a great way to build bonds. We also had plenty of time to explore on our own and enjoy the cities we were in!

This was an amazing program and I am infinitely grateful that I picked this program. Since I chose to participate in a May term program, I knew I would not have much time to plan my own trips within my study abroad experience, so a traveling program was perfect for me. I got to see all of the cities I have been dreaming about seeing for years. I made amazing friendships so quickly, and was exposed to many different cultures. Even though we were only in each city for a few days, I felt like I learned a good amount about each city. I got to see the most famous artwork in each city and it was fun learning how to use the public transportation in each city. We also had good guides for the tours in each city who knew a lot about the history of their cities. The program tour guide was awesome about helping us figure out public transportation, and I got a hang of how to do it myself by the time we left each city. My class's professor was amazing. She got us to really think and the class was very interactive. She was very educated on art history and the three hour class sessions went by quickly. The classes made me appreciate the museums and sites that we visited much more than I would have without the knowledge I gained. The places I wanted to see in each city were built into the program, and tickets were taken care of. I still had time during most days to work in my own activities and sightseeing, but all of the main places that I wanted to see were built in and we visited them as a full group. If I could change one thing, it would be to meet more locals or interact with business owners in the countries we visited through the program. The majority of the hotels were pretty nice; a couple of them were super nice. The only complaint I had was the location in a few of the cities, but it was very doable to get around. Breakfast was always covered which was great because we had to wake up fairly early most of the days. My group got a few surprises that were so awesome as well!

I had a lovely time here, although it was not without flaws. The amenities were not great especially considering how much we paid to be here. The company guilt tripped and body shamed us. But I made innumerable new friends and had experiences that I will cherish forever.

Very nice experience, learned a lot. People I’ve met here are now friends I will still be in contact with. The internship was where I learned new skills and networked with people within the fashion industry and got inspired by being here abroad

Everyone needs to go abroad. It is awesome experiencing so many cultures. Professors while abroad are very helpful and care about their students. I really enjoyed getting to know my professors and learning not only class content but also from their real life experiences. Traveling on the weekends was obviously my favorite part of this experience. I was able to visit a bunch of different countries. Wish I could stay longer.

By getting outside of my comfort zone as much as possible, I was able to experience parts of the world while figuring out new things about myself! Staying in a home stay is completely worth it because you get to practice your Spanish and meet incredibly interesting locals!

Living in Spain was such a great experience! From the food to culture and things to do, Spain has it all. I´m definitely going to miss my time here and all the great people I met. Studying abroad helped me grow so much as a person, and I won´t ever forget this experience.

This experience allowed me to reflect on the type of person I am, what I like and what I do not like, and really step out of my comfort zone. Studying abroad has allowed me to develop critical values that are important for everyday life. I have always believed that one of the best ways to erase ignorance is by traveling and my experience here has proved that.

I was hanging out in my local comic and games store one night in December 2015 talking with some schoolmates, when the topic of travel came up. One woman, a history major, overheard me say that I had always wanted to visit Italy and told me about a faculty led trip to Florence every summer. I went home that evening and looked into it first thing. During my search for this program, however, I came across a listing for "European Art and Architecture" with American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) and found myself intrigued by the idea of not just studying abroad in one location, but several! In just four weeks during Summer of 2016, I would travel through London, Amsterdam, Bruges, Paris, Lucerne, Venice, Florence, and Rome and see up close and in person some of the most famous works of western art and historical artifacts from all over the world. A study and travel program is a bit different in structure and feel than a "traditional" study abroad experience. By traditional, I am referring to what many think of when the words 'study abroad' come up: placement in a single location, living in either a Homestay (with a host family) or dorm, and living fully immersed in a particular culture for a semester or year. On a study and travel program, there's an element of being both a student and tourist at the same time. AIFS has an incredible all-inclusive strategy in their program costs, from housing and some meals, to excursions and even an optional flight plan, so once I was there I didn't have to worry about anything but learning. I was in a different place in Europe every 4-5 days over the course of the month long excursion, so I didn't get to experience each location to the point where I could feel like a "local". We stayed in a range of housing situations, ranging from a 16th century Venetian palace-turned-hotel to an international student youth hostel that came with a host of challenges. Each housing situation, however, provided a unique look into an entirely different culture of its own. While I have traveled to a number of locations within the United States, prior to this trip I had yet to have ever set foot on an airplane. The methods of travel and expectations in lodging that I have always been accustomed to were irrelevant in this new atmosphere. One might not think that a hotel has a whole lot to teach about a culture, but there's definitely something to be said about it. A big part of being on a program like this one is learning personal responsibility and independence. Even though we were in a group setting for most of excursions, my classmates and I were in many situations where we were given free time to do as we wished with an expectation of being in the next location by a certain time. This left us with the freedom to explore parts of each city to our personal interests, but also challenged us to utilize local systems of travel and communication to manage our time wisely and responsibly. Despite being a group that was touring Europe's most iconic museums, the itinerary was far more than what could be expected from a vacation-tour package. Each day after breakfast we attended a lecture given by our phenomenal professor and guide, and then spent the afternoon in at least one museum or landmark historical site engaged in discussions and analyzation of masterwork western art and architecture. The content structure was well suited for all knowledge levels in art and art history, and the idea of being in several places where English was not the primary language was not as daunting as it seems. I was able to quickly learn the phrases that would assist me in utilizing public transportation and communicate my needs, but most of my best experiences came from just communicating with locals and connecting on a deeper level than words can describe. AIFS provides staff at every single one of their program locations to offer support and and guidance to students, so aside from our professor the group was also accompanied by a tour manager based out of the AIFS London office. Both faculty members on the trip had years of experience living, teaching, and learning from each of the locations we visited, so my classmates and I were able to get the inside scoop on embracing the local cultures. On the last day of class, we were given an opportunity to provide our own feedback that would aid in shaping the program for the coming years. Overall, I could not recommend AIFS enough for a fantastic study abroad experience.

