A beautiful semester in a beautiful city Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/21/2016 to 05/23/2016 with
PRESHCO: Study Abroad in Córdoba, Spain
I gained friendships and a much deeper insight into an interesting culture. I loved practicing my Spanish and I hope to return to Spain very soon.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Not particularly rigorous, but I thought that was awesome for a study abroad experience. It was a great way to have a break from the stresses of a normal Wellesley semester while still learning a ton just from daily life. The process of directly enrolling in a UCO class was a bit wonky, though. People's experiences varied super widely and mine was less than positive. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
A group of incredibly caring women. There definitely could have been more organization, but the personalized attention each and every one of us got made up for that. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Loved my host family and roommate! Could not have been happier with my living arrangements. |
| * Food: |
Spain is not known for fabulous cuisine, I'll leave it at that. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I definitely felt like we as Americans kept to ourselves more than we should. We had our own classes and usually only hung out with one another outside of class. I was grateful for host families and conversation partners as ways to integrate more into the community. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never had any health issues, but from what I heard from friends it seemed like everyone who did had great experiences. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe in Córdoba. |
| 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) |
The reimbursements that PRESHCO provided can go a very long way. Spain is much more affordable than a lot of European countries these days. Traveling is a different story, however. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
|
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
The program encouraged Spanish, but did not enforce it. All classes were in Spanish, however. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | A 300 level seminar |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Speak it constantly. Even with your American friends. The only way you're going to improve is through practice. |
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 |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I underestimated how long a semester is and packed way too lightly. So that's one thing. I also wish I had known how important it is to use a lot of Spanish. I wish I had worked harder at that. |
