CAPA: The Global Education Network Reviews

About

Studying abroad with CAPA means learning in the classroom, then supporting that structured academic foundation by going beyond and experiencing the diverse global city firsthand. You’ll do this through field studies and cultural events as well as on your own. Through coursework, internship opportunities, and My Global City cultural activities, you will participate in challenges that excite and inspire you.

CAPA has one of the longest histories as a study abroad internship provider, and works with more than 3,000 organizations across its global city locations. Interning with CAPA means you’ll have an incredible professional development opportunity right at your fingertips.

CAPA offers both in-country and online study abroad programs and remote global internships. Challenge yourself and go abroad (or online) with us. We have a good feeling that you’ll find a second home and an experience you’ll never forget.

Website

info.capa.org

Founded

1972

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Community Photos

During my first week in London I was able to visit Kensington Palace and it was beautiful

My favorite pictire from abroad is this one in Parish with the Eiffel tower in the background

This is a picture of me on top of a hill in Mykonos Greece

Crustini: Toasted sourdough bread, with sauteed mushrooms & vegetables, with cheese and a cream sauce

Some of my friends and I on a CAPA trip to Galway, Ireland

My boss and I at my internship in North Sydney

Holding a Koala from the Rainforestation Sanctuary in Cairns

Sydney Harbor at Sunset from the Manly boat

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Scholarships

CAPA Scholarships and Financial Aid

Each year, CAPA awards $1.5 million in study abroad scholarships, grants, and affiliate benefits! With CAPA you can participate in a study abroad and/or global internship program in Barcelona, Dublin, Florence, London, Paris, Prague, and Sydney.

Value

$300 - $1,000

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Reviews

Though it's been a few years since I studied abroad, I still frequently think about my experience on the CAPA Florence Program and how much I grew during my time overseas. This program offers so many interesting courses, along with plenty of extracurricular activities to get out and explore the city. The CAPA Florence staff members are some of the friendliest, warmest, and most caring people I have ever met and were ALWAYS there for support. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to participate in this program!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?

When you study abroad in Florence, you will *literally* have the world at your fingertips and will be within a short train or plane ride from so many different cities and countries. It may be tempting to travel every single weekend, but make sure to also take the time to really get to know Florence and make it your home. It is such a magical city with so much to offer!

Also, the CAPA staff is there to help you so don't forget that! They take so much pride in calling Florence their home and are always willing to offer recommendations for things to do, places to eat, etc.

Studying abroad for a semester was the best experience of my life. I am so thankful to have had this opportunity and I would do it again in a heart beat! I learned and grew so much during my time abroad and I came back as a completely different person. Interning was probably one of my favorite parts because I was given opportunities I never thought I would be given. My favorite part was going to London Fashion Week. Even though I had classes and a job, I still had so much opportunity to travel and explore with my friends. 10/10 recommend.

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?

I had never tried this little Japanese pancakes before. Upon arriving at Borough Market, all of my friend shad convinced me to try them, and they were so good. The texture was a bit odd to me, but I still really enjoyed them!

CAPA London was a fast-paced and fantastic experience!

The CAPA courses were dynamic, yet manageable. My favorite class was 20th Century British History. It was particularly interesting to learn about the London boroughs and UK immigration in the 20th century.

I had a very positive experience at my internship at a charity/ community center. I made immediate connections with my co-workers due to their warm and welcoming personalities. My one critique about the CAPA internship programs was that I was not satisfied with my placement. Though I loved my co-workers at my internship, I wish I was placed at a fashion/style company.

Overall, I had a wonderful experience exploring London, making friends, and documenting every beautiful and crazy moment.

What was your funniest moment?

Running into students from my home university at a nightclub. It was funny because I did not think I would ever run into people I knew from the States.

I studied abroad in Sydney the summer of 2019 on a 6-week trip, in which I completed an internship alongside a class. As someone who is a Film & Media Studies major, I was a little worried about whether or not I could find an internship and activities that I would enjoy considering that I didn't know a thing about the Australian film industry. Luckily for me, I was placed in an internship that let me experience a different side to media creation that I hadn't personally worked on before (managing social media accounts, directly editing content for hundreds of thousands of viewers, proofreading presentations to be given around the country). Moreover, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the Sydney Film Festival, since student tickets were affordable any my schedule was flexible enough that I could attend the screenings. Being able to see movies months before they came out in the States was an incredible opportunity I knew I wouldn't get anywhere else! Finally, the staff and students within CAPA made me feel so at home during my time in the country; any questions, concerns, or issues that I had were dealt with immediately, and I never felt alone with the group I was with. I'm trying not to be the person that always talks about their study abroad trip, but it's hard when I genuinely had so much fun on my trip. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone who has a tight schedule but is willing to make the time to study abroad in order to learn, work, and explore.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?

Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge--I'm not scared of heights, but scaling the iconic Bridge, no matter how safe the harnesses are, certainly brought on the nerves. Once I started moving higher and higher, however, I found that my jittery legs stilled and I regained the feeling in my fingers. I will never forget the breeze atop of the Bridge and how much I loved being up at that height. There were absolutely no nerves by the time I climbed down the other side. It was so much fun that I ended up doing it all over again when my mom came down to visit!

