Spain: Viva La Vida y La Educacion Past Review
By Yehna C (Government, Harvard University) for
IES Abroad: Madrid Summer - Language & Cultural Studies
I was able to drastically improve my verbal skills in Spanish and I also learned a vast amount of grammar that I would have not been able to all learn at Harvard. Being immersed in Spain while improving my Spanish skills so greatly also made me more determined to improve my Spanish and someday use it in my profession- whether it be making contacts, friends, relations with negotiators.
Personal Information
| 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. |
Although all courses were designed to be summer courses of actual classes taken at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid during the academic semesters, the workload was comparable to that of the semester course. The grading system was very similar to that of Harvard in that the greatest bearing in the grade lied in test/essay scores and participation. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administrators were great- everyone was willing to help and very friendly. I just wish that they had their office hours for a little longer- sometimes, when I would be done with classes for the day but had a question for them, I would have to wait until the next morning because their office hours would be over. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The house that I stayed in with my host family was very well-maintained and I rarely had any issues in terms of the living setting. The area was relatively safe. |
| * Food: |
There are a lot of restaurants lined up along Gran Via that had affordable, delicious food. There is a lot of meat in Madrid so it would be a little hard for vegetarians to keep a strict diet I would think. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We had a field trip to Sevilla during the middle of the program and it was one of the best social experiences we had in Spain- the beaches, bars, and discotecas there were unbelievable and we got to experience a different Spanish culture than the one back in Madrid. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Madrid is a relatively very safe city. While I was there, there was a social protest against the government at a plaza called Plaza de Sol. However, we never ran into any safety issues walking by there either. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Food and drinks are pretty pricey in the city so prepare to use a big chunk of your expenses on food and drinks! |
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? | Spanish 40: Advanced Language Review through Literature and Culture, II |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
All professors spoke exclusively in Spanish and encouraged the students to solely use Spansish- not only in the classroom but outside as well on field trips, outings, etc. I definitely improved my oral fluency in Spanish as a result of this program. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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