Bad apartment, great experience Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The advising resources provided by CIEE were great, the staff really felt like they were always on my side. However, the educational system of Spain is sub-par to say the least. The professors were rarely present to answer questions and in most cases reluctant to offer any kind of help. The curriculum itself is a joke and does barely anything to motivate students to work and learn. Classrooms were filled with students who would blatantly talk over the teacher and lastly, in Spain, the majority of your grade is based off of one final cumulative exam (60-70% in most cases) which is a system that I do not believe is conducive to learning nor do i believe it is effective. For this reason, my overall educational experience receives a two star rating.

On-site administration of your program

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I chose the homestay option because it provided me with 2 free meals a day, unlike the student apartment option. My host-mom was great and the whole experience was wonderful for learning the language and the culture. The location of the apartment was wonderful. However, the apartment itself was ridiculously small and not in great condition. This is in comparison to the student apartments which were gigantic, brand new, refurbished, and rather luxurious. The homestay option was also problematic because we were not allowed to have any sort of company ever. No friends, no family, absolutely nobody spending the night. Its hard for me to say whether cultural exposure and free meals outweighs nicer apartments and opportunities to spend time with friends.

The food in my homestay as well as in the restaurants and super markets in Spain is both great quality and low cost. You really can't go wrong here.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Staying in a homestay, I felt much more integrated into the culture than I would have in a student apartment. Taking classes at a real Spanish university also aided this process. By the end of the semester I really had achieved fluency in the language and felt like Madrid was my second home.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

There is lots of police presence in Madrid, though pickpocketing is a huge issue. I never had anything of mine stolen, but that's because I was extremely careful at all times. Don't ever let your guard down because if you do, things will go missing. Always have a hand on your valuables or put them in a zipped up pocket somewhere.

While the housing option was not exactly what I was hoping for or expecting, it did not damper the experience. CIEE staff was incredibly caring and helpful, but not overbearing. It was easy to make friends with the other students in the program without having to spend a lot of time at mandatory social events that you don't care about.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Food is very cheap in Madrid; I spent about $45 a week on food. However, drinks as well as club entry fees are hefty and if you're going out several times a week, this cost will become overwhelming. Budget how much you want to spend each night and you'll be okay.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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• Host Family
• Apartment

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• Host Family

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Low maintenance
• They were very supporting
• The staff was awesome

• Homestay could make use of better apartments
• Homestay could allow students to have friends over
• CIEE could do a better job informing the students of Spanish University rules and requirements prior to departure

The Outright Urbanite