Four Months in Europe Past Review

By A student (Finance and Financial Management Services., Providence College) - abroad from 09/05/2012 to 12/21/2012 with

CIEE: Barcelona - Business & Culture

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

I think my experience abroad was definitely worthwhile. I learned that even though many situations do not go your way, especially dealing with people in foreign languages, it is not hard to still have an amazing time.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No

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?	$250

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language
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?	High School Spanish 5
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?	Living in a home stay is the easiest way to pick up on a new language.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans
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?	organized trips by the program guardian angels
* What could be improved?	staff knowledge about classes how the grades transfer back to the us
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I did not know that our grades would transfer back exactly as they were given to us in spain, seeing as they have a much different grading system and standard of what is acceptable.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.	The Outright Urbanite A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	International Finance
Course Department:	Business
Instructor:	Ferran Macipe
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The course was structured in a way that made it almost impossible to get a good grade. There were no field trips although some information was based on the location. The teacher was not very inclined to explain things in depth. I participated the same as I would have at home. There were quizzes everyday that were supposed to be based off the readings, however even after reading the material twice I found I was struggling to pass them because they were not usually in direct correlation with the material I read. There were two exams that most kids in the class struggled to even pass, many did fail. We had one group presentation not worth very much. The teacher thought that a 6/10 was a very good score and said 40% of the students in the class would most likely fail.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I was able to transfer the credit easily however the grades are not converted to a US scale and in Spain the teachers think that just a pass is a very good grade which does not look good on a US transcript.

Course Name/Rating:	Culture and Business in Europe
Course Department:
Instructor:	Miguel Llimona
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The course seemed simple and the lectures really only explained common sense topics that were hard to follow. There were no field trips and the location was not used at all. The teacher was a former lawyer and mainly focused on law even though it was not a law class. He barely spoke english and used words that were made up. We had a presentation, in class participation, and a final grade that all did not seem hard. I studied the information and wrote all the information we learned on the material on the final exam and it still was not good enough for the teacher.
Credit Transfer Issues:	This class transferred as a management elective but has nothing to do with management. I would not suggest this class.