Granda, Spain: The best experience of my life that I will remember forever! Past Review
By Alicia B (International Business Concentration in Marketing and Spanish, Bryant University) for
API (Academic Programs International): Granada - Universidad de Granada
The experience was more than worthwhile. I was able to feel at home in another country with people I had never know before. I made so many new friends from around the world. I have gained a huge appreciation for cultures outside of the United States. I would even consider living abroad after this experience.
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. |
workload was managable, teachers spoke in spanish but were easy to understand, no classes on friday was different from home university, different grading system, usually only a paper and final exam per class. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
My program was very helpful, our advisors were always available and very helpful in all situations. They helped us when we needed it gave us a lot of resources to adjust and brought us to a lot of cultural events and on a lot of great trips. I was overall very pleased with my program choice. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
API arranged all housing for us. We could pick a roomate and the type of housing we wanted. The neighborhood was very safe. School was about a 15 minute walk. We did not need to buy anything to settle in. I was treated extremely well by my host mom. She treated me as if I was her own child. |
| * Food: |
My host mom was very accommodating, my roommate is a vegetarian so she always provided a vegetarian option. Let you host mom know of your eating restrictions as soon as possible. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We went on many memorable trips with my program. The weekend trip to San Jose and the Long weekend trip to France were two of my favorites. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Granada is a very safe city. I always felt safe. Just be cautious when walking home at night. If you are smart about who you interact with you will not have any problems. We were provided health insurance through our program. An API advisor will accompany you to the hospital or doctor's office if you need to go. You were not requird to get any vaccines before going abroad however there were some that were reccommended. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I spoke Spanish everyday; in the classroom, with my host mom, at stores, and to spanish friends. A lot of people spoke english. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Don't hesitate, just do it. You will 100% not regret the decision to go. It is life changing. Any type of student can benefit from a study abroad experience. |
