Study Abroad in Granada, Spain Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The method of teaching was different, but my goal was to expand my knowledge of Spanish. We spent most of our classes just speaking in Spanish and sometimes would go to a bar (which is different from a US bar) and discuss further and play games to help us learn. Some of the classes, such as grammar, were easy, but they helped in my every day life in Spain.

On-site administration of your program

The directors of this program are so involved in helping the students with everything from schoolwork to travel to adjusting to another culture. They have great resources and are extremely friendly. By the end of the program, I felt that I had become friends with them.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in an apartment with one other girl in my program from South Carolina. Since we did not live with a host family, we did not have anyone to cook for us so a lot of the time, we would go have tapas with intercambios or go to the grocery store and buy our own food. I would definitely recommend living in an apartment to people who are more independent and can find ways to immerse themselves into the culture without living with a Spanish person. The location of the apartment was perfect for walking just about everywhere and we had a beautiful view of the mountains.

I loved going out and eating tapas and it was not hard to find food at the grocery store, but much of Spanish food is very bland and there are a lot of pork based meals. I don't eat pork so that is a problem for me. I would not say that they have the best food in Europe but most of it was interesting and there were certain dishes that I enjoyed.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Going out for tapas with intercambios and going to discotecas helped me immerse myself into the Spanish Youth Culture. It took a couple of weeks to get used to the different culture of Spain, but once I began to understand why people did certain things, I acclimated and enjoyed myself. I was also able to travel to many different Spanish cities through the program and with a couple of my Spanish friends who had a car.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I was given proper attention when I mentioned any illness and helped to purchase medicine at the pharmacy. The only time I did not feel safe was when I was traveling alone. My apartment was also fairly far away from most people's so I walked home at night alone often. I felt comfortable at first until another girl in the program was attacked and then I felt that I needed to be more conscientious of my surroundings.

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

We spent a lot of time conversing in Spanish in class, but the most help I received with learning Spanish was immersing myself into the culture and talking with my program directors (who were Spanish) and with local Spanish people. Even just going to the grocery store helped take me out of my comfort zone and forced me to interact with people.

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• Apartment

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• Americans