The best experience in my life. Past Review
By A student (Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies., Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/15/2013 to 06/20/2013 with
CIEE: Seville - Advanced Liberal Arts
I learned more about myself and I was able to feel more comfortable with spanish as a main language.
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. |
It was a challenging program and it was fully what I wanted and expected. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were completely dedicated to the students and they were very supportive in every aspect. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was my ideal situation and they worked very well at matching students to homes. |
| * Food: |
The food depended on each home-stay so for the most part it was pretty good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
They were really good with integrating us into the spanish culture and encouraging us to try new things. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
they held seminars during orientation to make us aware of any problems that they have encountered. |
| * Safety: |
Seville is a very safe city and I loved that fact. |
| 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) |
Spain was relatively a very budget friendly place and with our home-stay providing everything we needed I did not have to spend much. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 50 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Wait until sales happen to do any shopping. |
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 |
They refused to speak to us in english and that was very helpful. |
| 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? | Hisp 180 |
| 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? | Meet and become friends with the locals. |
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? | The importance of meeting locals and exploring your host city |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
