Mejor Tiempo de mi Vida Past Review
By A student (Salem State University) - abroad from 09/18/2016 to 12/16/2016 with
API (Academic Programs International): Seville - Universidad de Sevilla
I gained some awesome friends that I will keep in touch with my whole life and I also got to see so much of Europe.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
With my program I took 4 classes at University of Sevilla all in Spanish. Some classes were more challenging than others but for the most the classes were manageable. The classes required very little work outside of the classroom. There were only a few weeks were I had some light reading for my literature classes and then I had to study for my midterms and finals. Most of my professors like my professors in the US were available on email. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Marta was one of my program directors in Sevilla. She was very friendly and approachable from the start. She was always available for questions and came on all the excursions with us. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved everything about my homestay. My host mom was great. She was very friendly and made her home feel like my own. |
| * Food: |
My host moms cooking was not the best. There were some meals that I really enjoyed, but for the most part a lot of my meals felt like "kitchen sink meals". |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
There was only one time in Europe I needed to go to a pharmacy and it happened to be in an English speaking country, so I had no problem. |
| * Safety: |
I felt safe 100% of my time in Sevilla. During the day I would walk alone and go on runs by myself and never felt threatened or unsafe. At night when going out with friends we would always walk together and I still would never feel unsafe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
API was all around amazing! It was very affordable, and organized which I liked. I also really liked all the included excursions it offered. |
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) |
During the week I barely spent any money because I was in a homestay and was served three meals a day, so I did not need to buy food during the week. I also never shopped for clothes or personal items which helped me save money. However, I spent most and a lot of my money on traveling, excursions, and going out on the weekends. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $180 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save your money for weekend trips! Try not to spend a lot in your host city during the week. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| 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? | 300 level Spanish Course |
| 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? | Speak the language as much as you can, having a host mom who only spoke Spanish helped me learn the language and get comfortable with speaking. |
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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* 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? | 0 |
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? | How much I would have loved it so I could have stayed longer! |
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. |
