Sevillana forever! Past Review
By Shannon A (Biology, General., The University of Texas at Austin) for
CIEE: Seville - International Business & Culture
I gained understanding and confidence in my Spanish-speaking skills. It has made me want to go back, and want to travel more and help as many people as I can.
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. |
The grading scale is 1-10 and no one is expected to ever be able to make a 9.5-10, which in the American system would be considered unfair. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
A major weakness is that all of my classes were with Americans and we were COMPLETELY secluded at the Spanish university in ONE hall in a back building. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was super close to two metros (3 minute walks for both), so I could get anywhere quickly. I was treated as a daughter. |
| * Food: |
Dine at home! It will save you money! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We went to Morocco for 4 days (AMAZING!!) and were invited on free day-trips to Cadiz, Cordoba, Jerez, and a couple other cities. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Toiletries are very expensive. And I don't know why we paid so much for school, etc. if our host families only got 18 euros a day. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced with my host mother. I had to use Spanish every single day. Most locals did not speak English. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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