Fall Study Abroad Programs in Sweden

I did not have the best academic experience and would recommend taking only fun classes specifically designed for exchange students, unless you are highly motivated, regardless of what your peers are doing. Other than that, my time in Sweden was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I was able to make lifelong friends, travel A LOT, and experience things in a way that is only possible during studying abroad. Vaxjo is a very clean, friendly, and convenient city, amazing for nature enthusiasts. Coming here was definitely one of the best decisions I ever made.

When I decided I wanted to go abroad, I was nervous about a lot of things. First off, I was scared that when I went abroad I would have to settle for a location I did not want to be in because I needed my credits to transfer over. Luckily AIFS had a program in a wonderful city with a bunch of classes that would transfer back to my home university super well. When I chose this program, I was overjoyed but nervous about living in a homestay. When I got there I was happily surprised to find that my host family was amazing and provided me with an experience I would not have been able to have if I had been in a dorm/apt. The people that I met in the program were some of the coolest people I have ever known and am happy to call them my friends to this day. If you are looking for a great program in Paris where you have the freedom to meet new people, travel, and find yourself in a new place, I would 100% recommend this to you!

I would like to start with USAC was amazing in supporting me to get to Kalmar as I was the first person in my university to do it, and this caused some hiccups. Kalmar is a beautifully quiet city, with many college-age people. Walking is easy, and apartments are bafflingly cheap. The school is wonderful and right on the water, and it even has a view of a nearby castle! They have an excellent program for exchange students, and this is how I met so many friends from all over the world; not many Americans do this program and I enjoyed that. With the friends I made, we traveled Europe on a budget quite easily. I also enjoyed a solo trip to Longyearbyen, Svalbard, to see the aurora and experience polar night. I still talk to those friends I met and traveled with all these years later (I went in 2023). This was the most amazing experience of my life that I cannot fit into a comment well, but I hope this can at least help convince you to take the step.

My semester abroad in Granada, Spain was absolutely unforgettable. I decided to stay with a host family and I lived in their home with another student in the same program. Living with a roommate, we became really close friends. My host family was so kind and welcoming, they included us in everything they did. I learned so much Spanish culture and tradition from spending time with the family. The school was called Center of Modern Languages and I had a mixture of Spanish and Business classes. I loved speaking Spanish in class and getting to know other students. AIFS provided a level placement test at the beginning of the semester so that everyone found courses that were appropriate for their knowledge of Spanish. The classes were very fun and I enjoyed going to class. The AIFS program excursions were some of the best experiences/trips that I went on. I was blown away by the Morocco trip as well as the Seville/Córdoba/Gibraltar weekend. The trips were well planned, affordable, and allowed for free time to explore with friends. I made so many connections with locals, got to experience once in a lifetime activities like riding camels next to the ocean, and tried amazing foods. The program application process was hassle-free and the program advisors in Granada are so helpful. I would often visit their office and just chat with them or ask their advice on where to visit on the weekend. They organized cooking classes, art classes, sporting events, and cultural activities like a flamenco show. Granada is such a wonderful city. It is very walkable and the people are very friendly. There are endless tapas bars in the city where you get free food with each drink purchase. I made friends with lots of locals and other students from across the US. I attended exchange club meetings where you get drinks and tapas, and you chat in whatever language you are trying to learn with people from around the world. AIFS did a wonderful job providing opportunities for all of the students in the program to get to know each other. I made a close-knit group of friends and we spent so much time together. I am so thankful for having met them thanks to AIFS. We even visited each other once we arrived back in the US! I would highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to experience Spain on a more personal scale compared to bigger cities. I think Granada is the most beautiful city, and the Alhambra is a must-see!

Berlin is a really wonderful and historic city to live in. My German is basically nonexistent and I still felt like I was able to get around fine. The AIFs staff are very supportive, and the organized actives were well structured and thought out. If you weren’t interested in some or all of the activities, you didn’t have to participate and there was plenty of time to do your own thing around Berlin or travel throughout Europe. I didn’t particularly enjoy my academic experience at Humboldt, there were a few good classes but also a few really awful ones. So, if I could do it again I would probably do the AIFS program with Freie Universität academic program.

My colleague and I have had the pleasure of accompanying 21 amazing humans on a 3 month journey that will most certainly change them for the rest of their lives. Thank you to AIFS for sharing Rome with us and attending to every detail that made this an experience that will live with us eternally. The AIFS Rome center staff were excellent in providing impactful excursions, extra-curricular courses, and ensuring that all of us were well informed and provided for in every part of our journey.

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

I definitely had a really exciting and wonderful trip. There were a few aspects like traveling and staying at more cities besides just Salzburg would have been a lot more fun. But the tours and field trips were absolutely incredible and the people who showed us around were amazing! Loved to see the history and beauty all over

From arrival to departure, AIFS made my study abroad experience a 11/10. Great staff through and through allowed for a complete cultural assimilation in the time I spent there. It was the experience of a lifetime that I would recommend to everyone.

AIFS was definitely the right choice for me and I think it will be for anyone else seriously considering study abroad. From the moment I signed up for emails (before applying) to now (over a year out from leaving Germany), I have felt so supported and have had a lovely experience. The included trips and activities were definitely my favorite parts (the street art tour and cooking class especially!) and I’m still in contact with our Resident Director, Nele :)

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.

I made the most of my time here by travelling every weekend except for one. | recommend that everyone does that and explore their home city during the week. The professors were great and a lot better than in the US.

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.

Växjö is a beautiful up and coming town located in the bottom half of Sweden. (A 3hour train ride to Copenhagen Denmark!) This town is not a bustling city, however there were plenty of activities and places to explore. The University, LNU, has something like sororities/fraternities, they're called student unions. The international student union offered trips to St. Petersburg Russia, Lapland Finland, and many other excursions. (You can choose which you want to do and you pay accordingly.) The University itself has two student clubs and a pub that host special holiday parties, themed parties, and general deals for students. So there's definitely things to do on the weekends. LNU also offers a program that they "friend families" which are something like exchange families but without physically living with them. Basically people from the town volunteer to show you around and give you a taste of the Swedish culture/lifestlye. This was one of my favorite parts of the program. At the beginning I had some difficulties engaging with the community and breaking out of just hanging with fellow international students. But my friend family were very engaging and invited me to all sorts of Swedish activities and I tried so much new food with them! Sweden is amazing, LNU is a great school, and Växjö itself is very charming. The program itself is great because of its affordability, but if you are a community college student arranging things yourself it can feel a little overwhelming. Things like 'how do I pay my rent' and 'what should I expect for my living accommodations" were some key information that was not abundantly clear. However, if you are organized, proactive about emailing questions/calling, and utilizing resources at LNU things work themselves out. I had such an amazing time in Sweden and met some good friends that I'm still very close with. Sweden is truly a wonderful and unique place. I would definitely recommend the Växjö Program. *I also visited the Kalmar Campus for a Halloween Party, the town felt much smaller and in general the travel time to big cities didn't feel worth it. Being close to Copenhagen meant flexibility with catching flights and general ease of travel.

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.