I had a great time with AIFS. I was able to travel all over Europe and meet many new friends. I would not really change anything other than I wish it could be longer. I liked how easy it was to get in contact with the AIFS office to solve any problems I might have had. Classes here were not as hard as back home but I found myself learning more and enjoying the work I was doing.

This semester truly changed my life in a positive way. It changed the way I look at the world, other people and cultures, daily life, and even myself. I would highly recommend to everyone thinking about it!

Had a wonderful time! Staff went above and beyond to be sure each student had a safe and comfortable experience, and provided many cultural activities without making students feel like they had to participate. Housing situation was great- my apartment, as well as those of all the other students that I saw, was spacious, clean, modern and well decorated. Roommate situation was also great! Overall really great time and good balance of school work and fun.

This semester was such a valuable life lesson for me about the true value of building friendships, adjusting and being willing to adapt to changing and foreign circumstances as well as how capable I am to grow and learn everyday. I loved my program with my classes, my professors and my fellow peers. I met so many wonderful people and am really going to miss seeing everybody each day

I traveled a lot in Europe and had a great time. Met many amazing people and experienced a whole new culture. I learned to appreciate America more, because the lifestyle here is very different. I did enjoy Spain a lot. When I traveled to other countries in Europe, it made me love Barcelona even more and grateful that I studied here. Unfortunately, I do not think the academics were the best. Some of the teachers were not very nice and expect you to know the spanish language perfectly. The program leaders were very helpful. I had to go to the dentist and Inma was awesome! The soccer team I joined was so much fun and my roommates were very cool.

First of all, I cannot wait to say how AIFS and the stuff did a great job through this fall semester, including the activities that we all do together and extral help that I needed. I donot know what else i might say to do better, becuase they are taking care of us morethan any one that can discribe it. Also, I do not thing I can measure how much i have fun this years, Every thing that we have done is more than worthy. Finally, I would like to say thank you so much for taking care of me, I would not never forget your kindess.

I've meet so many people from all over the place. It is definitely the best time I have ever had and I'm extremely thankful for the experience. I will always have a special connection with the people that I have studied abroad with in this program.

I had a great time spending a semester in Barcelona. It really showed me how different the world is, but no only just how different countries were, but people from the different states who attended the program along with me. AIFS was great at planning and showing us different parts of Barcelona as well. We had many group dinners and city tours which helped expose us to parts of Barcelona that we might not have experienced othewise.

This experience has been unlike any other. It´s better than I ever expected and I loved meeting new people here. The program was small enough to get to know everyone but large enough to not get ¨stuck¨ with people. The program was so friendly and truly cared about their students here. Inma and Jenn would take the students to the doctors office if they were sick and wait until the checkup was done.

I had an amazing time studying abroad! the classes were great! the only complaint I have about the apartment is that our wifi was bad. I wish we had met some more Spanish people, but since all of our classes were mainly americans that was hard. Overall though, it was a great experience :)

(This is basically the same program as in 1970 from AIFS and great to see it's still happening.) The first time I saw the Sistine Chapel, the Pieta, ate gelato, visited Pompeii ...walked around Stonehenge, Shakespeare's theater, Parliament...climbed the stairs in Notre Dame, went up the Eiffel Tower at night, and much more is still unforgettable, while taking classes in the morning. This was to be an academic review of my study abroad, instead, I will say, if after almost forty five years of life, I can still see and remember the experiences of my AIFS trip, the inspiring, breath taking sites, tasty food, and even the friends I made, that is my testament. My study abroad was back in 1970, and the reason it is significant is to emphasize that no matter what else you do in your life, you'll always remember your study abroad, regardless of the where or what, so go, GoAbroad!