Lento pero muy rapido. Past Review
By A student (Stephen F. Austin State University) - abroad from 07/09/2016 to 08/09/2016 with
Estudio Sampere: Madrid - Language School in Madrid
I've learned that cultures are very different, but humans are very similar in their actions.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The professors at Estudio Sampere are really good at getting the whole class involved in speaking the language. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Estudió Sampere was an excellent institution that had very good teachers that taught the class in a very clear manner, often conversating with the class in order to improve our fluency. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host home was close to the school and a few metro stations that could take you anywhere thoughout the city of Madrid. |
| * Food: |
The food was amazing. Food in general was a little expensive however you could find restaurants and cafes that did have good cheap "plato del día." |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Fitting in with the local culture became fairly easy after getting a routine down. However, sometimes natives would approach me automatically speaking English. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Although I did not have any health problems while on this trip, throughout the city there were many pharmacies. |
| * Safety: |
The only safety concern that I can think of would be pick-pockets. I never had an incident, however a few other students did. Always be aware of your surroundings, especially when walking alone. I always made a note to randomly look behind me when walking alone. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The program at Estudio Sampere had a relaxed but effective learning environment. Also, many of our tours throughout the city were given by Sampere's professors who gave historical insight to what we were touring. |
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) |
2.5. Food was the largest weekly expense. Towards the end of my trip when money was tight I was able to find cheaper restaurants usually because of a daily special. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100-150 |
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 |
Every aspect of our course was spoken in Spanish. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | Spanish 232 |
| 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? | Use Rosetta Stone if possible. Also, watching television and listening to music in your language of choice is a good exercise. |
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? | I wish that I would have known the amount of money that I would spend on food. |
