Salamanca, Spain: The Most Memorable Semester Past Review
By Alyssa E (Economics., University of Rochester) for
IES Abroad: Salamanca - Advanced Spanish Immersion
Going to Spain opened my eyes to another world. I didn't realize that people could live any differently than how we live in the United States. I consider myself more culturally knowledgeable and I am curious now to know more about other cultures as well. I feel much more confident in my Spanish-speaking ability and was able to become a Spanish 101 TA with my improved conversational skills! I would love to go back to Spain, especially Salamanca, in the near future.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad de Salamanca |
| 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. |
I definitely enjoyed having a lighter workload because I was able to do extracurricular activities without having to worry about school work. My professors were very engaged in the topics they taught and I was able to learn from them. The grading system was fair/generous. I did not feel pressured in order to get a good grade. At the actual Universidad de Salamanca, however, the grading system is different and my grade was much lower because it's simply a different system. This was somewhat disappointing because I transferred the university class for credit for my major and the grade does transfer into my GPA. I wish there were some sort of conversion for the grades to go into the American system, because then the grade recorded in my GPA would be higher. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Program directors were accessible and friendly. They were knowledgeable and even when they didn't know something, they were willing to find out. Two of the program directors had either lived in the US or studied in the US, so they were knowledgeable about American culture, which was comforting. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived with a host mother and she treated me as a daughter. It was a wonderful experience and I couldn't have felt more welcome. She only spoke Spanish, so it forced me to speak Spanish and I attribute most of my conversational improvement to my host mother. I didn't need to buy anything except toiletries. The food was great, the location was great. It was about a 10 minute walk to the popular area for nightlife, it was a 20 minute walk to school (which was shorter than a lot of other people's walks), and it was in a safe neighborhood. |
| * Food: |
My host mother was a fantastic cook! I barely ever ate out because her food was so delicious. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We went on a ton of field trips and the program let us know when fun things in the city were going on. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There were quite a few people who got sick during the semester and the program directors made sure to go with them to the doctor so that there would be nothing lost in translation since the doctors spoke Spanish. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I barely spent any money on food or personal things each week. I saved my money to travel-- I spent about $1500 traveling. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You may need to pay for internet use-- either in cafes or in an internet hub. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | SP 264 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
All classes were in Spanish and all host families only spoke Spanish, so we were definitely forced to speak the language everyday, almost all day. Most people in Salamanca did not know English at all. It was great! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | A student who would benefit the most from this program is one who is looking to improve their language skills and truly be immersed in Spanish culture. Salamanca has very few tourists, so you're getting a real taste of Spain. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Surrealism in Spain |
| Course Department: | AH 326 |
| Instructor: | Laura Muñoz Pérez |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | This was an excellent class. I had never taken an art history class before and the professor made the topic very interesting. I learned a lot from the class and even remember much of what I learned. We also went on a field trip to a museum in Madrid to reinforce class material. This was amazing because we got to see the real paintings that we had only seen pictures of in class. It was nice to experience the material in a tangible way. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
