BARCELONA WAS THE BEST CHOICE IVE MADE, but CIEE has NOTHING to do with it! Past Review

By Jimena V (Economics., Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/02/2013 to 04/19/2013 with

CIEE: Barcelona - Business & Culture

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

I grew on a personal level more than I have in my time at college. Mostly because I found myself in difficult situations a lot, which I had to take care of entirely on my own. I had to step out of my comfort zone every single day. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	Very little resources provided for students in terms of academics. Most classes were not engaging. I am a native spanish speaker and they were unable to accommodate this properly.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	They assume you are extremely immature and they treat you like you are a high school student.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Loved the location of the apartment where I lived.
* Food:	Awesome food!
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I had to go out of my way to immerse myself with the culture. The CIEE program isolates its students and facilitates getting used to being part of only the CIEE group, rather than get you out of your comfort zone. If you are a go-getter and take it upon yourself to immerse yourself in the culture, then this program might be for you! Because the program does not facilitate this at all.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	Terrible insurance coverage.
* Safety:	Super safe!! Never had any problems.
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?	150
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Make sure you try to budget at the beginning of every week! Its very easy to spend money in Barcelona, so try to be careful!

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?	Fluent
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program?	Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	I am a native speaker.
How many hours per day did you use the language?	10+
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants?	IF YOU ARE A NATIVE SPANISH SPEAKER, THIS IS NOT THE PROGRAM FOR YOU. THEY DO NOT ACCOMMODATE NATIVE SPANISH SPEAKERS PROPERLY.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Host Family
* 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?	Nothing
* What could be improved?	Everything. CIEE was a very bad program.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I wouldve known upfront what my schedule was going to be like once I started my internship, and that I had had some help balancing my time and schedule. I had to do it all on my own, and although this contributed in making this experience a growing and learning one, sometimes it was incredibly hard to handle everything.