Universidad Pablo Olavide was a rewarding experience. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The work load was not as challenging as I expected it but it was a reasonable college work load. I think that if I had chosen different classes that were more Spanish intensive then it would have been much more difficult. The grading system although different from what I am used to was not hard to understand. The educational system was not different for the American students, the student exchange program was set up to flow with the semester you studied there rather than the semester in progress for the Spanish students. Their semesters are set up much longer that ours in the United States. My over all educational experience in Spain was great.

On-site administration of your program

The program was very strong in understanding the needs of students and in the professors they have teaching their courses. I wish that the program was more immersed with the Spanish students I felt it was very segregated from the Spanish students.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

When looking at the international student website for UPO, I noticed a link to the residence hall and it looked appealing. Most of the international webpage had information about host families and the school set that up for those students who wanted a host stay. I contacted the residence hall on my own and set up everything through email. I did have a problem wiring money to reserve my room. That was a bank issue. The Residence hall had sheets, towels and cookware there for me as well as an en suite bathroom. The down side to living on campus was that you had to take the metro to get to the city. It was very safe and mostly quiet.

The food made me sad. I grew up on much spicier food and was surprised to find the food in Spain to be bland. Tapas, Spanish tortillas ( not what we as american think of as tortillas), and paella are good. Be aware there are no free refills here. However buying food at the store is not as expensive as in the States.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I loved all of the field trips that the school planned for the international students. Ronda was beautiful. Italica was amazing. That was really awesome to experience.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

N/A

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

At the school most people spoke in English because you were among Americans mostly. However in everyday activity Spanish was used often, to order food, get directions, and most host Families spoke to only Spanish. I practiced with my roommate who was from Spain.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students