Granada and Central College Abroad Past Review
By C.J. N (Communication, Religion, Hope College) for
Central College Abroad: Granada - University of Granada
Independence and growth with friends.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was much lighter than an American university, with the majority or work and grades being based upon a mid-term and final for each class. Daily work did not exist for the most part as graded material, simply as practice. A few classes had other assignments or papers throughout the semester, but the majority was based upon exams. The teaching was all in Spanish, and professors were knowledgeable on making the material accessible for study abroad students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Central College Abroad, and my program directors and assistants in Spain, were second to none. They offered personal service in helping with travel, adjustment to new country, host family questions and concerns, new country questions and concerns, and were amazing in terms of being relational and personal with the students. I was able to develop a personal relationship with my program director and the assistant, and would recommend them above anything else. They made my experience so much easier despite being robbed, having a severe injury in Spain, and adjusting to life over there. The program size was perfect, with about 30 students being small enough to know everyone, but large enough to be an actual program. My expectations were more than met! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
My host mom was an amazing cook! Expect a healthy amount of food, and large amounts of bread with meals. Breakfast is almost non-existent in Spain, but lunch is the largest meal, and dinner is much smaller than in the U.S. Meal times are different too, with lunch at about 3 PM, and dinner at about 9 PM. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The field trips to Morocco, Cordoba, and bullfighting were quite memorable with this program. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Granada is a very safe city. Easy to walk, and friendly. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent little money each week on food, mostly provided by host family. The majority was spent on tapas, a Spanish custom at bars, which was about 2 euros every time I went out. In large part, the money I spent abroad was on my travels around Europe, in the thousands depending on how much you want to travel. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Have a budget ready. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intro to Literature |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
My host family, program director, exchange with Spanish university student, my professors. I needed to use Spanish in everyday interactions, and majority of people did not speak English in Granada. |
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 should do this program. Central offers amazing personal service, great program size, wonderful field trips around Spain and into Morocco, challenging yet rewarding language-learning, and simply a really fun, and growing time abroad in Spain. It would be the only option I would recommend for Granada or Spain. |
