Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Food, Travel and Fun! Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/06/2017 to 12/20/2017 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Madrid

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained a view of what it is like to live in a foreign country. Definitely worthwhile!

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Much easier than Middlebury in terms of daily and weekly assignments, but still challenging, especially when it came to finals week.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The Middlebury program was very helpful with orienting us with the Spanish university which was essential.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was very disappointed that I was not put into the actual city of Madrid. It took me about 45 minutes (30 minutes on bus, 15 minutes walking to the bus) daily just to get into the city which was incredibly difficult when I wanted to visit friends, explore, or even go to our university in the city.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Our group of students abroad did not speak as much Spanish as I expected us to, so I did not feel incredibly integrated. However, living with a host family was helpful.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

The section of the city I lived in was somewhat sketchy, especially because I lived a 15 minute walk away from the closest bus stop, so when I returned from school I had to walk alone in the dark. I was usually fine with this, but when my mom visited she was appalled to know that I had been walking those streets alone and she said I had to taxis home from the bus stop every night. Unfortunately, I did not have enough money to pay for daily taxis so I had to continue walking alone with my pepper spray in hand.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

I would choose the same program, but I would rather live closer to the center of the city. While I loved my host family, distance from everything made transportation, and therefore budgeting, very difficult. However, overall, I had a great time!

Finances

* 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)

I was much more budgeted than other students in my program, but it was not easy, especially because I tried to tax taxis home sometimes just for safety purposes. That is not something I had expected to need to spend money on, so when I took a taxi home, I then needed to take that money out of my food budget for the next day.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? About $130 a week, including travel.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? If you can avoid taking taxis that will allow you to save a lot of money.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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? 305
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Talk with the locals and not just the people you are traveling abroad with. Also, don't study abroad with people who are already fluent in the language. I was studying abroad with a friend who was already fluent in Spanish so she felt no need to practice her own Spanish which was incredibly frustrating.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Food
  • Classes
  • Ability to travel
* What could be improved?
  • Location of housing
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Sticking to a budget is harder than you might imagine!

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Film & Television in Spain
Course Department: Film
Instructor:
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: Professor was knowledgeable and very helpful. He was aware of the fact that we were foreign students, and he helped us when needed. We had period pop quizzes, a 10-12 page midterm film review and a final exam.
Credit Transfer Issues: I have yet to try to get credit, but I am hoping to do so soon.