Awesome Past Review
By A student (IES Granada, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/26/2016 to 05/20/2016 with
IES Abroad: Granada - Liberal Arts & Language
World knowledge. Better language skills. better people skills. totally worthwhile.
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 actual academic rigor of each course was not as rigorous as my university, but I learned so much from all of the classes and had a great experience in all of them. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration of my program was great. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The residencia in Granada was not the most clean, and the food was not great. However, the location was very central and it was nice living with other international students. |
| * Food: |
The food of my host country was GREAT. the food served in my residencia was poor. I am giving 4 stars though, because you don't need to eat in the residence, and there are many places to find great food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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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? |
Yes
This program was in a great city, great people, and I got to use the language so much in this city because not a lot of people spoke English. I found this program to very integrating, culturally and linguistically, which is exactly what I was looking for. |
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) |
This city is probably one of the cheapest in Europe (besides Budapest). Here, students can get a drink and tapas for between 1.5-3 euros, and make dinner out of it. The food and drinks were so cheap, no transportation is necessary, as you can walk everywhere, and this was an extremely affordable city for international people. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 30 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Budget how many meals you want to eat out vs. cook vs. in the residence ahead of time, so you know what you will be spending for the week. |
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 |
You need Spanish in Granada. This program made the students very integrated, linguistically. |
| 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? | 4 semesters of college 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? | Talk to people! Other spanish students, talk to your program directors in Spanish...just don't be afraid to use the language. It is very important to not be shy when learning a language, because every foreign language learner will make mistakes, but the key is to not be afraid of those mistakes. |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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? | Just be open to different cultural norms, and don't take everything as such a surprise, when everything is a surprise. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
