Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I had a great academic experience at the Malaca Instituto. I practiced speaking spanish more than I had in eight years of studying spanish in the United States.

On-site administration of your program

I feel that there was a lack of communication between my University at home, Bridge Abroad, and Malaca Instituto. I received an e-mail of what to expect on my first day of school after I had already attended a week and a half of classes. Also, after I had traveled to Malaga and settled in with my host family I was sent an e-mail telling me that I would have to leave my last two weeks and move into the school, or pay another $600 in living expenses. Needless to say I was not happy about this miscommunication.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in a great host family and I have no complaints about my living situation.

My host mother cooked very healthy authentic spanish food.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

the social aspects of my program were alright but it was better to explore different places in smaller groups instead of with the school because then you could see what you wanted to see and you could take as much time as you wanted.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I always felt pretty safe in Malaga. However I never went anywhere by myself after dark. I was lucky because if I were to have had any health issues my host mother would have taken me to the doctor and made sure that I was okay.

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

What I improved in most was my ability to speak and converse in the language. I felt that I had already been prepared to read and write the language but I hadn't ever received such effective speaking experience.