Barcelona is Beautiful Past Review
By Mary Kate C (Political Science and Government., Providence College) for
IES Abroad: Barcelona - Study Abroad with IES Abroad
I learned a lot about myself and what I want to do after college
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | UPF |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Some the classes i felt spent too much time lecturing and not enough in class discussion. The class discussions were great because it gave students a chance to either hear what other americans around the country think of an idea or other international students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Strength: Very good staff Weakness: Terrible orientation. As a person coming into a foreign country not knowing anyone I felt the program failed to offer a good orientation. The Valencia trip should be the first weekend. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my house mom and my family. However, I lived the most far out from anyone i encountered in my program. Taxi's were expensive and the drivers were creepy. I hated taking taxi's home alone late at night. |
| * Food: |
The homestay families respect dietary restrictions |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
my program didn't organize cultural events. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Overall safety was decent for everyone. As a girl who had to travel an hour to meet up with her friends it was a little different for me. It was not uncommon to be grabbed at or followed. |
| 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? | Cost of transportation and cell phones. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The language test should be given a week into the course not beforehand so teachers can properly assess our abilities. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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 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? | Take IES classes and try to get an apartment or a centrally located home stay. it will save you money and be more social. change locations right away if you don't get what you want. |
