Great City, Sub-Par University and Program August 21, 2023
By A student (International Politics & Economics, Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/27/2023 to 06/02/2023 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Cordoba, Spain
Improved my language skills quite a bit but otherwise got little to nothing out of the experience academically. Probably worthwhile
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. |
I learned little to nothing academically - only improved my Spanish skills as all of the courses were in Spanish. Overall, the professors were very poor, classmates couldn't care less about the subject matter or their grades. Definitely didn't enjoy the academic experience at UCO. Also, since the students don't care about their grades, it is extremely difficult to achieve grades that equal A's in the US - as students' main concern is getting a 5/10 to pass the course. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very poor. Wasted a few days of my life sitting through discussions that were completely unnecessary such as "make sure not to use Wikipedia on research papers". Please make orientation more concise and stop treating students like middle schoolers. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
First of all, my roommates were absolutely absurd. All of them were much older than me, smoked cigarettes all day, and were unbelievably loud. The apartment itself was also terrible (although I will say that my friends' apartments were much better than mine, I got kinda unlucky). |
| * Food: |
Food was extremely cheap but quite underwhelming. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I feel I integrated quite well but not at all due to my program - I made friends with some people on my own. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I broke my ankle while playing soccer and had a pretty dreadful experience. The hospital I went to (Cruz Roja) was extremely poor and did a few things to my ankle that doctors in the US said would never have happened here. The program did not help me much at all. |
| * Safety: |
Cordoba is quite safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
This question was difficult to answer, but I really did love the city of Cordoba |
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) |
Cordoba is suuuuuuper cheap |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | unsure |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Go to the grocery stores, drink before going out |
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 |
They definitely stressed that we should only speak in spanihs |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 300 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Don't go somewhere with too many friends or you will revert back to english quickly |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | How students treat university in Cordoba is much different than in the US - don't expect to get all A's because it is borderline impossible when everyone else is happy with a 5/10. Make a plan for what hospital is the best in case of emergency - and definitely do not go to Cruz Roja |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Judaismo al Islam |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | I actually liked this course and learned a fair bit. No assignments at all and then an incredibly long (50pg) final paper that has to be HAND WRITTEN |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Instituciones e empresas cinematograficas |
| Course Department: | Cine |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Not too hard, professors were fine, didn't really learn much |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
High-level Spanish Grammar Course |
| Course Department: | UCO Idiomas |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | The instructor was very nice and kind to all of us, but utilized a weird class structure that did not help our Spanish as much as it could have. We would do strange exercises in our packets throughout class and she would move through them RAPIDLY, leaving no time at all for questions. the entire class seemed more confused when they left class than when they entered at times |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Arte Al-Andalus |
| Course Department: | Historia de Arte |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | The professor was great, always willing to help international students. I would say I ended up learning some things about art historia in this area as well. However, the classes can be very hard to follow and no one attends the classes. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
