Cadiz: the essential concentration of spain Past Review
By A student (University of Denver) - abroad from 09/10/2015 to 12/20/2015 with
API (Academic Programs International): Cadiz - Universidad de Cadiz
I learned how to be alone really well and how to keep myself occupied when there is nothing to do.
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. |
Classes were low key compared with my US classes but still were interesting with enthusiastic professors. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Vicki is exceptional and made this program what it was. She is caring, compassionate, fun, friendly, and very kind. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Host family was friendly and accommodating and made me feel welcome. |
| * Food: |
Spanish food is inherently not great. Top that with any dietary restriction and you are going to have a hard time here, period. Get ready for minimal fruit/veg and maximum cured/processed meat, oil, and more meat. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We all had a hard time making local connections as international students can get isolated to only hanging out with other international students (though most were not American so you still were experiencing a new culture). |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Cadiz is very safe, I never once felt unsafe, even when walking through the streets late at night and alone. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I personally think I would have done much better in a larger city with more to do, places to see, and people to meet. Cadiz was a bit too small for my taste. |
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) |
Living with a host family kept costs low |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $80-$120 depending on the week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | no |
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 |
Complete immersion, taking classes with local university students, minimal english knowledge throughout the town, host family that only spoke spanish. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | upper division 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? | Take as many spanish classes as you can, review Vosotros grammar, and generally just keep up with your use to prepare for the immersion. |
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 could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Cadiz is really small, intimate, and isolated so if you are expecting to do a lot of travel, meet a lot of new people, or have a lot to do, you are going to have a hard time. Local students mostly live outside of town and go straight home after classes so you will mostly spend time with other international students. You will walk A LOT because it is one of the only pastimes if you don't want to go out (people stay out until around 6 am the next day). |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
