great program, amazing city, and a worthwhile experience Past Review
By A student (Cupertino High School) - abroad from 07/26/2012 to 11/19/2012 with
Spain Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
yes, it was really fun, and my Spanish at least doubled in 3 weeks, and also the ability to see what it is like living in a foreign country the reason i choose no for the above would you do it the same all over again, i would if the rules were fair,the curfew is ineffective for its intended purpose, and it basically limits your experience, because the city doesnt come alive until after the curfew. but before the curfew was reasonable, it just isnt anymore, i was even injured a few times trying to run home from dinner with my roommate, becuase if we missed curfew, we might have been kicked out or have gotten into trouble.
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. |
it is perfectly suited for any level Spanish learner/ speaker, with so many different class levels, there is one that is great for everyone |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
on site, the directors were perfect, very nice, and very helpful. but the administrators that were back home, werent as great, they were trying to solve problems, by doing things that affected the experience and punishing the people who werent doing anything with weird rule changes. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
housing is very good, but as i mentioned before, with some new strange rules, we werent allowed keys, so we were locked out for a long time, at least 6 hours in total. |
| * Food: |
all of the food was great, everywhere we went, in our houses, or in the middle of madrid |
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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: |
as always be careful, but if you are it is an amazing city with some amazing people |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
it is very easy if you want to, for me it was about 150 a week, drinks (very hot in the summer, aquarios is great), eating out about once a week, but only really what i needed, |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | if you want to, which you probably wont, try and always eat with your host family, it is nice though to go out with some friends every so often and really get the experience though. |
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 |
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| 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 3 |
| 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? | no matter how tempting it is, try and not use any English, and dont be embarrassed to get something wrong, just say it and you will learn more by trying. |
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? | that the rules were going to be change, quite unfairly for the everyone, including the people that were there to learn, not just mess around. |
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. |
