Past Review
By Megan R (Health Policy and Management/ Spanish, Providence College) for
CIEE: Seville - Liberal Arts
I learned a great amount of information about myself, the world, and the United States. I loved everything about Europe and Spanish lifestyle. I improved fluency, and academics in the Spanish language.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
|
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I felt that the program was very organized while in the United States, but once in Spain, staff was not very helpful. I had housing issues all semester and they were anything but helpful. Staff would not speak to you in English even if you were extremely upset, and I find that to be ridiculous considering the reputation of the program, and the amount of money spent. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Residencia Santa Ana. Within the El Centro neighborhood. <br /><br /> The housing was anything but pleasant. The information given before arriving in Spain about Residencias were extremely misleading. These buildings were old and in terrible condition, my personal room got broken into and had a phone stolen from, the staff proceeded to do nothing about it. |
| * Food: |
The food was limited and pretty terrible, even the Spanish students complained about it. I ended spending a generous amount of money eating out. It was unhealthy, extremely limited options, and I was I had known what I was paying for. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved Spain, especially Sevilla, and traveling Europe was an unbelievable experience. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
I didnt feel particularly safe after our Residencia was broken in to. At night, just like any city, we proceeded with caution. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
|
Finances
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Food expenses were not expected, because we did not expect the quality of Residencia food to be so bad. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
|
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Sevilla is an amazing city and I would live there in a heartbeat. However, I would consider smaller programs. CIEE was far too large for my taste, and the housing did not suite me, considering other programs, housing. I loved Spain, and taking all classes in Spanish was extremely helpful for fluency and I highly recommend that. |
