The Atlantis Project - Shadowing Abroad Fellowship Past Review
By Samantha (Bowling Green State University / BGSU) - abroad from 07/21/2016 to 08/14/2016 with
Atlantis: Pre-med Fellowship Abroad
I learned what it is like to be a physician every day, I learned which specialties I find interesting and which ones I don't. I learned how to be independent and understand what it's like to have to adjust to foreign lifestyle. This experience was the most amazing opportunity I have ever been given.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
All of the Atlantis Project staff were amazing. Our site coordinators were like family at the end of the fellowship. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had my own room that was larger than any dorm room here in the U.S, equipped with my own bathroom. |
| * Food: |
Best. Food. Ever. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Everyone I met in Spain was very friendly and inviting. They wanted to know about us and our culture as much as we did with them. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
All the hospital staff were very accomodating and helpful. They took the time to explain what was going on during procedures and walk us through what they needed to do or what the problems were. |
| * Safety: |
I felt more safe walking about Pontevedra alone than I ever would have back home in Cleveland. I never once felt unsure, unsafe, or nervous about any situation. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Although I would love to see different countries, I fell absolutely in love with Spain and my placement. The town was beautiful and rich in culture and history and the fellows I was with are friends for life. My coordinators were amazing and everything was a dream. I couldn't ask for a better program to be apart of. |
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) |
I rarely found myself spending money, the program is a bit expensive but in the end you see why and where all the money goes to. I hardly had to pay for much out of pocket and found myself not spending much money throughout my trip. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50 on meals and if I wanted anything else than maybe roughly $60 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save up before you go. Make sure you have cash, where I stayed was a small town that hardly ever took anything but. Work a lot before your trip and put some away each week. It's ok to try to fund raise or even take out a loan, I did both. |
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 |
The physicians would try to encourage me to speak to them in Spanish, however they would speak to you in English as best as possible. In the town many people did not speak any English at all so it was expected to be trying to communicate in Spanish everyday. Generally there was always a handful of fellows in my program that could help translate if need be. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate Spanish for Health Care Professionals (spanish 4+) |
| 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 the language courses, download apps on your smart phone and just practice common phrases that you know you will be expected to use each day. Know how to ask common questions and formal and informal greetings. |
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? | I wish I would have known how in love I would fall with it. I wish I would have known how amazing the people in my program were because I would have choose a longer program to be apart of. |
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. |
