Seville Study Abroad Program was the best trip of my life! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was not overwhelming for a three week program you just had to keep up with it. you are taking a test a week into class but its intense enough to keep you on your toes and make sure you dont fall behind. Some professors are more strict then others and expect you to participate and not be absent. There is no time to waste as you are completing a whole semester of class in 3 weeks. The teachers are nice as long as you are respectful and dont take their class as a joke.

On-site administration of your program

I think this program was very impressive and i have no real problems with it. They were very organized and provided a lot of information for us before, during and after the program. We went on field trips, overnight stays, and day trips that were both fun but also cool to take trips to other cities you may have never been able to visit. The tours were a little early and mandantory but it was just hard because the lifestyle has a much later nightlife. The size of the program was big enough to meet and know everyone and they really wanted to make sure you were having a good time and experiencing Spain. The only thing I didnt like was the food in the dorm but its dorm food so it is to be expected.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The Dorm was in the middle of the city so the location was awesome. Some of the other studetns lived across the river from school so would have to walk over 45 minutes to get to class which could be annoying. We were 10 minutes from everything and close to all the main plazas and shopping districts. It was a university based dorm so a lot of people in study abroad programs or university students lived there. You usually had one roommate, I roomed with a girl from my program. Some dorms look like dorms but others were more like apartments. They provide everything you need like towels, sheets, etc, and clean your room every week, and if you wanted to get your laundry done by them they would do it but a lot of students chose to do it themselves. It was a lot of freedom and you didnt have to feel weird coming home late to a family.

Food was probably the most disappointing. Some days were better than others but sometimes it wasnt good at all. they have a set schedule for lunch dinner so if you miss it you miss it. Breakfast isnt anything special for Spaniards so its usally just bread and coffee. Some host families cooked great, others not so much so its really just a toss up.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

CIEE took us on a day trip, an overnight trip, and left one weekend for us to travel and it worked out very well. We got to go to some cities that we might have not been able to experience otherwise and it didnt cost anything for the students except fun money. They always put us in nice hotels, set up field trips for us to go on, and all of our food was paid for. Locals from the cities we visited would travel with us and they would take us out at night. They were all fun except all of the tours/activities are mandantory which some people didnt like, but really wasnt that bad, no one wanted to wake up early. We went to the bull fights which was very gruesome but something I think you should experience if you are in Spain. Its part of the culture and something that is very different for us. I would just know that there are usually 6 bulls and they kill them all, so if you have a problem with blood, animals getting killed I would maybe rethink it. Flamenco was also something that is very culturally thrilling to watch. They took us to a show in orientation and there was usually shows going on all the time, some free and some not, you just had to look for them. CIEE was very organized and tried to get us to experience the whole spectrum of the Spanish culture. Very well put together. I loved it!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Seville is very safe and clean city in central part of the city, I never felt unsafe by myself but tried to stay with groups when we walked home late at night just as a precaution. They clean the streets every night, there is no trash, and overall a beautiful city. No one really travelled outside of the city center unless your homestay was located somewhere else but CIEE did pretty good about putting students in homes that werent too far from home and gave you the option to switch homestays if you were not comfortable with your living arrangements. There were no vaccines that were required to travel to Spain but I went to my doctor and just asked him to give me whatever he thought was necessary. I never experienced the health care accessibility but from what other students said you had a doctor available to you for a certain amount of money and you had to have a doctor's note if you were missing class because you were sick.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

They really encourage you to speak Spanish and practice with your friends. They all speak English and Spanish and if you had a preference to speak English they had no problem, except in classes, if they are taught in Spanish you are expected to speak it. The only time it was okay to speak english is when you needed to clarify something. The program also teams up with univesity students who want to practice their english so you have a local student that you can meet up with and talk as much or as little as you want. You are encouraged to speak spanish at all tiems and in everyday interactions but there are a lot of english speakers surprisngly so you werent completely left in the dark. A lot of people in the program would just speak Spanish in the class then English the rest of the time. You make your experience with Spanish as much or as little as you want

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• Dorm

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• Americans