Great and Eye Opening but Challenging Past Review
By A student (International Affairs And Economics, Trinity University) - abroad from 09/04/2012 to 12/13/2012 with
CIEE: Seville - Business + Society
I learned to appreciate Spain, but also to appreciate my own culture. It was worthwhile. I learned a lot about myself.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Informative, Standard work, but not insanely intense, which helps |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
great, attentive people |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my family!! Close to everything, and they were wonderful people |
| * Food: |
Food not great, not many vegetables, lots of ham and bread |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Loved exploring but it was hard to make friends with locals |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Free healthcare system works great, but the billing was a bit of a hassle. They made a mistake on my bill and I had to run around fixing it |
| * Safety: |
Super safe, unless you are blatantly stupid about it or provoke people. |
| 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) |
Exchange rate and ATM fees will kill you |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 60+ dollars |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Withdraw large amounts from the ATM and stash the cash where you live. As you need it, carry it with you, but if you make tons of withdrawals, the ATM fees are murder. Also, CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS! People will overcharge foreigners. |
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? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish literature? |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Not really |
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? | How homesick I was going to get. Bring rainboots. |
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.' |
