Spain was a coming-of-age for me Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The European education system is definitely different than what we have at UT. It was much more theory-based and there was less emphasis on skills learning. Coming from UT, this was very interesting and helpful to me since I have four years of skills training under my belt. The best thing about IE is the environment. It's an international university with students from all over the world. If you've never studied abroad before, this is the perfect place to be exposed to different viewpoints from all over the world. The culture does take a bit to get used to. Everyone in Europe seems to move a little slower than we do in the U.S. Humor is also another thing to adjust. Europeans can be very dry and sarcastic. They like to say that Americans are too sensitive, and I have to say they are right. Living with Europeans and having European friends taught me to have tougher skin. Above all, this experience taught me that the American way is not always the only way. And that's a good thing.

On-site administration of your program

The administration was extremely welcoming and understanding. They really strove to make exchange students feel part of the university. The only thing that was lacking here, and this was partly administration's fault, was student life. IE student life is bare bones at the moment. The one function we had was the IE ball at the end of the year, which saw more than 150 participants. This is one of my fondest memories at IE because it brought everyone together and allowed me to speak to people I wouldn't normally get the chance to speak to. I wish there would have been more programs like this.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived off campus five minutes away from the school and I loved my arrangements. I had electricity, gas, water and wifi all included in my rent of 230 euro a month. I also really liked my roommates, a Spaniard and an Ecuadorian.

The Spanish are true believers in the fresher the better. Spain encourages healthy eating and the food here is very affordable. This is contrary to D.C. (where food sucks and it costs an arm and a leg).

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I feel like I was integrated with the international culture at my school, but didn't get a chance to experience Spanish culture that much. This changed as I made more friends from Madrid, which was about 30 min from Segovia. IE Segovia doesn't really have a large Spanish population, but the Madrid campus does. I connected with the students at the Madrid campus and made frequent trips over there. They taught me a lot about Spanish food and culture, which I loved.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

We had a nurse on campus that was there for anything we needed. Not many people knew about her though, which is a shame. The only reason I found out is because I asked administration. My one recommendation here is for administration to stress that there is a nurse on campus available to international students.

Segovia is extremely safe. Plus, the police patrols the town square and surrounding areas frequently.

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

You can definitely live in Spain on a student's budget. Segovia and Madrid are very cheap. Travelling in Spain is cheap too. The only thing that costs a bit is travelling outside of Spain, which all students in my program wanted to do. For this, it's really good to look at websites like Expedia.es and Priceline.com.

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• Apartment

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• International Students

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• International Students

• International students
• Travelling
• Classes

• Student life. Needs more activities.

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