Past Review
By Robert L (BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES., Austin College) for
Central College Abroad: Granada - University of Granada
It was totally worthwhile, if I could do it again, I wouldn't change a thing. It certainly opens your eyes to a different way of life, and I have found myself incorporating little things from Spain because I like the way they approach certain things, but I retained the way I do other things because I feel like I enjoy it my way instead. I think I'm more willing to embrace differences and it has heightened my interest in traveling and meeting people and experiencing cultures.
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 light compared to the classes back in the United States. However, teachers did not give you the benefit of the doubt on essay questions and focused on grammar and spelling instead of content, which weighed the grades down. Also, they grade on a 1-10 scale and almost never give 10's, but students regularly receive A's in the US, and this experience significantly lowered my GPA because of the tendency to award 7-9's and the teachers consider it a high grade. Also, it was a lot of lecture classes with little discussion and a lot of note taking. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Veronica was always accessible and available and a very nice and cool person. It was a small program (~40 people) and we all got to know each other well. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My room mates had a very low level of Spanish and it was tough to hold conversations with them. But my host mom was awesome and we spoke frequently and she cooked some delicious food. We were a 5 or 10 minute walk from anywhere we needed to be. The whole city of Granada was safe and our neighborhood was very safe too. |
| * Food: |
Awesome. Although expect a ton of bean soups and chicken. Beef was a rarity. Food quantity was never an issue. If you're in Granada- Los Grifos is one of the best tapas bars and the owner is really cool. They also have a soccer team. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Morocco Exchange, Sevilla, Toledo, Madrid- all arranged by the program, all really entertaining and enjoyable |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Granada was very safe, never had any problems. Just try to blend in and not look like Americans, it makes life much easier. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
The best way to improve your language skills is to get away from the tourist spots and go to places where you have to speak the foreign language. My language skills improved greatly because I wasn't embarrassed to start a conversation in Spanish and I didn't care if I messed up. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Strongly recommend it. Great for advanced Spanish speakers as well as beginners. It was the best semester ever. |
