An Unforgetable Experience Past Review
By A student (Social Work., Providence College) - abroad from 01/04/2012 to 04/18/2012 with
CIEE: Barcelona - Language and Culture
I learned to never have expectations, to be much more flexible, learned how to be much more independent, and gained a greater and richer acceptance for multiple types of cultures. It was ABSOLUTELY worthwhile.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universitat Pompeu Fabra CIEE |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I thought that the intensity of the courses were perfect for an abroad experience. The Spanish classes in particular that I enrolled me, really complimented the experiences that I had outside of class. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
My program director was wonderful. She was so helpful, kind, caring, and went above and beyond you to make you feel comfortable in Barcelona. She was very approachable and encouraging, which made me feel so much more at home than I thought I could feel in a foreign country. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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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| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | On average about $220 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Have a set budget ahead of time, do some grocery shopping and try not to eat out too much. As far as travelling, the budget airlines are the best, and unfortunately you won't be staying in any 5 star hotels. Don't have all of your money in your bank account at one time. For example, my mom put around $1,000 in my account per month of my money that I had saved for abroad. This way if I saw that I was running out of money that month before I should be, I would cute back on some spending. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate 1 |
| 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? | Don't be afraid to speak the language! I was always to embarrassed to speak Spanish to the locals because I was very slow at thinking of what to say and kept getting hung up on the mistakes that I made. But the best way to learn is by making those mistakes. |
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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| 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? | I wish I knew more about the Catalan culture going into the program, because it is very prominent in Barcelona. |
