Salamanca: A City For Cultural and Language Immersion Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I really appreciated the fact that all classes were in Spanish, this is what I wanted to learn more than specific topics. I feel like I learned a ton about Spain and the language. That said, these are not Carleton level classes. They require work, most of it isn't busy-work, but there isn't a lot of critical thinking, they seem to just tell you the answers and you need to memorize them. The grading system seemed fair, and the IES professors of the non-grammar classes were helpful with language difficulties, and didn't seem to penalize those students who didn't have the highest level of spanish, the assignments were graded on thoughts verses grammar mistakes.

On-site administration of your program

I could not speak more highly about the program staff. They were always available and supportive. The program director is an American who moved to Salamanca over 10 years ago so she is fully knowledgeable about the American system, and another staff member was a Spanish LA in California.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My host family included me, another American student from my program, my señora, her husband, and for the second half of the term, her husband's 96 year old father. We were located about a 10 minute walk to the Plaza Mayor, a 15 minute walk to the IES center, and no more than 25 minutes from all classes, or really anything that we ever needed including supermarkets, the department store, the movie theater, clubs, and bars. We were provided with sheets and towels that were washed weekly, as well as all meals, which were great. My host mother wasn't the most talkative, but she was happy to talk with us and it was clear that she cared and wanted us to be happy there.

My host mother was very accommodating with our preferences. The quality and quantity was great.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The trips by IES were fantastic. They were fun and informative and always of the highest quality. There were also some activities in Salamanca like a language exchange night, paella night, and a cooking class. These were also really great programs.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The city of Salamanca is very safe. We could walk home at any hour without feeling uncomfortable. However, many people did get things like phones or cameras stolen, especially at bars.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Almost no one in Salamanca spoke English, and those who did always spoke to us in Spanish. My host family spoke only Spanish, the program staff used only Spanish with us, all classes were in Spanish. Students in the program started to use English with each other towards the end of the term but that was a personal choice and they didn't mind if you spoke to them in Spanish.

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Host Family
• Americans

Select all that apply

• The ability to use Spanish all of the time.

• The mandatory 10 page papers for each IES class all due within a few weeks of each other.