Best experience August 13, 2025
By Maya R (Neuroscience, Brandeis University) - abroad from 05/14/2025 to 07/01/2025 with
IES Abroad: Summer - Sustainable Development & Equitable Living Across Borders: Spain & Morocco
I gained so much knowledge and perspective about the language, the history of the country, how to be a sustainable tourist, and how to truly travel a country.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Academically, I loved the courses. They were extremely interesting and provided the correct amount of rigor and outside work for the class. For many of the classes on this program, you would have weekly trips to a different region of Granada or the south of Spain and really immerse yourself in the learning experience. The professors were amazing, extremely responsive to emails and very much cared about you as a person. They also wanted to help and guide you to maximize your learning experience. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The best administration, I have had the opportunity to become very close to them and am so grateful that I did. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I really liked my dorm, but in terms of the food the served I struggled because I am vegetarian. |
| * Food: |
As I mentioned, I am vegetarian and Spain loves their meat. It was ok and very affordable but I struggled a little. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Extremely well, I was picked up and taken to a hospital within 10 minutes. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I think this was one of the best experiences of my life and I learned so much. |
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? | 100 euro |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 104 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Read books, watch shows, and Duolingo |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I knew more Spanish and that I read a little bit more about Granada |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
