Cordoba: An Exchange Student's Guide Past Review
By Kate L (Biology/Spanish, Wellesley College) for
PRESHCO: Study Abroad in Córdoba, Spain
Without a doubt. I loved it and would cheerfully go back to Spain on the first opportunity.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Probably the biggest difference was the class participation. I felt far less involved in classtime than I'm used to, and I probably was one of the most outspoken students, certainly more than many locals. The other big difference is the grading system. Nearly the entire grade is dependent on the final - there are fewer chances to make up points and more of a chance that a bad day will hurt your grades. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was unquestionably another daughter. I had an absolutely wonderful host family and really couldn't have asked for better. While we were admittedly some distance from the campus and most of the heart of the city, it was more than made up for by the other characteristics. |
| * Food: |
My host family made a point of making sure they gave us food we liked, and both my host parents were incredible cooks. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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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? | Oh, maybe fifteen euro? Most of that was snacks or the occasional bottle of wine to share with the girls. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Do pay attention to your money. The exchange rate between Euros and Dollars is not kind to us Americans, so just keep that in mind. That's not to say you shouldn't spend money at all, but don't go crazy. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 272 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Some of the professors spoke some English, but the program coordinators practically mandated Spanish and my host family spoke only Spanish to us. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | This program's for people who have a cultural interest in Spain. Their goal is to get you living like a Spaniard. If you want to go to a big, international city where you can party every night, this might not be the program for you. If your main concern is taking lots of academics, you may want to consider looking somewhere else. |
