Madrid, Spain: I Miss You Already! Past Review
By Erin W (Organizational Communication and Spanish, Ohio University) for
API (Academic Programs International): Madrid - Universidad Complutense de Madrid
YES! I cannot stress enough how important study aboard is! It was the best decision I've made!
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Maybe favorite part about classes at Complutense Universidad was that my classes were all in the same room and the teachers switched in and out! It was perfect because the university is huge and this really shrunk it and made the transition less overwhelming. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The API office and resident directors were easily accessible and always willing and happy to help. They always had great advice on traveling and were extremely helpful with the overall transition into the new university and country! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The location of the dorm was perfect and right downtown Madrid! We has house moms who cooked, cleaned and did our laundry so it was so wonderful to not have to worry about any of those. Living with a mixture of international and local students was very beneficial. I was able to further improve my language skills while learning about people from all over the world! It was also beneficial to be living with some Americans as well so I could have the opportunity to go back into my comfort zone if I felt overwhelmed. |
| * Food: |
The food was good and served buffet style so you could eat as much as you wanted. I know some people had certain allergies and they were very accommodating to those needs. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
One of my favorite parts about API was that they really tried to get you to learn as much about the culture as possible. During my stay in Madrid, they took us to movies, flamenco classes and bull fights! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Despite Madrid being a large city, I never felt unsafe or scared! |
| 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 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
All of my classes were taught in Spanish, so this helped me to improve the language incredibly fast! |
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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