Guadalajara is AMAZING and beautiful - CEA was great Past Review
By Maria W (Music Education, Oklahoma City University) for
Mexico Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
I loved studying abroad. My only regret is I didn't do it sooner, and I didn't do it for a longer period of time. I'm graduated from college now, and might not get the chance to experience something like that ever again. It was beautiful, incredible, and soo much fun. I feel a lot more aware of my cultural surroundings than I did before I travelled, and I owe it all to the people I met in Mexico.
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 classes were completely in Spanish, which I was pretty nervous about, but the instructors were amazing. They understand that we were ENGLISH speakers learning Spanish, and made learning the language a lot of fun. The workload was similar to what I'd expect at home. Some homework, a decent amount of studying for the tests. But the classes (mine were from 8-3) seemed to fly by. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
CEA provided an advisor for us who was on campus all the time. If we ever had a question or concern, she was there. She also brought us on our excursions and "field trips" around the city, which was nice because she was very familiar with all the popular things to do in Guadalajara. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My roommates and I tried to speak in Spanish as much as possible, which helped us learn the language better. Also, our house mom spoke no English at all, and she had hosted several other English-speaking students in the past, so was very helpful to us in our acquisition and practice of the language. Our house was located about a 30 minute walk from the school, and felt no more dangerous than my neighborhood in Oklahoma City. The night life was kind of in between our house and school, so close enough to walk. We mostly took cabs out though, because it was a little scarier to walk at night in a place where the language wasn't our strong suuit! |
| * Food: |
DELICIOUS!! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I made some friends that I would call some of my best friends. We still talk often, and it's been over a year now since I've seen them! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I only felt unsafe one time the entire 5 weeks I was there. And it was a "drunken" guy walking down the street shouting at us. That could happen anywhere. It was easily avoidable, and once we got out of his line of vision, everything was good again. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I was able to practice Spanish in my classes, with my roommates, my host mom, and random people I met in Mexico, as well. I was nervous about trying to speak a language I was uncomfortable with, but the school is so good at making you feel comfortable just TRYING, I even ended up having a conversation with a woman on the bus on my way home from school one day! It was awesome. |
| 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?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Soak up every second. The time goes by sooo fast, and once it's over, it's over. It's an experience that can be replicated to a point, but never done over. |
