Different but worth it July 28, 2025
By Francisco T (Political Science, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/15/2025 to 05/17/2025 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Puerto Rico
I definitely learned how to be patient. A lot of things took a long time and dealing with the administration was not fun, and it was easier to just go with the flow than try to force anything. I also learned more about the island and its culture, both the good and the bad. I learned a lot about myself too. This experience was kind of a preview of living on my own and being independent, and I feel that I adapted fairly well to all the changes presented to me.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I had some resources available and the courses weren't the most difficult. I also took an easy class along with my three other classes to even it out a little. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program was amazing. It was only 3 of us, so it allowed for a more intimate experience which I enjoyed. We did a lot of excursions and activities together, and the director, Teresa Pena-Jordan was incredible. She was super attentive to our needs and was super informative and prepared for any situation. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing was alright. It was a bit cold in the dorms, but that's just because its PR and they need to keep the air conditioning on at all times to make sure mold doesn't grow on the walls. The main problem was that my roommate left in the middle of February and I didn't get a replacement, so I was alone in a two person dorm. Everything else was good though. |
| * Food: |
Since there was no dining halls on campus, I had to grow up and cook for myself, which was a little bit of a challenge. I learned how to make a couple of meals though and I actually enjoyed it at times. In terms of the food on the island, I'm biased since I'm Puerto Rican, but it was amazing as expected. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt fairly integrated with the local culture. Like I said previously, being Latino and also having some experience on the island gave me an advantage I think, and I learned a lot about the culture and felt a connection to it. However, the complicated relationship between Puerto Rico and outsiders, especially from the United States, made it a little more difficult to fully embrace the culture, through no fault of the Puerto Ricans I met and interacted with. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Since Puerto Rico is part of the US, the healthcare was good. I never personally had to go to the doctor or the hospital thankfully, but the system was very well laid out. I did have to get a tuberculosis test before I arrived though. |
| * Safety: |
Again, I can't comment on the rest of San Juan or the island in general, but the area around the university was relatively safe. I definitely felt a sense of protection being on campus, and the program took great care to make sure we were safe and not going into areas that we would have felt unsafe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved being in Puerto Rico for a variety of reasons. I also really liked the program that I was in. The only complaints I had were of the university itself or the schoolwork aspect, but I did go there to study, not to relax. |
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) |
Puerto Rico is uniquely screwed when it comes to this. It's part of the US, so it has to use US currency and prices, but it is a statistically poorer territory of the US. Everything was somewhat expensive. The groceries weren't as expensive as back home, but they still weren't as cheap as you would expect with a 10.50 minimum wage on the island, considering that everything has to be imported. Since there's not much public transport, uber was the mode of transportation for almost everything, which limited where I could go without spending a lot of money. Uber and groceries were expensive, and food was expensive in restaurants. The only reason I was able to spend only 100 on groceries a week was because I usually skipped both breakfast and lunch because I had class in the morning and the afternoon, and I didn't feel like cooking two meals instead of just dinner. I also didn't travel very much around the island to save money. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Probably around 100-120 every week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Any Econo in the area is cheaper for groceries. The Econo in Altamira is pretty good and has every food you could want to buy. Its just a short walk from the Martinez Nadal metro station. Some of the restaurants around campus are very cheap. There's a burger king like 2 minutes from campus, and a place called Dipea Wings if you're staying in the dorms, that has great deals on Fridays. If you need to do any shopping, do it at Walmart because the prices are pretty good. |
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 |
We had to use Spanish all the time. We couldn't use English in the presence of the program leaders unless it was an emergency. I definitely improved my skills on top of the 4 1/2 months I spent in Chile beforehand. |
| 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? | I completed a 300 level class in the Spring of 2024 before leaving. |
| 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? | Definitely! The main one, which is super obvious but always effective, is don't be afraid to make a fool out of yourself. It happens to everyone. I lost count of the number of times I said something that didn't make sense, or couldn't figure out what someone was saying, or froze up during a conversation. The trick is just sticking with it. You'll find that just being in a place where you are constantly surrounded by the language will rapidly improve all of the passive language skills like listening. And reading and writing will come from school work and other communication. Speaking is always the hardest, and it comes with time and practice. If you are feeling unmotivated and like you are stuck, just record yourself speaking at the beginning of the semester, and then periodically every month until the end. I promise, you will see improvement. Also, I always found it helpful to keep a list of all of the new words that I learned and practice them. Immerse yourself even more in the language. In addition to talking to people, watch youtube videos, instagram reels, tv shows, everything in your target language. And don't be afraid to ask someone to repeat themselves or pull out your phone to google translate something. It takes time, practice, and patience, but you'll get there. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | I wish I knew before I did study abroad at all that it would be the most challenging experience of my life, but that it would be overall very worth it. I feel as though maybe I would have been better prepared for what was to come. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Recreacion al Aire Libre |
| Course Department: | Educacion Fisica y Recreacion |
| Instructor: | Jomar Parilla Cruz |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | I loved this class. We took different excursions to different parts of the island and practiced different outdoor activities. The professor was amazing, and always super patient and engaging. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
