Madrid: Life Changing Experience Past Review
By Elizabeth N (PSYCHOLOGY., Villanova University) for
IES Abroad: Madrid - IES Abroad in Madrid
Yes it was incredibly worthwhile.
Personal Information
| 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. |
The workload was very minimal until the end, when most professors assigned a lot of projects, extra reading, papers, and tests. They grade on a scale of 1 to 10 and their grade ranges are much larger than the American grading scale. For example, if you got a 6.5 on an assignment, that was still considered a B. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff of my program was incredible. They were very accessible and easy to talk to about any issues that came up. There were about 65 kids in the program which I felt was a good size. There were no classes on Friday which made traveling easier. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My roommates and I also lived with a compañera. She was from Granada and helped us with any questions, needs, or concerns we had. |
| * Food: |
It was easy to find and purchase food at reasonable prices. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
All of the field trips the program offered were great experiences and I loved the cities we visited. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in the city and I was comfortable using the metro, even late at night. I do recommend that while you are on the metro you hold on to your purse tightly. While nothing happened to me personally, I heard stories of thefts happening to other people. I did get sick a few times and the staff at IES always made appointments for me with English speaking doctors so the whole process was very painless. |
| 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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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? |
It helped that all of my classes were in Spanish and that I had a compañera, a native Spaniard, living with me in my apartment. Very few people in Madrid spoke English well, giving me plenty of opportunities to use Spanish everyday. On the downside, since the programs was entirely Americans, we all inevitably spoke English to each other. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to improve their Spanish speaking abilities. Madrid is a great city that has a lot to offer but at the same time is not as touristy as some of the other big cities so you feel like you are a part of the city and not a group of tourists. It is also very easy to travel to other cities both in Spain and in other countries. |
