Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Granada, Spain: GO! Past Review

By (Spanish/Secondary Education, Valparaiso University) for

Central College Abroad: Granada - University of Granada

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I became fluent in Spanish from being forced to speak it all of the time. In addition, I experienced a ton of different cultural experiences and met some incredible people. I miss it everyday and want to go back ASAP.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The professors in Spain were more concerned with experience as to busy work. We talked a lot more in class than here and had a lot more opportunities to ask questions. The grading system was also different, but somewhat easier than here. It was really nice to be abroad, be learning a lot, but not be as stressed about grades as here in the States.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The program director in Spain was awesome and we had a great balance of having to figure things out on our own and actually being told what to do. For example, the first week, we were split up into groups and had to find different places around Granada and then present on them to our program. All of the places were helpful and things that we used (ex. intramural courts, extracurricular center, etc.)

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing was awesome! Host mom made 3 meals a day and loved to eat with my roommate and I; she always made something different and made sure it was something we liked. In addition, my roommate and I each had our own room, and when our Internet broke, our host mom tried to fix it. Also our host mom did our laundry, and she had a huge family that came over a lot so we got to meet a lot of Spaniards.

* Food:

Tapas around Granada were great--any restaurant had something good. The Spanish eat a LOT (at least in host families) and it was hard to tell host mom no because she kept wanting to feed us!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Bullfight in Jaen was great; we also went to Cordoba, an olive oil factory, and Madrid as a program. It was a great way for our program to just relax together and have fun.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Granada was extremely safe. I walked home by myself a good number of times and never felt unsafe. There are always people out and policemen, as well as taxis. I didn't need any vaccines I don't think. I never had to use health services there either.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Allow money for a cellphone, tapas, and just overall shopping. I also chose to spend money on Mobile Internet so I could connect with home just through e-mail or something when needed.Travelling is expensive, mostly because of food. It's cheap to find a hostel and flight or train or bus, but food 3 times a day gets pricey.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
Language acquisition improvement?

I lived with a host mother who didn't speak any English so that was the most helpful. In addition, because Granada was a smaller city, many people did not speak any English so you had to use it in the city for daily things.

If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Location, host family, university, opportunity to travel
* What could be improved?
  • Make the getting a visa less confusing!
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? This was the perfect study abroad: the city was small enough that you were forced to speak the Spanish language, yet the night life never stopped. It's so easy to travel into different parts of Spain and Europe, and every day I wish I could go back.