A lifechanging, indescribable experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. Past Review
By Allison Berz (Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne / IPFW) - abroad from 02/01/2016 to 06/30/2016 with
Rovira i Virgili University: Tarragona - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I gained true immersion. Lifelong friends. A level of Spanish I couldn't seem to achieve in the United States. Every second of every minute was worthwhile.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The University was incredibly slow at responding to emails (if at all) and there was not a very wide selection of courses in Spanish. I didn't actually meet my academic advisor in Tarragona because she never showed up to the two meetings we scheduled together. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I wouldn't reccomend attending this University without an upper intermediate to advanced level of Spanish because several of the administrators did not speak English well. This was alright for me and helped me grow in a language sense, but I would warn future students. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My roommate (Monica Spohn, also an ISEP student) and I had several issues with Sant Jordi Student Residence. It is an ISEP requirement to stay there for the first month, though we couldn't have been more ready to move out when the time came. The immersion with the local students was wonderful... Some of my closest friends were from this residence. The conditions of the room and the employees were quite the opposite. The room we received was significantly smaller than what we had paid for (it may have well been a closet with a bunkbed put in), dirty, with no bathroom (A private bathroom was supposed to be included according to the contract). The office workers spoke zero English, and when confronted about the differences in the room we received and the room we had paid for according to the contract, they stated that we would be moving within a couple days to our actual room, and that the student that was supposed to move out never did. Days went by. Weeks. And when asked about when we would be moving, they said to stop asking and that we would be informed when it was ready. The end of February came, and we were still in our muggy little closet room, with curse words and profane drawings scribbled on the walls. We asked the desk this time for the difference in the room we received (roughly 400 euros a month) and the one we paid for (600 euros a month) and they were incredibly rude about saying no. I contacted Mikaela Spencer to discuss these issues and while being very friendly about the situation, she did nothing to change or help the situation, I never received a response in regards to the situation. I moved into a shared flat with a German girl and two Spanish guys, paid 200 euros a month for a private bedroom and two bathroom apartment and was extremely satisfied there, and saved a lot of money as well. |
| * Food: |
After leaving the residence, food was at my own discretion. |
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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? |
I didn't have any experiences with healthcare. |
| * Safety: |
I felt extremely safe in this city. Even more safe than in my hometown in northern Indiana. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
There were simply many areas that the program did not prepare it's students for. I ran into several roadblocks with the University and class enrollment that ISEP failed to warn me about. Zero of the friends I made were because of ISEP, they were all "Erasmus" students. Zero of the events, the programs, the activities, the roadtrips, nothing was because of ISEP. They were all organized by the Erasmus organization who were more than welcoming to my taking part in their activities. This program is not for everyone. I would not change my experience for the world however, because thanks to the lack of preparation I recieved from the program, I was able to grow and learn from my failures even more-so. I truly felt like a local, because so much of the experience was done on my own. |
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? | Excluding apartment rent and program expenses, I spent 40-60 euros a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Purchase your food from a local, cheap grocery store instead of eating out if you are responsible for your meals! I saved an immense amount of money by cooking my meals instead of eating out every day. It was also a healthier option, and allowed me the freedom to learn to cook the local cuisine! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
My program stayed out of the language portion of this travel abroad experience. I found myself an Intercambio to practice my spanish, as well as any activity I joined for the same reason. |
| 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 311 |
| 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? | Become friends with the locals and spend time with them. They understand that you are there for a reason, and will love to help you. I also spent free time watching shows in spanish, cooking spanish recipes, and found myself an intercambio to speak with on a weekly basis. |
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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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | First and foremost, I would have liked to know that the courses I had signed up for were offered at the same time and in a different city than the one I was staying in. Because of this, I scrambled to fill in whatever courses I could find to transfer back. Luckily IPFW worked with me and were leniant on helping me find courses that worked for other ones that I needed. I wish that I had known about the Erasmus student group on Facebook where dozens of events are planned for all the international students, advice is given, and even ads for apartments and intercambios were placed. I discovered this a few weeks in thanks to a friend I met there. I also wish I had known my academic advisor at the URV would skip every meeting we scheduled together (she simply didn't come to the University and I found out after 30 minutes sitting outside her door both times). Or that we would be required to purchase an NIE and open a bank account by the University, both things I did by myself with help from Erasmus students. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
