Madrid- No pasa nada Past Review
By Alexis R (Global Studies, Providence College) for
Boston University: Madrid - Spanish and European Studies Program
Yes. It has increased my interest in future plans and the amount of knowledge you learn(and are unable to learn from reading a book) is endless.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was a lot more than I expected. A lot of people think you go abroad and take easy classes. The BU classes were not joke classes. You had to work to get good grades. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I felt like they left a lot of things up to us. I needed help finding a podiatrist which they did not aid me in. & I did not feel they were very patient with the lower level Spanish speakers. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Spanish food is a lot different than American food. Spicy food here is very hard to find and sit down dinners take forever. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
They take us on several trips throughout Spain. My favorite one was Sevilla. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in Madrid. I would have no problem walking a couple blocks during the night by myself. The only thing you need to be careful of is pickpocketing. They will not come up and take something from you but if you put something down or leave a bag open, someone will take your stuff. I had to go to the doctors and the program recommended me to an English speaking doctor. He did not ask for my passport, insurance or anything; I paid 40 euros. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Food money adds up very quickly. |
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? |
I recommend doing a conversation exchange with a Spaniard. You speak in Spanish and the speak in English, not only does your language improve but you learn a lot about the culture. Also, I expected more people to speak English in Madrid but it really is not that common. |
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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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? | Every student in the program lives with a host family. I think that adds a lot more stress to the adjustment and changes up the social experience that you will have compared to other friends who study abroad and live in dorms or apartments with other students. |
