An absolutely unforgettable semester! Past Review
By A student (Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University) - abroad from 01/12/2015 to 05/16/2015 with
IES Abroad: Madrid - Engineering, Math & Science
I gained a greater appreciation for the world. It sounds cheesey, but I think in America we get so caught up in American politics and American issues, we forget how much else is out there. I realized how foolish I was for not knowing anything about Spanish politics when all the Spanish people knew so much about American politics. I also learned a lot about myself. I learned where my comfort zone is and that great things happen when I force myself out of it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Universidad de Carlos III is known for being a challenging engineering school. This was important for me because I didn't want my quality of education to suffer by going abroad. IES also provided tutors that really helped me understand the material better! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Always helpful and supportive! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I LOVED my home-stay and my host family! They were wonderful and couldn't have asked for better people to introduce me to their home country, Spain! I do wish I had a roommate (I was the only girl without a roommate which made it a little harder to make friends) but this didn't affect overall experience in a negative way. |
| * Food: |
My host mom was an amazing cook!! My mom is a professional caterer, and when she came to visit, she was in awe of my host mom's cooking! They bonded over her recipes (with me translating, of course), and it was wonderful to know that I was getting the best of the best Spanish food every single day! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Because, as engineering students, we got to take classes at a local university with local students, I felt like I was as culturally immersed as I possibly could be! Again though, I think having a roommate would have helped me feel a bit more comfortable going out at night and meeting new friends. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I arrived on the first day with surprising knee pain that made it difficult to walk. Being the first day, I expected IES to be too overwhelmed to help, or at least not for a few days, but they were able to set up a doctor's appointment for me that day! By the end of the week I had met with a doctor and had some physical therapy exercises that solved the issue in just a couple weeks. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe in Madrid. Madrid was probably safer than any city in America! Pickpockets are really the biggest issue, but if you're aware of your surroundings and take a couple easy precautions, you won't have issues. |
| 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) |
I had worked multiple jobs in order to save up a lot of money to study abroad, so I definitely made some splurges here and there. But I had a lot of friends on a very tight budget who were still able to fully enjoy the Madrid experiences. Living in a home-stay, expenses were much less, as we were provided with 2 meals a day. In the end, I spent a little money of food and personal expenses, but saved up most of my money for traveling on weekends (which is also MUCH cheaper in Europe compared to traveling in the US). |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $70/week on food & living expenses; ~$400/week traveling (bear in mind, I did a LOT of traveling, this was probably higher than normal) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make a budget for yourself in Excel! This really helped me a lot! I was able to mark out how much money I needed for food and living expenses each week, subtract that from my total budget, and see how much money I had to travel. Then I made a list of all the places I wanted to go, and researched how expensive they were and how much travel expenses would be from Spain. I was able to really maximize my budget and opportunities by researching everything ahead of time. It may sound like a lot of work, but I ended spending a lot less than I had expected because I made a budget and stuck to it. Also, circumstances are different for everyone, but if you can find a job during the summer or school year to save up some extra money, that would help a lot too! |
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 |
Living in a home-stay with a woman who spoke only Spanish, I was forced to use the language every day. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | Spanish 4 in high school |
| 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? | Live in a home-stay!! |
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? |
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? | I wish I had known to just relax! I think I was so worried about making sure I was prepared for every single possible situation I could have encountered, but I now know half the fun is just seeing what experiences come your way! |
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.' |
