Study abroad like Hemingway! August 01, 2023

By A student (Geography, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/15/2023 to 06/02/2023 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Madrid

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I gained a lot of real-life experiences and learned a lot about spanish culture and the real world. A lot of this is owed to my internship, and a lot to just being on my own in a big city where I got to decide what kind of person I wanted to be, what kind of things I wanted to do with my time, etc. Solidified my spanish and visited a lot of places in Spain.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Dorm wasn't great, wouldn't live there again. Program administration knows this and won't be advertising them again.
* Food:	Lived in a dorm.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Was able to integrate with an outdoors group through my direct enrollment university. My time with them was the best culturally and in terms of language learning.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	Madrid feels/is super safe. Just be smart and don't walk around alone at night.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes If I were to go to Spain again to study Spanish, I would choose the Madrid program again. Madrid is actually the coolest city ever, so centrally located in Spain, has incredible public transportation, and is very close to moutnains and incredible nature (that you can get to for free using public transport). Madrid = best city in Spain

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)	If you never go out to eat you could live on 100 a week for sure, groceries are cheaper than I expected them to be. But there is so many good restaurants and experiences that are worth splurging every once and a while. Public transport is 8 dollars a month which is amazing.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	150
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Grocery stores are cheaper than you'd expect.

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	Language pledge
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?	Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	300 level at Middlebury
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?	Make spanish friends somehow. Join a club, go to random events, even if its something you wouldn't do normally during a semester in the US, like weekly dance classes or a movie club, do it just to meet poeple and get outside the American exchange student social bubble. It's totally worth it.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
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?	The schedule The people The location
* What could be improved?	- - -
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I knew to live in a host family, because that would have made the experience even better I think. But that decision was on me, because the program really pushes for students to do that.

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 Adventurer The 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:	Migraciones
Course Department:	Middlebury College en Espana
Instructor:	Aída Bueno Sarduy
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Challenging and theoretical, because it was supposed to be a masters class. Would probably take it again and learned a lot .Forced me to read a lot of academic spanish.
Credit Transfer Issues:	None

Course Name/Rating:	Historia de los Pueblos Originarios de America: del pasado al presente
Course Department:	Historia, en la Universidad Autonoma
Instructor:	Patricio Hidalgo
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Very enjoyable, lectures twice a week on the history of the americas before colonization. One paper midway through and two tests. No homework except those things. Learned a lot and made some Spanish friends in the class.
Credit Transfer Issues:	None

Course Name/Rating:	Sintaxis Superior
Course Department:	Middlebury College en Espana
Instructor:	Beatriz del Valle
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	It was challenging and comprehensive, I learned so much very helpful and applicable constructions and grammar concepts that every day helped me understand more people and form my thoughts a little bit clearer.
Credit Transfer Issues:	None

Course Name/Rating:	Internship
Course Department:	Internship
Instructor:	Jorge del Arco
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Very challenging and took up a lot of time (16 hrs a week) but very glad I decided to do it. It forced me to speak and listen to spanish for those 16 hours a week, and I learned so much about life and Spanish work culture. Highly recommend, even if it means you semester is a tad bit busier.
Credit Transfer Issues:	None