I feel in love with the lifestyle. Past Review
By Deidre G (International Relations and Affairs., University of the Pacific) - abroad from 01/15/2013 to 05/10/2013 with
CIEE: Seville - Business + Society
I learned a lot...mostly you learn a lot about yourself. Who you are, what you enjoy in life. Probably the best lesson I learned was to enjoy life. In the US, we don't know how to enjoy life. We always work work work. In Spain, they know how to enjoy life. Before Spain, I was always stressed out with classes and was always working. I'm so glad that I went there, since now I know that there needs to be a balanced in life. I think this experienced changed me for the better. I think that I will have a fuller and more enjoyable life because of this experience. However, I was there for a year (I did another CIEE program before this). I would HIGHLY recommend for you guys to stay for a year.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Apartments were too pricey, compared with Spanish rates in Sevilla (they were more like American rates) |
| * Food: |
Had my own apartment, so cooked my own food |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I had Spanish friends from the last semester. However, I didn't like how the center wasn't on a campus. Not a good idea at all and it was hard to make new Spanish friends because of this. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
If you don't act stupid (such as getting blacked out and walking back home alone) you will be fine. I never had a safety issue. |
| 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) |
It's fairly cheap in Sevilla. Just don't go crazy on buying stuff, since there is good shopping there. And going out didn't cost me a thing most nights. But that's probably because I was an American girl. You get a lot of free passes into clubs when you are American...and as a girl it's even more so. So mostly just spent money on food and travel, if I had enough to do so. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 35 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | keep a budget. And if you travel, always do hostels. They are so cheap and so fun. You meet a lot of people. Never do hotels. |
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 |
All my classes were in Spanish |
| 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? | I took two Spanish courses in Spain the semester before...they were high intermediate courses. |
| 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? | Get a boyfriend/girlfriend....one that doesn't speak very good english. If he/she does speak good english, push yourself in the beginning to speak Spanish with him/her!! I made that mistake...it's really hard to change the language that you speak with a person. Also, get as many intercambios as you can. |
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? | that it would have been better to direct enroll in courses so that I would have been on a Spanish university |
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.' |
