IES Abroad Granada gave me New Views and New Friends! Past Review
By Miranda L (Spanish, Tulane University) for
IES Abroad: Granada - Liberal Arts & Language
I learned a lot about Spain's economy and cultures, and after having lived in a city with 25% unemployment, I better understand what I read in the papers about Spain's financial crisis and how it effects the citizens. I learned that their values are shared and different from ours, along with their views on religion, education, and exercise. This has given me a broader understanding of Europe. The trip really reinforced my desire to apply for grad school, and I got in!
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | universidad granada |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I loved my Lorca class, but for the most part I felt unchallenged in my other classes. This was fine because I used the free time to travel, but had I not been absorbing a new culture and improving my language skills, this would have been a bad education model. My cinema teacher never returned assignments in a timely manner, so I was unable to learn from his corrections and improve my writing assignments. I did not get much out of the grammar class either. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very helpful, friendly people, I had positive interactions with them, and felt supported. When I went to the hospital, the staff visited me every day to cheer me up and brought me hw assignments. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The bus ride to classes could be a hassle at times, and the nightlife was far away- everything was a taxi ride or a 40 minute walk. I needed to buy a pillow, and some food to refrigerate and heat up in my room. My 1st month I had a host mom, and she was very odd and at times overemotional. I was so relieved to move out of there. |
| * Food: |
I loved buying shwarma, and I liked some of the local fare, but there was almost zero seasoning in traditional andalusian food and tapas other than olive oil. Everything tasted so bland and similar after the first month, that I bought a few bottles of the only hot sauce at the grocery store every month to spice things up. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved the trip to Gibraltar and Morocco! As a Lorca fanwoman, I adored getting to visit all his homes. I thoroughly enjoyed the Prague trip I took independently. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I was quite safe. I never got robbed, but I knew people who did, so hold your bag at all times. My program assisted me readily and quickly when I went to the hospital, and were helpful throughout the whole process. I didn't need specific vaccines for the program, everything I get for the US normally worked there. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About 100 a week, more when I traveled. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | taxis cost a lot. Buy alcohol in grocery stores, not in specialty shops. Shwarma is cheap, delicious, and easy to find. Don't go shopping too often, just buy a few choice things that you couldn't get in the US, really adorable purchases, or save for a meaningful gift. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 6000 level |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I used Spanish every day I was there. I recommend living in a dorm with local and foreign students, so you can make friends using Spanish. We chatted about things we cared about, not stock questions I could predict. Most people spoke Spanish, but if necessary could communicate in English. |
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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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? | Students who aren't fluent yet would love this. Check my general assessment answer too. |
