Salamanca: Pretty Awesome. Past Review
By Rebecca W (Television-Radio, Ithaca College) for
IES Abroad: Salamanca - Advanced Spanish Immersion
Definitely. I definitely learned a lot about the economic and political situation in Spain, as well as the views that some Spaniards have on what was going on. I also really enjoyed speaking Spanish and improving in it while I was there.
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 professors were great, especially for my grammar and conversation classes. Because I was in a very high-level grammar class, the coursework there was very challenging, but my cinema and conversation classes were not as difficult, which helped with the workload. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Their computer lab was great and all of the administrators were easy to contact if we had any questions. We also had a small group, which was nice. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family consisted of one older woman who has been housing students in study abroad programs for upwards of 15 years. She was incredibly nice and knew exactly what to do to help me acclimate to the new place and situation. I really could not have asked for a better host family. |
| * Food: |
My host family's dinners were always good. As for dining recommendations for future students, I would recommend that they try a bunch of different tapas bars, since each one is slightly different and they're a huge part of Spanish culture. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
While there, I took trips to Portugal, Toledo and Madrid, all of which were great. Portugal was organized by IES and was really well-organized. Our tour of the cathedral in Salamanca was fantastic as well, I would really recommend that to anyone going to Salamanca. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
As long as you're careful and make sure you know where everything is at all times, you're good to go. Salamanca is pretty safe, even at night, but it is best to walk with someone. Everyone in my group was really good about making sure everyone got home safely, either through walking with someone or taking a taxi home. |
| 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? | about 100 euros; throughout the whole trip (about a month long), I spent less than 500 euros. I think having all of my meals at my homestay really helped cut food costs. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Taxis are expensive in Madrid. I also spent a lot of money on ice cream, believe it or not. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| 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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