Madrid- The Capital of Spain Past Review
By Robert L (BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES., Austin College) for
IES Abroad: Madrid - IES Abroad in Madrid
Definitely worthwhile, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Personal Information
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The academics were fairly standard. My only complaint is that all of the IES classes are held at a center that is separate from the university, so you feel isolated sometimes being around Americans 24/7 in all of your classes. It is also quite tedious being in all of your classes with the same people, and they don't do a good job breaking up the classes by language skill. For the most part, the classes have too broad of a range of skill abilities. One of my classes had students who were fluent as well as students who couldn't put together a sentence. |
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Awesome administration, always there to help when you needed it. |
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
|
* Food: |
Doña fugata- by ópera metro station, best pizza in town |
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
* Safety: |
|
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
* 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) |
|
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | N/A |
Language
* Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 350 |
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
Language acquisition improvement? |
I spoke Spanish with everyone there, except my classmates, because they couldn't speak Spanish too well. |
Other Program Information
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | A American student with limited Spanish would thrive in this program |