Un Semestre Inolvidable Past Review
By A student (Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/12/2016 to 06/15/2016 with
CIEE: Seville - Advanced Liberal Arts
I learned so much from my experience abroad and it was very worthwhile. I became much more responsible and independent from travelling around Europe. I increased my Spanish language skills and learned a lot about Spanish culture and how it differs from American culture.
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. |
The classes at the University of Sevilla were not as difficult as the ones at Brandeis, but the class I took at EUSA was more similar to Brandeis courses. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff at CIEE are amazing, knew everyone's name, and helped me with any problem I had. I did wish that there were more trips with the program like the other CIEE programs, instead of the cultural reembolso. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My homestay family was very nice, but I didn't feel as close with them as other students did to their families. |
| * Food: |
The food in the homestay was good, but I was served more hamburgers, hotdogs, and pizza than I expected. The more traditional dishes I did eat there were delicious, and eating out was cheap as well. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I went to a Sevilla FC game, the museums, and cultural sites and tried to meet as many Spanish people as I could. I felt like I really got to know Sevilla and used Spanish whenever I could. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never had any health issues. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt scared when I was walking around Sevilla with friends or by myself, no matter the time of day. Violent crimes are much less prevalent in Sevilla which made me never feel in danger. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The CIEE staff were very helpful, and it was great to be able to become friends with both American students and Spanish students through intercambios and classes. |
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 very easy to live on a student's budget since Sevilla was very cheap in comparison to where I'm from in the US. I decided to spend a little more money to experience Sevilla's restaurants and cafes when I could, but since all meals were covered, most expenses were voluntary and not necessary. I had to increase my budget for travel on the weekend since it was more expensive. |
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 |
During orientation we had a Spanish orientation leader who only spoke to us in Spanish which required us to speak in Spanish. Also, we had an immersion weekend where we were only able to speak Spanish and not English. |
| 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? | HISP182A - about 8 semesters worth of Spanish |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Watch tv shows or movies in Spanish. Watching a Spanish show with or without English subtitles is very helpful to develop an ear for the language and understand it better. |
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? |
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? | It is not very hard to meet Spainards if you just start a conversation with people in classes. |
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. |
