The best 4 months of my life. Past Review
By Christian V (BS. Marketing & Theatre, Saint Louis University) for
Saint Louis University Campus in Madrid / SLU-Madrid
I have a much greater appreciation for cultural diversity and personal diversity. My palette has also opened up substantially and I am very open to trying new things now.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The biggest challenge was writing term papers that were graded by non-natural English speaking professors. My papers were to "complicated" for their understanding of English. I consistently got lower test scores than my roommate who is a very strong writer but because his English was simpler it was easier for the professors to follow. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Saint Louis University has a satellite campus in Madrid so that transition was easy and a little cheaper than staying in the States if you can believe that. The campus was very clique-oriented though, and the full-time Madrid students had their own group of friends. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived with a great older couple who were very hospitable and friendly. Food wasn't the best, but I couldn't have asked for a better host family. |
| * Food: |
The food the host mother cooked didn't really stretch the boundaries of imagination but it was plentiful and I was grateful for a warm meal each night. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Travel! Travel! Travel! See everything! My favorite place was Greece, the most fun I had was in Ireland, and the most beautiful city was Paris. There is so much to see! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe but I always travelled in a group of at least 3 which I would recommend anyways. |
| 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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Language
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Be prepared to have a culture shock. I wasn't and had a small mental breakdown. If possible take classes with excursion trips built it, and even more importantly, if the school offers it, take an orientation trip during the first couple weeks you get there. You'll make great friends and it will help calm your nerves. Plus, you'll see beautiful places! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Later Shakespeare |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Maura Tarnoff |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class was superb! Centered around many of Shakespeare's later works and combined with an excursion trip to England it was a blast! Highly recommend. Be warned, there is a fair amount of reading and writing, but if you love Shakespeare this class is a must. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
