Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Worse Experience of my life January 03, 2023

By (Computer Science, Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/26/2022 to 12/19/2022 with

PRESHCO: Study Abroad in Córdoba, Spain

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I improved my Spanish language skills. The experience overall was not worthwhile.

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.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

1. I was one of ten students in this program in the fall. Five of those ten students had to relocate to different host families due to racism, sexual intimidation, and a host of other issues. That is half the program that had to relocate. At this point, this does not insinuate a problem with an individual host family or student, but it reveals a huge problem in the program that supposedly vetted these families. 2. A Black student studying in this program can expect little to no support from the staff when experiencing racism abroad. When experiencing racism in Spain the most the staff did was tell me that they could not understand my perspective because they are white, then leave me in search of my own support. There is no established community of Black people or People of Color in Cordoba so I had to rely on my support in the US which did take time away from my emersion. I am unsure if the concept of allyship just has not reached the staff of PRESHCO, but they need to educate themselves on racism if they want to claim to be a safe, inclusive program, and they need to come to terms with the fact that they do not have to directly experience racism to understand its impact. They just need to educate themselves.

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? $75

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

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? Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? College level
How many hours per day did you use the language? 10+

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • week long travel in the first week
* What could be improved?
  • the staff's knowledge of race/racism that students deal with in Spain
  • host family selection/vetting
  • internship options for non-humanities students
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew that they are not equipped to take on computer science students. Every student has an internship while in the program but the one internship option they gave me did not apply to my major. To be fair they also gave me the option of research but only after doing 6 weeks of menial work for the other internship and bringing this issue to them multiple times.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!