Sevilla: The Best City for Study Abroad in Spain! Past Review
By Sarah K (International Relations and Affairs., The College of William and Mary) for
Centro Mundo Lengua: Summer and Semester Programs in Spain for College & University Students
DEFINITELY! There were problems, but overall it was a wonderful, life-changing experience. The best four months of my life.
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. |
In general the information was very easy but Spanish professors grade harder than American professors. In Spain, a B (7-9) is excellent but in the world of William and Mary B's are bad. In general, there is much less student/teacher interaction and it is common to assign long essays with little notice or instructions. My classes weren't awful but I don't feel like a learned anything. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I loved Mundolengua but hated UPO. However, if you do not speak Spanish well you will be in a lot of trouble. Everything with Mundolengua is done in Spanish and most of them do not speak English well. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I liked my host family (especially because of the wonderful location in Santa Cruz) but there were some communication issues. Mostly, it was difficult for them to understand that I was a vegetarian and I do not like to eat meat. |
| * Food: |
Spain is difficult for vegetarians. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We went on trips to Barcelona, Morocco, and Italica, the Roman ruins on the outskirts of Sevilla. They were amazing! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Sevilla is a very safe city. There are some pickpockets but people rarely had problems. I never dealt with health issues but I assume my program knew what it was doing! |
| 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? | The exchange rate changes often! Its very annoying. Also, you WILL spend more on traveling than you think you will. I recommend getting a credit card in case you have any problems with flights or hotels. Luckily, Sevilla is much less expensive than larger European cities. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I did not study Spanish in college. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I used the language a lot in my everyday life and in my classes. However, my Spanish grammar class was definitely lacking. I was in the class that I tested into but I would recommend doing the level above you are recommended. |
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? | Do it! I have yet to meet a person who regretted studying abroad. I personally loved Spain but there may be other countries that are better for you. Research! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Civilizaciones y Culturas de Espana |
| Course Department: | SPAN |
| Instructor: | Alberto del Campo |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Awful professor! Spoke spanish like he was speaking to natives, not foreigners like he was supposed to. Difficult to talk to, boring class. I learned nothing. DON'T TAKE THIS! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
