Unforgettable (ft. Nat King Cole?) Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/28/2017 to 12/20/2017 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Getafe
Worthwhile. I came out speaking better Spanish and having a better understanding of the Spanish society and culture.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
A little burned out towards the end of November, primarily because of the course load and the requirement of the internship. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The internship experience I had was not as advertised. I really like Aida––she is very helpful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I like my host family. The only downside: It's a two-hour commute back and forth between my host family and the university, and a one-hour commute between my internship place and my host family. In a day when I had to work and go to school, that's three hours on the train!!!! |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We could need more interaction with local students |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Did not have to pay for any visit to the doctors. Great! |
| * Safety: |
Safer than I thought. Although I did get randomly stopped by armed police asking for my passport. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
My Spanish improved a lot. Made 1 Spanish friend––could have done better had I not spent so much time on the internship. I wished I had not done the internship (20 hours per week in addition to difficult commute), had cared less about grade, and had spent more time venturing around the city. I had the chance to do a lot of local stuff and be a Madrileño: learning how to cook paella (which I still do with my friends back in the States), watching a theater show (La casa de Bernarda Alba), watching a Spanish movie (La llamada, which is up on Netflix, check it out!), and traveling. I traveled on my own to País Vasco and Valencia and had some of the most wonderful memories. I traveled with friends to Barcelona, Sevilla, Paris, Milan, and other places as well. To sum up, I went to 12 different cities in Spain and 16 different World Heritage Sites. |
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) |
Not bad. Drinks are cheap but clubbing is expensive in Madrid. I did not go clubbing that much. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 180 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Use public transportation and avoid taxi or Uber unless necessary. Madrid is very walkable. |
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 |
There's a language pledge. I had to speak it 24/7 |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 350-level Spanish Course |
| 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? | Nah if you are enrolled in a Middlebury program your language skills naturally get better due to the Language Pledge. |
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? | DON'T DO THE INTERNSHIP––IT'S A TRAP (way too demanding in terms of time commitment and the grading sucks; nobody in my program who did it ended up liking it) Relax––Don't be so intense; you are there to enjoy the experience. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Economic Progress in Spain |
| Course Department: | Economics |
| Instructor: | Leandro Prados de la Escosura |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | It's a challenging course, yes. It involved a lot of reading, but you walked out with an in-depth understanding of the Spanish economy as we come to know it today. The professor is a famous scholar and is very knowledgeable. Good lecturing and small class-size make this class a gem. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Middlebury was very ready to grant me credit when I asked for it. |
