IE University reviews

The courses are very interesting as well as diverse in nature. The degree titled under communication and digital media requires multiple proficiencies that the university manages to cover them all and provide all mean to facilitate the learning experience. At IE they promise to deliver education in a new and innovative way which is very visible and concrete so far. Professors are very kind, open for discussions, negotiations and mainly hear the students out- it's a very collaborative learning experience.

The university is forward and expanding quickly. Eager, bold and innovative. However, the trade off is poor academics, no structure and horrible at taking in feedback from the students. Instead is more likely to overrun the students for the benefit of the university. The student is not in the focus, rather the business. 

The quality of professors vary, but the majority (especially in Madrid Campus) is working professionals with very little experience with teaching and minimal care about the student's learning. They are great contacts to have, but if you are there for learning it might not be the best choice of university. 

The new Madrid Campus is open, but incomplete. I have faith for it to become better but can already see how the cracks can grow bigger and that building a tower as campus will be the biggest regret of investment. Why? Because the campus is extremely separated and you barely meet other students - which are the major resource of the campus, its international student body. The campus is instead another corporate building in which you just go to for your class and then return back. The area is also highly corporate and no really places to hangout, for example take a beer after class. 

The schedules are horrible. No structure whatsoever. How can you build a healthy routine if you one day start at 10 am and the other at 5 pm and finish anytime between 1pm-9pm? Many days we had classes between 1-6 pm without any longer break than 10 minutes. 

On top of all, what I am most disappointed at is the poor management. The management of my program has every year changed the contact person at least once and as a representative of the group I stop believing in that the feedback will be cared about. Either should we have come earlier or taken cared of it ourselves before coming - it is always excuses and then followed with "we are here for you". Words, but rarely action. 

The academics is poor and grading is skewed. We are given a huge overload of assignments that are most of the time bullshit and useless but takes up our time. Never have I been given a rubrics on which my work is graded and rarely constructive feedback on how to improve.

Dedicated staff, always ready to help.

In September of 2020 after some deliberation, I decided to join IE university and get my masters in International Relations. My Uncle was supportive and even helped me financially since I had gotten a scholarship. My mother was excited and proud that I got in. I was eager to improve my skills, meet new people and go on the visit to Belgium to make contacts that I was sure would help me in my future career. 

So that's how my journey started and oh boy was it downhill from there. I worked hard and applied myself to my studies, only very reluctantly coming up for air after months of hard work and cajoling by concerned friends. I had to do this while balancing financial difficulties, a job, a crazy landlord, getting a bank loan and eventually orchestrating a whole move from my previous apartment. Things would get so dire that come August I wouldn't even have enough money to buy a soda. 

IE promised improved job prospects but despite applying while in school and for the past three years, I have only had one job for six months that was different from my previous teaching jobs and I was told i got that job because of my teaching experience not IE. I have applied within and around my field and failed, asked for help and received vague and unhelpful answers and even tried applying to IE itself only to be turned away.I never got the trip to Belgium and instead got poorly prepared speakers who contributed little and only one of whom I was able to get contact info for. I understand that pandemic issues prevented the usual trip but the attempts to make up for it failed miserably. I am now way past graduation and unable to get internships while my peers have all moved on to more successful positions. IE has never made good on any of their promises to me and I would recommend you stay away unless you are rich and beautiful then by all means go for it even if you fail you have nothing to lose. But even if that isn't you give it a shot just know their is a chance for catastrophic failure.