Loved the city but would choose another program March 09, 2026
By Lily C (Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/01/2025 to 12/19/2025 with
CIEE: Madrid - Liberal Arts
I learned to budget, travel, make new friends (maminly americans), and it helped my spanish skills.
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. |
I went to UC3M in Getafe, and the professors changed the grading criteria before the final and were very unclear about grading!! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Helpful and available to talk! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I tried to leave my apartment and change to a homestay since my apartment didn't have reliable transportation in order to commute 1.5 hours to school. They gave me a homestay that was 2 hours away and didn't solve any of my prior concerns. Also, there were a lot of issues in the apartment, like water flooding and ac issues. |
| * Food: |
I grocery shopped for myself and cooked in my apartment. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I learned a lot and was able to go on excursions, but there was a lack of integration with peers that I went to school with/Spaniards in general. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I was very sick my second week and lived right next to a hospital and it took me 2 hours for them to answer my phonecall. After the initial communication lag, it was easy and prescriptions were very straight forward. |
| * Safety: |
Felt very safe 24/7. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
It was doable but depended on how much you wanted to travel, which those costs added up. |
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 |
In class, yes, but outside of class, it was really difficult. |
| 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? | Span 254 |
| 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?
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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? | 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? | You will not be talking to locals/ becoming integrated as much as you thought. |
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 UrbaniteA 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. |
