Amazing Host Country Experience, but Difficult Academics July 29, 2025

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Overall, I didn't really enjoy the academic aspect of the program. The classes were aimed only toward humanity students, except for a class about medicine and business which I really enjoyed. The grammar teacher was not a professor and did not speak English so she was unable to understand why we couldn't understand specific grammar lessons that only would make sense to native speakers. I had to seek additional outside tutoring to make sense of her lessons (I was in the highest grammar class for reference) and my tutor (of a reputable language school in Madrid) told me my teacher was incorrect in multiple of the ways she graded my work, which was incredibly frustrating. The classes at Sede Prim were relatively easy in the sense that there wasn't much homework or work to do except for midterms (except for grammar class) but the grades did not reflect that. The grades given were on a US grade scale, but the majority of the professors gave us Spanish grades in the sense that they believed that 70s were amazing grades, which hurt my academic performance as these were not scaled like the University grades were. Attendance policies did not treat us like we were adults (couldn't miss any class without a doctor's note) which meant I had to attend class with a migraine. Overall, the program helped me strengthen my Spanish but overall hurt my academic performance and had the University not been 1 hour away, I may have taken classes there.

On-site administration of your program

I thought the program was not super well-designed academically but I appreciated the program's support during orientation and for health related things. However, I wish that they had planned more activities and managed housing more as it felt like we were on our own pretty much after orientation.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I had an amazing experience living with a host family, traveling, and experiencing Spanish culture. My host family was incredibly accommodating and loving, even hosting a special Thanksgiving dinner for me when I was homesick during the holiday.

My host mother was an amazing cook and I additionally really enjoyed eating Spanish cuisine. Although many Spanish families love mayo, which I do not, there is a ton of other Spanish food that I make at home now because I miss it so much.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt really integrated with my host family and I did have a brief cultural exchange with a Spanish student. I would have liked to meet more Spanish students my age, but it was hard to do so given my classes only being with American students.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I utilized the health system many times as I injured my knee and had to get multiple tests and doctors appointments. I did get very sick from a trip to Morocco and it was handled well as it was very easy to get appointments to be seen. The one thing that was frustrating was that they required medical notes if you stayed home sick.

I felt overall very safe, but I was robbed after getting my rent from the ATM. I feel as though the program could have prevented this by offering a safer way to pay host families than having a student go alone to an ATM to take almost $1000 out every month.

I would choose the same country, but try to find a different academic program more aligned with my interests.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I spent about $100 on food, inner-city travel, going out, etc per week (I had dinner and breakfast covered at my homestay), and spent about $250 for weekend trips

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

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Americans

• Host family
• Host country/culture - Spain
• Food

• Academics
• Support
• Rent payments (make safer)