Amazing! I wish I can stay longer! Past Review
By Olivia J (University of Michigan - Ann Arbor) - abroad from 05/27/2012 to 07/25/2012 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Barcelona, Spain
I believe that this program is definitely worth my time. I believe that my Spanish has improved and I learned a lot about this wonderful city.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | William Paterson University |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
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 |
Staff is very friendly and helpful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing department is reliable and fix problems quickly. Able to contact the housing department by phone or email. |
| * Food: |
No food was provided in the program I attended. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
With the help of the welcome package and the excursions that are provided with the program has helped me feel part of the local culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The Health Care provided is good however, the service is slow and if one does not understand or know enough Spanish it may be difficult to communicate with the nurses and doctors. |
| * Safety: |
I feel that Barcelona is a very safe city minus the fact that pick pocketers are prevalent in this city. |
| 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) |
At first it was very difficult to budget since I wanted to do everything in the city. It got easier and easier to budget when I got to know the city. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 50-90 euros a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save as much money as you can and create a tentative budget so you know how much money you would like to spend on food, transportation and extra curricular activities. |
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 |
I had the intentions to take a Spanish class but I remember the program website do encourage students to take one Spanish class. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| 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? | Spanish 275 - Spanish Grammer |
| 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 advantage being in the city and go outside to listen to people speak Spanish. At night if you are taking a cab try talking to the cab in Spanish. Also take advantage of intercambios! |
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 knew other students who attended this program so I knew a lot about this program before I arrived. However, one thing I did not know about the program is that students are scattered all across the city, making it difficult to meet up with other students. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Advanced Spanish |
| Course Department: | Spanish |
| Instructor: | Adelina Arbones |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | This class was amazing and very beneficial. At times it was challenging but the professor was patient and very knowledgeable in this subject. Taking this class in the summer time gave me the opportunity to be in a smaller class setting, therefore having the ability to have more one on one attention. I benefited a lot from this and was able to improve my Spanish. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