I studied abroad In Dublin, Ireland, with CAPA, and it was the experience of a lifetime. I went for my spring semester of 2020, so my experience was cut short; however, I did get to go for about 50 days. To start, the people at CAPA were so helpful before and while I was there. Any questions you have, they can answer, which helped relieve my stress. CAPA is a great company that wants to make the transition as easy as possible. The city is absolutely beautiful, and it is easy to get around! Dublin is filled with history, culture, and amazing people. They have an excellent public transportation system as well, and you can walk everywhere. As a hospitality major, it was fantastic to take classes from a different perspective. I met some of the nicest people while I was there, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?

Italy

5.00 •2 reviews

Imagine living in a one of the world’s powerhouse cities, one that...

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

I chose this program as a future arts administrator who hopes to gain experience in the theatre industry. Having access to the West End and other artistic nonprofit institutions was an integral part of me choosing this program. It was incredibly valuable for me to get to experience the arts climate in London.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

SUNY Oswego has different staff in the study abroad office that work with specific programs. I worked heavily with my university program representative, who walked me through the campus application, program application, finances, class selection, and flight booking. The program helped by being in contact with the rep to help me with choices, and also planned logistics such as housing and placement.

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What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

Budget smart! London is expensive, not so much in groceries but moreso because living in a city has a lot of unexpected inconveniences that require you to buy things during your day. Also, if you want to travel, set aside an entirely different budget, it cost me roughly $300-$400 to travel outside the UK on the weekends, so if that’s a goal, plan for it.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

During my time in this program I would wake up early in the day and get on the tube to go to the CAPA center or my Internship location in person screen. From there I would either spend about three hours in class working with professors and small groups or I would be at my intern location doing miscellaneous work with the theatre company. My evenings and weekends would be spent with friends exploring.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

Claire Shrader

2018 Alum

Grace Vitale

2018 Alum

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Danelle Boone

Program

CAPA Shanghai: Study & Intern Abroad

Danelle Boone holds a Master of Science Degree in Counseling from California State University, Northridge and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from California State University, Chico. Danelle has studied abroad in both Spain and Mexico, and sailed around the world with Semester at Sea. Prior to joining the staff at CAPA International Education, Danelle previously held roles as a Global Seminars Coordinator at UC San Diego, Assistant Director of the Career Development Center at CSU Long Beach, Career Counselor at UCLA, and faculty member at Santa Monica College. Danelle is passionate about the field of international education and considers living, working and studying abroad among the best experiences of her life. Some of her favourite travel destinations thus far have been Barcelona, Berlin, Istanbul, Kyoto and Sydney. Danelle works from a home office in San Diego, CA.

Did you study or intern abroad? If so, where and what inspired you to go?

Danelle: I studied abroad initially on a short term program in Playa del Carmen, Mexico and then on a longer program in Barcelona, Spain. My grandparents were from Spain, and I had studied Spanish in high school and just fell in love with the language. I have several extended family members in the south of Spain and was inspired to travel there and improve my language ability so that I could attempt to hold meaningful conversations with them. I am still working on that last part.

What aspect of working at CAPA inspires you the most?

Danelle: I love working with students! I am inspired by their goals, dreams and their sense of adventure. I studied abroad a bit later than most, and now really enjoy working with students who never thought they’d have the chance to study abroad, or might have thought it was too late. I studied abroad after completing my Bachelors Degree, and then again after my Masters Degree, and then worked abroad for a semester after that. It’s never too late.

How do you see the field of international education changing over the next 10 years?

Danelle: It has already changed so much! Studying abroad was historically something that it seemed only the children of wealthy parents could afford to do. But with scholarships and with a more diverse array of programs from which to choose, it is becoming more of a reality for non-traditional students. This is really where my passion lies. I want to see education abroad become more accessible to all students, and I’ve been fortunate enough to work with organizations that believe in and support this mission.

If you had to choose one, what destination would you recommend to prospective students?

Danelle: This depends entirely on the student. Do they want to learn a language? - Maybe Buenos Aires, Istanbul, Florence or Beijing. Do they want to do an internship? - Perhaps London, Dublin or Sydney. What do they want to study? Each of our locations has unique academic offerings, and each city has its own combination of character, culture and history. It is impossible to choose the one location that I would recommend. If I had to choose for myself, I would be drawn to Buenos Aires so that I could continue to learn and practice more Español, and because although I have been to Europe, Asia, Australia and North Africa, I still have yet to make my way to South America.

What is one piece of advice you would offer someone considering going abroad?

Danelle: Go for longer than you think you can. Yes, it is intimidating at first. But after a few weeks abroad, you’ll wish you’d signed on for a full semester or even a year.

Anything else you would like to share?

Danelle: Make connections with people you meet, wherever you go. Rather than spending all of your time with other American students, go to local cafes, pubs or community events and meet people who are native to the city or country in which you are studying. Taking photos of all the monuments and landscapes is great, but your best memories will come from the people you meet along the way.