Greatest semester in College! Past Review
By A student (The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 01/04/2012 to 04/19/2012 with
CIEE: Barcelona - Business & Culture
It was the best semester i had for so many other reasons than school. I learned so much about myself and the world outside of my US bubble. IT was so worthwhile and I remember and treasure it forever!
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | CIEE Study Center- Barcelona Universitat Pompeu Fabra |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The class were difficult but they were culturally enriching |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff at the CIEE study center in Barcelona were so nice and helpful. they really cared about each of the student and their time abroad. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in a home stay with a local Spanish family. It was an amazing experience and I would not change it for the world. I still communicate with my host family often |
| * Food: |
Spanish is amazing. I loved eating out and my host mom's cooking. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Only having one class at the local university made it hard to integrate with local spanish student, but we did have guardian angels that helped in the beginning. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
i dont really have an opinion on this because i didn't have an issues. |
| * Safety: |
For the most part I felt safe in the city. |
| 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) |
Spain is more affordable then other european countries, and living in a home stay was great because you didn't eat out all the time. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 50 euro |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Just be smart with your money. Save it for traveling on the weekends and do the free stuff in the city for fun during the week. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I had to speak because my host family didn't speak english. However, at school i used english. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate spanish |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Have a way to use it when you come home |
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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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | just my classes |
