Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Best Four Months of My Life! Past Review

By (Finance and Financial Management Services., Providence College) - abroad from 01/14/2013 to 05/10/2013 with

CIEE: Seville - Business + Society

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained more knowledge from my experience abroad than any other time in my life. I learned about a different culture and way of life. What goes along with that is a learning about different view points and developing your own. I learned not only about Spnish and European culture but also about ideas from all over the United States because I had a very diverse program. My experience abroad was extremely worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes were not too difficult but very interesting

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I thought the staff at CIEE were very helpful. However, some of the teachers did not show too much interest in the students

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I had a wonderful host family and was located near my university and the center of the city

* Food:

My host family did not feed me every meal but I enjoyed the food in general in Spain

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Sevilla is a smaller, less international city in Spain which made me really integrate into the culture and speak the language

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had no experience with the health care system but I heard a majority of good things from other students in my program

* Safety:

I never was concerned about my safety in Sevilla. Walking home at night was never a problem and the locals were kind.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Sevilla was a very cheap city for Europe and most costs could be avoided by staying in a homestay

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $75/week
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? If you are worried about spending moneylive in a homestay. You are given three meals a day and your laundry is done for you. Also, traveling is very expensive so prioritize what countries you want to visit.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

All of our classes were taught in Spanish and the teachers did not understand English so were forced to speak the language. Furthermore we participated in exchange programs inside and outside of class.

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? Conversation Spnish
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? Avoid big cities (Madrid, Barcelona). In those cities the people know English and it will be harder to master the language. In the smaller cities such as Granada and Sevilla the locals mainly only speak English so it forces you to develop communication skills. Also take part in all of the local customs and find an intercambio (a local student) to meet with every week. Finally if you truly want to become fluent speak the native language amongst your english speaking friends and make native friends who live where you are studying.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Hotel
  • Hostel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • The city of Sevilla (people, culture, way of life)
  • The out of class opportunites available
  • The other students in the program
* What could be improved?
  • Teachers (some were great other were not)
  • Program ended too soon after Final Exams
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew how fast the time was going to fly. It is important to hit the ground running with the program and immerse yourself in the culutre as quickly as possible.

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 Urbanite
A 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.