Past Review
By Diana D (Psychology and Spanish, Wellesley College) for
PRESHCO: Study Abroad in Córdoba, Spain
Yes it was extremely worthwhile. The main reason that I came here was to learn the language. I have decided to stay here throughout the summer to make sure that I can return to Wellesley being able to fluently speak Spanish. That was the most important thing for me and I have had a ton of help with that since I have been here.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | University of Cordoba |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
| The term and year this program took place: | Summer 2009 |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Well it was completely different. Wellesley is a crazy strict, get the job done no matter what type of college. The program and University that I attended while abroad was way more interested in getting across the culture of Spain while I was there. Academics were not deemed as important as really understanding and participating in the lifestyle of the Spanish. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
|
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Apartment with Spaniards. <br /><br /> |
| * Food: |
I just wonder how much this program was getting paid for me to skip every meal and have to buy food to cook for myself. I was highly disappointed that there was no option presented that would allow me to buy food and present receipts. I complained about the food many times and how I could not eat half of it due to allergies and a stomach ulcer. So basically what ended up happening is the money kept being paid to the program to feed me when I was not eating,literally, anything they were provided. This also put strain on my budget as I was using money, that was supposed to be used for cultural experiences, to buy things like rice and vegetables. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
|
| * Safety: |
|
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* 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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Around 40 euro. This was because I was buying all of my own groceries on top of the program getting paid for feeding me when I was not eating and they were aware of this. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Yes, the fact that i was going to have to grocery shop every week because there was no choice on what I could eat. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
There need to be more opportunities within the program to make Spanish friends. I had no problem with this myself, however, a lot of the younger students really didn't know how to put themselves out there to become really immersed in an environment of Spanish students their own age. The Americans tended to stick together. This did not seem to be because they didn't want to meet more Spanish people but rather because they seemed afraid to try and speak with other students. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
