Culturally enriching! August 06, 2025

By (Spanish and Comparative Literature, Wellesley College) - abroad from 02/01/2025 to 05/23/2025 with

PRESHCO: Study Abroad in Córdoba, Spain

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
The most obvious learning done is that I'm now fluent in Spanish! But aside from that, I feel more independent and confident than I ever have in my life - going to a foreign place and creating a community from scratch is one of the most worthwhile things a person can do

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

great support/resources from PRESHCO, linguistically immersive, only faults were those of the University of Cordoba not those of PRESHCO

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

very involved and accessible leaders, felt emotionally and academically present

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

had a bad host family experience. PRESHCO at first was stubborn in helping handle it but eventually came around. Host family that I had simply shouldn't have been hosting in the first place, had received negative comments in the past

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

any lack of integration was the fault of the kind of people in the city, not of the program

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had to go to the hospital once, and my program was incredibly helpful. They were there to instruct me throughout it all and even accompanied me to the hospital. And continued to check in even after I was healing

* Safety:

felt incredibly safe, even as a woman roaming around at night

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Andalucia is such a unique place to study, and PRESHCO makes the transition to a foreign country the most smooth it can possibly be. Of course, there were moments of discomfort, but far fewer than there would've been if PRESHCO wasn't so wonderful in providing support

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)

Food was covered in the house and we were given money for cultural activities, so I honestly did not have to spend much money unless I was traveling! It helped that Cordoba is also a relatively cheap city

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 65 - balancing out weeks where I traveled and weeks where I didn't
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? save more money ahead of time than you think you'll need! you don't know if you'll want to stay beyond your program end date

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? Intermediate
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? Spanish 241 - High Intermediate
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Just talk to as many people as possible! Shopkeepers, ERASMUS students, whoever it may be! Speak, speak, speak, even if at first it's daunting

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • 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?
  • Incorporated country-wide travel
  • Felt like a real community
  • Linguistically intense
* What could be improved?
  • Housing
  • Schedule communication
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That I would find built-in friends and community within the program itself, not just outside of it