Study Abroad at University of Cordoba Past Review
By Annie Z (Economics., Wellesley College) for
PRESHCO: Study Abroad in Córdoba, Spain
Living in a foreign country has made me more self-sufficient and more outgoing. I think by making me realize that my time in a certain place was limited, it forced me to do things that I would've had reservations about doing. Additionally, it was my first time in that continent and I feel that from that experience, I see it as less of a strange land and more of a potential home, much like I've made the Boston/Wellesley area my home.
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? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was manageable. The teachers were very helpful and wanted us to learn as much as we could. It took a while to get used to the format of the classes since the ones in Spain were more lecture based. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were very accessible and very helpful with the problems I had. Whenever I needed to know where to find stuff, they knew where to find it. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in Ciudad Jardin on Diego Serrano Street. It was an apartment on the 3rd floor with 8 other people. We had a kitchen, 6 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms. <br /><br /> My neighborhood was very safe. I didn't feel uncomfortable walking back at 5 in the morning alone. It was about a 20 minute walk to the center of town where I had classes and where all the good shops were. Everything was provided for me, I didn't need to bring sheets or cookware. I didn't live with Spaniards. Instead, I lived with two Italian girls and 6 other American girls. |
| * Food: |
It was better than I expected but worse than what I'm used to at Wellesley. Also, the lack of variety made it grow old. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program arranged so many trips. They paid for hotels, provided us with food, money for food, and hired guides to show us everything. During the first two weeks of the program, we traveled throughout the north of Spain |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt that Cordoba was very safe. I had no issues while traveling. I didn't need to go to the hospital or anything but I know people that did and the program directors were very helpful with that. |
| 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 didn't spend much on food or personal expenses. Towards the end, I started to buy more food to give myself some diversity in terms of what I ate, but outside of some toiletries, I didn't spend very much. I didn't travel much either, so that was also why my costs were low. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I would definitely recommend saving a lot of money for travel and also have enough money so that if the weather doesn't turn out like you expect it to or if you need extra supplies fast, you can get it. For example, I ended up buying 3 pairs of shoes because the one I brought with me was too small, one pair broke, and the other two were bought for different temperatures. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most people did not speak English so I had to use the language a lot. Since I interacted with Americans more often, I tended to use English more. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I feel that a really outgoing student who didn't have many dietary restrictions and could adjust easily to a new country would do well with this program. |
