Alicante provided me with a life experience I could never replace. Past Review
By Kate F (Political Science and Government., Trinity University) for
CIEE: Alicante - Language & Culture
Absolutely.
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. |
There was just enough work to keep me interested in my classes but not enough to keep me from going to the beach! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everything was great. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Everything I ate, I loved. Be open minded! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved everyone I met and Alicante provided a great social atmosphere. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I was pick-pocketed while I was there but that was the extend of my safety issues. All that was taken was 10 euro an a go phone so I didn't report it to anyone. There were no prevalent health issues in my host city or country and I didn't need any specific vaccines for my program. |
| 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? | About 30-50 euro/week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Bring enough money to go shopping if you're a girl. Don't spend money on food, you have a free meal at home and it's probably better than most restaurant food. Travel expenses are absurd, so be prepared for that. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Very few people spoke English. I spoke Spanish with my host family, professors, and classmates and it improved my Spanish enormously. |
| 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?
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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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