Transformative Semester!!! September 19, 2023
By A student (Spanish and Iberian Studies, Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/01/2023 to 05/25/2023 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Madrid
Gained even more cultural experiences, new way of life as well
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. |
As a native Spanish speaker the rigor was on par with a full immersion course while also being provided resources to enjoy the program! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Fantastic Administration and people |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Lived in a residency - wasn't best option and a bit expensive however was close to SEDE so was best option I could find |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Had to go to the doctor once and was a great system/ fast as well with insurance |
| * Safety: |
Felt 100% safe walking around and sometimes by myself |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
After spending time in Madrid, not only would I want to return, however would love to spend time there in the future living and working in Spain. I loved the city, culture, people etc |
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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 200 Euros a week |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| 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? | 400 level courses at Middlebury |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
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? | n/a |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Blogging in España |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Armando Figueroa |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | It was hard to constantly write in Spanish however was very useful to dive into the culture of spain and learn more about present day issues |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I dont believe I had issues |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Negocios |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Mercedes |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | The vocabulary aspect of the course was a bit challenging to learn a new way of businesses in Spanish, however very helpful! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I dont believe I had an issue with credit transfer! |
| Course Name/Rating: |
EU |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | francisco Seijo |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | The course was a great deep dive into the EU from a European perspective. I have only learned of this region from a US perspective however this gave me a new perspective. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No issue transferring the credit. Was able to be added as a Political Science elective |
| Course Name/Rating: |
nación y narración |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Patricia Rodríguez |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | This was my favorite course at SEDE, yet most challenging. Patricia was a great professor, always well prepared for class and led us through amazing discussions of books or films we were covering. I left the class knowing so much about the Nation and the history of Spain. I recommend to any student |
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