I Heart Sevilla Past Review
By Erin R (Spanish and Public Relations, The University of Texas at Austin) for
CIEE: Seville - Summer Language and Culture
IT was definately worthwhile and it improved my spanish and cultural awarness. If I decide to go to grad school, somewhere in Spain is at the top of my list.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | University of Sevilla |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was sufficient and I liked the teaching styles of both of my classes. However the grading system isn't ideal because they say you can protest your grade but you never find our your final grade while your there and they wont release any grade information until after you leave. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program administration was helpful and knowledgeable about about FAQs but there were a couple meetings at the beginning that were a little pointless like a goal setting workshop that I felt was more of a waste of time than helpful. The program size was perfect tough and my expectations were met by the program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I stayed in a apartment with a family with 3 kids in a good neighborhood but it was pretty far from the city center, class, and most other students. I ended up spending a lot of money on cabs especially at the beginning because I didnt want to walk so far home alone at night. The family was very sweet and I practiced a lot of spanish with the kids. I had my own room and internet so that was nice and the family made me feel very comfortable. |
| * Food: |
The food that my host mom cooked me was generally very good, although a little random at times. I liked almost everything, it was just a lot of things that i don't normally eat at home. We had tapas after class about once a week which was nice. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We took trips to all over the south of spain with CIEE but the trips we took ourselves to Morocco, Lagos, Portugal and Madrid were tons of fun. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The program went over all the health and safety issues but I didnt have any problems while I was there. |
| 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? | If you want to travel on your own (not with the program) on the weekends it obviously costs more but its worth it. I also spent a lot of money on cabs (and its 2 euro tax extra on the weekends.) |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| 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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Anyone who wants to learn spanish and live in a great capital with a small town vibe. Theres plenty of bars and restaurants and close to many other cool cities. I met great people from all over the US and ended up gaining a best from from my school that I didnt know befre and this program is great for anyone who wants to do the same |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Three cultures in spain: Jews, Cristians and Muslims |
| Course Department: | HIST 3101 SESU |
| Instructor: | Carlos Sanchez |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | There was a ton of information covered in this class but I feel like I learned a great deal in the short amount of time. The teacher was very knowledgable about everything and well prepared. We spent half of the class in the classroom and the other half walking around the city and learning about historical and cultural parts of the city which I enjoyed a lot. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I dont know yet but hopefully I wont have any issues. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Short stories in spain and latin america |
| Course Department: | LITT 3501 SESU |
| Instructor: | Maria Jose Garcia Rufo |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | The work load was pretty hight with 2-3 short stories and assignments per week and the final paper took a lot of time. The field trips were a little random but the teacher incorporated them into class material and she was very knowledgable about all the literary moviments, authors and stories. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I dont know yet but hopefully I wont have any issues. |
