The best 4 months of my life so far!!!! Past Review
By Leah Caracciolo (University of New Hampshire) - abroad from 01/04/2019 to 04/12/2019 with
Academic Studies Abroad: Study Abroad in Barcelona, Spain
Yes, it was worthwhile. It made me become a more positive and optimistic person. It not only changed my entire perception of the world but proved that the further you travel (physically and mentally) outside of your comfort zone, the more you will learn about yourself. I haven't stopped traveling since!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My housing arrangement was incredible, to say the least. We were in a building with ASA students as well as another study abroad programs and also locals. We had a beautiful balcony and overall amazing experience with our apartment. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Try your best to learn the language where you are and be able to order things like your food or drinks in the native language. It makes locals like you more and shows that youre actually trying to immerse yourself in their culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I ended up getting sick once while I was abroad and contacted Marta and Richard our ASA site directors asking them if I could be put into contact with a doctor. Right away they responded with a phone number to call to reach a Doctor who spoke good English and could help me. I don't remember his name anymore but he was excellent in telling me I had two ear infections and then prescribed me medicine that I picked up at a pharmacy. All I had to do was bring in my passport and fill out paperwork that was quick when I arrived at the doctor's office. |
| * Safety: |
Barcelona is overall a very safe city the only thing you need to worry about most is the pickpocketing. I never got anything stolen but I did have a few friends that got things stolen from them like a phone and wallet while we were out at bars and clubs at night. You just always need to be aware of your surroundings at all times especially when drinking is involved and when using the subways. The subways get very packed sometimes so always hold your purse or pockets to make sure no one is trying to take anything. Never put your phone or wallet in your back pockets or any pockets because of thats the easiest place they can try and steal from you. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
ASA became a family to me so quickly. I was only abroad for four months but it changed everything about my life. I went abroad alone not knowing what I was getting myself into. I met the most incredible, kind, loving and caring people that became a family to me. ASA helped me every step of the way with paperwork deadlines and getting my visa done to go abroad. They had fascinating excursions planned for us and gave us so much knowledge about things I may have never learned if I was in a different program. I loved the small size of their program as well because it made it easy to get close and become friends with everyone. |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
2.5 I'd rate it. It depends on what you want to do. If you want to travel to other countries and eat out every night it's going to add up. I didn't spend as much as I thought I would and I was really happy about it. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | If I went to a different country on the weekend probably like 300 euros but if I stayed in Barcelona for the whole week then I would spend like 70 euros ora little more. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try to look up restaurants that you really want to go to and check them off throughout your time abroad so you remember if you went or not. I created a Yelp account while abroad so I would put each country we visited into a folder and put all the restaurants I wanted to go to or went to under that country. My friends and I would also research where to eat, what activities there were to do and transportation before we went on weekend trips. It helped a lot so we knew how much money we needed to bring and once we got to the new countey we knew exactly what we were going to do instead of walking around aimlessly. I would also cook with my roommates or friends so certain people would buy an ingredient and then we would make dinner so it was a little cheaper that way if everyone chipped in. I would try to cook in my apartment as much as I could but then on some days of the week or weekends, I would go out for lunch to dinner with my friends. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
3 I'd rate it. You didn't have to know Spanish to go to Spain but learning it throughout the program or having a background of it helped so much. It also helps you fit in more and not get taken advantage of. By that I mean people are more likely to lie to you about a cab fare if you just speak English to them and seemed lost. If you get in the cab only speaking spanish they will think you know what youre doing and won't scam you. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Elementary Spanish |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Get the app Doulingo. You can easily learn certain words and sentences. Write down in your phone under notes certain terms your country uses a lot. Know basic things like hello, thank you, how much?, how are you, what time is it etc. because that will help you sooo much. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I knew how much I was going to love it and I would have without a doubt gone for a whole year. I wish I knew I wasn't going to be homesick at all or miss my university back home. I wish I knew not to be stressed about going abroad at all because everyone is exactly the same way. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
