PRESHCO Gives You Freedom to Explore Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

PRESHCO classes (taken with other PRESHCO students) weren't the most rigorous, and the professors tended to be fairly hit-or-miss. However, I had a great experience with my direct-enrollment class, a normal University of Córdoba course, and definitely learned a lot about the subject (geobotánica). Although you have the option to take either one or two of your four courses direct-enrollment, I didn't mind taking just one because of the lighter workload which left more time for other things.

On-site administration of your program

The "equipo" (the three on-site administrators who managed academic, housing, and medical issues) were amazing at taking care of us, talking to us, and answering questions and solving any problems than came up. I doubt there are many programs with stronger on-site support than PRESHCO has. As a relatively small group, you really do know the equipo personally and talk to all of them all the time.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I had a wonderful host family, and am so grateful for everything they did to make me feel welcome and cared for in Córdoba. I also think that PRESHCO has an unusually strong network of host families; the housing administrator knows all of the families personally, and most of them have been with the program for many years. I lived in a flat in Ciudad Jardín, the more modern part of Córdoba, about a 10-15 minute walk from the Facultad where most of our classes were held.

Spanish food is a lot to get used to (between the different mealtimes and the tendency to starches, fried food, and endless cured ham). I enjoyed it though, and while my host family had good food, going out occasionally for tapas wasn't expensive. Although it wasn't a problem for me, host families seemed very willing to work with individual peoples' dietary constraints.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I think the extent to which you meet Spanish people and really integrate into Cordobés culture depends largely on your priorities studying abroad and how much of an effort you make to go out and meet folks. PRESHCO does make it much easier with their "compañeros de conversación" program, which sets you up with local students who want to make friends and practice their English. Of course, we all spent a good amount of time hanging out with PRESHCO students speaking English, and while I wish I'd done a little less of that, between my host family and some Spanish friends I felt very immersed in local culture. PRESHCO also attends several festivals and cultural events as a group, which lets you experience them in a much more Spanish way than if we had gone alone.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never had any health problems that needed to be addressed. However, I know that other people were able to see doctors very quickly if something came up, and an on-site administrator will always go with you in case there are language problems.

My host family was always telling me that Córdoba isn't as safe as it used to be, but I almost never felt uncomfortable at any time of day or night. It's a small, peaceful, friendly city (you run into people you know in the street) and you can walk virtually anywhere you need to go. I never had any problems walking home alone at night, and also experienced very little street harassment (catcalling, etc.). That said, there is a fairly strong culture of machismo, and some racism among older Spaniards.

I absolutely love Córdoba--it was small and friendly and beautiful; it was very Spanish and not so invaded by tourists that it didn't feel like a real city with real people. PRESHCO provided amazing support to let us make the most of our time there, meet people, get to know our host families, volunteer, absorb Spanish culture, and explore without without worrying about isolation or logistics or money or all of the things that can make studying abroad really hard.

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

The only thing we were expected to pay for out-of-pocket was if we chose to go out and eat or get drinks. All meals were available with our host families, and we received money for food (or had group meals) on group excursions. PRESHCO has a "reembolsos" program that gives all students 400€ to be used on personal travel and cultural activities within Spain, which was a really incredible resource because it allowed all of us to take day trips and weekend trips to nearby cities without being constrained by different personal budgets (although we did pay for our own food while traveling).

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

We absolutely had to use Spanish with our host families and the program administrators, but the amount of practice and commitment outside of that was mostly up to us. There was a vague expectation that we spoke Spanish with each other in PRESHCO spaces, but that wasn't often followed. Because I was looking for a program that would give me more immersive, constant practice in Spanish, I was somewhat disappointed by this.

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• Host Family

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Córdoba is a perfect city - incredibly beautiful, and with very little English
• Good friends on and off the program
• Getting to know my host parents

• Hit-or-miss PRESHCO classes
• More Spanish among program students
• Spotty communication from program administrators