Spain was Great, and this Dang Survey Won't Let Me Submit Without a Title. So Here Ya Go Past Review
By Patrick K (HISTORY., Presbyterian College) for
Pablo de Olavide University: Seville - Multidisciplinary Studies Program
Absolutely - I grew a lot personally and had a great experience learning about another culture. Was it all wine and roses? No, but even the mistakes I made were learning experiences
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. |
Okay - yes, the classes were a lot easer than at PC, and I didn't study as much, but that frankly gave me more time to explore Europe for the first time and get a sense for the culture, so I'm extremely happy with the level of difficulty that I encountered. The classes were by no means a joke, either. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my host family but I know it varied a lot among my friends (I essentially won the housing lottery here). I was in a very quiet (by spanish standards...) and safe neighborhood and did not have to buy anything. I was a 30 minute commute to school and about 15-30 minutes to downtown and the nightlife. Host family was great. |
| * Food: |
Spanish food is nothing to write home about but my host mom was an excellent cook. I also liked the food at the UPO (and it's cheap too) |
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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? |
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| * Safety: |
I never dealt with health issues other than a few minor viruses that my host mom helped me get meds for and recover from. I only had one bad incident regarding saftey - a very badly botched attempted theft by a group of teenagers - and they left as soon as I threatened to call the police. Sevilla has very little violent crime (aside from the gypsy neighborhood) but pickpockets do exist. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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? | I spent about $800-$900 a month, meals, transport, nights out, travel, hostels, etc included (I traveled on average 80-10 days per month), plus books and school supplies. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Search well for a good cell phone plan. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 341 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
My house family understands some english but doesn't speak it, so that was the most helpful thing for practicing. I also spoke 80% spanish with my school intercambios and used it in all everyday interactions in the street. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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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