CIEE Alicante was my family away from the US. Past Review

By Cassie W (International relations, University of the Pacific) for

CIEE: Alicante - Language & Culture

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I am much more culturally sensitive. And I now hate airplanes. BUT I'm glad I did it and I'm very happy with CIEE. I wish I had a better time with advising for abroad. I'm glad I choose CIEE but I feel like my abroad advisor gave me ZERO support while I was here and before I came here. The class I took was PERFECT, but my university barely helps you with anything in terms of budgeting, class planning, choosing a program in the perfect place for you.... our abroad advisor felt non-existent and was hard to find a meeting with.

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.	WORKLOAD: at times was very easy, at other times suddenly got very stressful because deadlines were established a week before it was due and it was stressful knowing what the professor wanted included in the presentation.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Alicante staff is AMAZING, helpful, fun, always willing to help with everything and offer support, tons of activities, cultural activities, club days, soccer games, etc. PERFECT!!!
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	My first home family wasn't what I wanted or expected, but I was taken care of SO quickly and was put in a family that was perfect.
* Food:	I just didn't like the Spanish food. BUT other than that it was perfect, always enough food, alot of cheap places to eat... I love Mercadona for a supermarket, Lizarran for tapas and look for the places where people are regularly sitting down and eating there...
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Museums, dance classes, soccer games, hiking trips, soccer games, etc etc.... CIEE rocks in the area of extra activites
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	We had a HUGE packet to fill out about hospitals, medical stuff and all that BEFORE I left the US and then there was a seminar about safety and health in orientation
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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	too much.... but per week probably about $50 each week if you average it. Obviously when I was travelling I spent much more.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	If you don't HAVE TO HAVE IT... DONT buy it.

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?	4th semester Spanish (Spanish 025)
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?
Language acquisition improvement?	Everyone working in the program encourage you and almost force you to speak Spanish--> I loved it because I learned so much more and got so much more out of the program.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family Dorm
* 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?	The Staff, Professors, Faculty Extra Ciricular Activities Classes and their topics
* What could be improved?	Constant work load less usage of different social network sites: twitter, fb, blogs, wikispaces.... got very confusing
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Choose wisely where you go. Find something to do by yourself every week at least once a week to think about where you are. If you want to have a very well balanced experience, fun and school, CHOOSE CIEE.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Cinema
Course Department:
Instructor:	Luis Lopez
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	I LOVED IT. It was a new way to learn the history and culture of Spain without it being an actual history class. It was amazing how much you can learn about Spain through its movies.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Politico y Terrorismo
Course Department:
Instructor:	Jaime Nieman Gonzalez
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Very challenging, but my favorite class.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Haven't returned to my university yet, but I got all of my courses approved via email or on paper before I left/ when I finally set my schedule in stone.