A Happy Time Past Review
By A student (Psychology, Trinity University) - abroad from 01/07/2015 to 04/24/2015 with
IES Abroad: Barcelona - Study Abroad with IES Abroad
Definitely! The experience was phenomenal. Getting to be in a new country and practice a new language was a really valuable and fun experience, and I'm really grateful and happy to have had the chance to go!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The experience overall was pretty strong! The teachers were all really knowledgeable and it was clear they really cared about teaching us. I had one class that was dull, but other than that it was really pretty good! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
American study abroad students aren't exactly locals' favorite things in the world, especially the (somewhat reserved) Catalonia. Nonetheless, IES had a lot of stuff to help us understand and interact with Catalan people. The program was big, so there were so many resources available for us students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent about 3k I think outside program expenses. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It was really expensive, and I guess all I can say is that you should just come in with realistic expectations about how much you'll spend! |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| 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? | advanced conversational spanish |
| 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? | Homestay. |
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? | 0 |
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? | About Barcelona I didn't quite understand what a club scene it is, and how touristic the city is! |
