Different but Fun Past Review
By Erik Spong (Oklahoma State University - Stillwater) - abroad from 01/23/2017 to 06/23/2017 with
Polytechnic University of Valencia / UPV : Valencia - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
It was a great trip. I learned so much and had a great time. It would have been 10 times better though if things were planned better.
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. |
The education and material was pretty good but there where no programs set up outside the classroom to help students with extra questions or needed more help. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The host administration in my department was not very helpful at all and a lot of useful information did not make it to me |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The houses here in Valencia is nice. Only complaint is that the summers get hot and there is no AC |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Most of my friends are just Erasmus student from all over Europe. The Spanish people were not very open to outsiders which I feel is just a cultural thing |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The healthcare here is good but just different from the US. They have all the same technology but they are not as thorough. Also language was a big issue also. |
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| 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? | 5,200€ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Plan ahead |
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? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | A2 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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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| 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? | About the grading system, how the university works, and information about the city |
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! |
