Some good, some bad Past Review
By A student (International Relations, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/21/2019 to 06/05/2019 with
CIEE: Madrid - Liberal Arts
Definitely improved my Spanish and increased my admiration of Spanish culture, through my own effort.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Required Spanish language course was useful but the work was pretty tedious and exams required more memorization of vocabulary than actual use of Spanish abilities. Direct enrollment classes were easy and required practically no work. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The on-site program administration was pretty unhelpful many times. We were told they would be in their office in Madrid but they were actually in their office on our campus (30+ minutes away by train). Our apartment had no hot water for the first 2 months in Madrid and the program administration did not fix it promptly because they did not take our complaint seriously. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Shared apartment was very small for 5 people and we felt very cramped a lot of the time. We had no hot water for the first 2 months. The program administration did not take our complaint about the water seriously so it took 2 months to be fixed. |
| * Food: |
Food was not provided for apartment students, even though we pay the same price as people in homestays. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program does not do much to help you integrate into the social aspect of the host university. Spanish students already had their own friend groups and were not interested in being friends with foreigners. Many of the cultural activities they offered were times I had class so I could not attend. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Healthcare in Spain is good but CIEE insurance requires you to pay your medical bills upfront and you are not reimbursed for several weeks. |
| * Safety: |
I always felt safe in Madrid, especially in the neighborhood around my apartment. Pickpocketing is a serious problem though, so make sure to always have an eye on your personal belongings. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I would definitely go back to Madrid but not with CIEE. |
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) |
Very easily. Madrid is cheap for groceries and eating out with friends. You can definitely stay on a budget. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make sure you set a budget for yourself to spend weekly/monthly and stick to it. There are apps you can download to help with this. |
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? | Advanced |
| 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? | High level language courses |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | 0 |
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? | N/a |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
