THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classes were awesome - I loved the building in the middle of the city and the professors clearly knew their stuff!

On-site administration of your program

The resident directors were absolutely AMAZING!! They helped me with every little thing, no matter how small - from how to navigate placing an order in a tapas bar to buying a new sim card for my phone, they were so supportive and phenomenal!

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I stayed in a homestay and AIFS did an amazing job with roommate placement. My roommate and I were so similar and clicked immediately. Plus, my host family was awesome! My host mom grew up her whole life in Salamanca so it was really cool to hear a lot of her stories and learn how Salamanca changed since she was a kid.

The food in my homestay was SO GOOD! A lot of traditional food like paella and tortillas de patatas, and we really had a lot of variety in the food too. We were never hungry - our host mom always gave us so much to eat and it was so good that our plates were always empty by the time we were done.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

One really cool thing AIFS did was have intercambios with Spanish students at the Universidad de Salamanca that were learning English. It was super cool to have this opportunity to meet with them and just have a chat - both in English and Spanish! Salamanca also always has a TON of cultural activities going on. It seemed like every other day there was some sort of cultural event going on in the Plaza, which I passed through every day on my way to school. It was so cool to always watch the events going on!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not have any issues with healthcare while abroad. There are a lot of pharmacies that are clearly marked with a big sign all throughout Spain, including Salamanca. It is super easy to walk in and ask for anything. I remember I had an issue with the fluid in my ear and I just walked into the pharmacy, described my symptoms, and the pharmacist handed me some medicine. It was super easy!

Salamanca is very safe, though of course you should remember common sense and watch out for pick pocketers as you would in any city! None of my friends had any trouble, but we definitely did make sure to be aware of our surroundings.

AIFS was absolutely everything I wanted in a study abroad program and more!

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

To be honest I did not really plan for studying abroad as I should have - it was kind of a last minute decision for me. That said, it was not much of a problem once abroad, especially since you get 3 meals a day in the homestay. I will say that if you are a spontaneous person and like to try new cafes/restaurants with your friends while abroad, it might be a good idea to try saving a bit before going.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I took a mix of Spanish and business classes while in Salamanca. The Spanish classes were The History of Women in Spain and Spanish Culture, and were both taught in Spanish, so Spanish language was necessary. The business classes were taught in English. Also, the city of Salamanca does not speak English as much as other major cities in Spain like Madrid, so having some background in Spanish is definitely helpful.

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Americans
• International Students

• Homestay
• Resident Directors
• The city!!!!

• I wish it was longer!

The Avid Adventurer