Spring Semester in Sevilla 2015 Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Courses at University of Sevilla were fairly easy. I liked that the structure was different from America where you just focused on attending class and didn't really have to worry about any homework assignments throughout the semester. You just had to focus for midterms or final exams/final papers. It made everything a lot less stressful than the high-intensity courses I was used to back in America.

On-site administration of your program

Steven and Rosa from GlobalEd were extremely helpful throughout the whole semester! They really felt like my second set of parents, taking us all out to coffee and dinner every now and then to catch up and make sure we were adjusting well.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in a very small apartment but the neighborhood was nice and quiet with a short walk to downtown and I was able to get three meals a day so it was nice to come home to every day.

Sevilla has amazing food! Steven and Rosa showed us some of the best places to get tapas and cafe con leche.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I had the opportunity to do an internship for class credit, which GlobalEd set up for me. Because of that I could be really immersed in interacting with locals as well as other international students from all over Europe. That way, I was really forced to use my Spanish on a daily basis.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never needed my health care but it was great to know I was 100% covered for anything should I need it. I don't even get that kind of security when I'm home in America.

I rarely felt unsafe in Sevilla. It is very common for high school and college kids to be walking home at 2:00, 3:00, or even 4:00 am from bars and clubs. I did this a few times with girlfriends, or even a few times alone, over the semester and never felt like I was in danger. However, one piece of advice is if your appearance makes it very obvious that you're not from Spain (like bright bleach-blonde hair, that's very American,) you may get more harassed by catcalls than others.

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

Food is not too expensive in Spain compared to Hawaii where I had been living before. A night of eating tapas with friends is cheap - usually $20. I didn't have living expenses because I lived with a host mother.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

My classes were all taught in Spanish which was great, but the teachers allowed the Americans to all talk in English with each other which I kind of wish wasn't allowed. That would have encouraged more fluency.

Select all that apply

• Host Family
• Apartment

Select all that apply

• Americans
• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Americans

• Food
• Rich culture of southern Spain

• Classes with non-Americans would have been nice
• Larger host family